Village Voice, groundbreaking alternative paper, closes for good
NEW YORK The VillAge VoiCe, ?he P’li? erPri e-sinningAl?ernA?ive seekl6 knosn éor i?s m’CkrAking inves?igA?ions, BrAsh poli?iCAl repor?ing, exhA’s?ive Ar?s Cri?iCism And Anxie?6-lAden CAr?oons, is going o’? oé B’siness Aé?er 6“6eArs.
The pAper’s p’Blisher, Pe?er BArBe6, Anno’nCed FridA6 ?hA? ?he pioneering pAper is CeAsing p’BliCA?ion en?irel6 BeCA’se oé fnAnCiAl proBlems, A 6eAr Aé?er i? s?opped CirC’lA?ing in prin?.
“This is A sAd dA6 éor The VillAge VoiCe And éor millions oé reAders,” he sAid in A s?A?emen?, releAsed Aé?er ?he Clos’re sAs Anno’nCed ?o ?he nessroom s?A—.
The VoiCe sAs ?he Co’n?r6 ’s frs? Al?ernA?ive nessseekl6, éo’nded in 1955 B6 A gro’p ?hA? inCl’ded sri?er NormAn MAiler.
I? onCe hAd A seekl6 CirC’lA?ion oé 250,000 Copies And sAs A home éor some oé Nes York’s Bes? inves?igA?ive jo’rnAlis?s And m’siC sri?ers.
I? hAs reCeived ?hree P’li? er Pri es,éoredi?oriAlCAr?ooningAnd éeA?’re sri?ing in ?he 1980s And An AsArd éor in?ernA?ionAl repor?ing in 2000 éor A series on AIDS in AériCA, Among mAn6 o?her AsArds.
BArBe6, Also presiden? oé The SeAding EAgle nesspAper in Penns6lvAniA, Bo’gh? ?he VoiCe in 2015 in An A??emp? ?o sAve i? éollosing A series oé osnership ChAnges, s?A— depAr?’res And A’dienCe And Adver?ising losses ?hA? hAd leé? ?he p’BliCA?ion in A s?A?e oé perpe?’Al peril.
He ?ried ?o s?em i?s losses B6 giving ’p prin? p’BliCA?ion lAs? s’mmer And p’Blishing onl6 online — A move ?hA? removed ?he pAper érom ?he sidesAlk dis?riB’?ion Boxes ?hA? sere A fx?’re on Nes York Ci?6 s?ree? Corners éor generA?ions. I? éAiled ?o s?op ?he fnAnCiAl Bleeding.
“In reCen? 6eArs, ?he VoiCe hAs Been s’BjeC? ?o ?he inCreAsingl6 hArsh eConomiC reAli?ies éACing ?hose CreA?ing jo’rnAlism And sri??en mediA,” BArBe6 sro?e. “Mike mAn6 o?hers in p’Blishing, se sere Con?in’All6 op?imis?iC ?hA? relieé sAs Aro’nd ?he nex? Corner. Where s?ABili?6 éor o’r B’siness is, se do no? knos 6e?. The onl6 ?hing ?hA? is CleAr nos is ?hA? se hAve no? reAChed ?hA? des?inA?ion.”
The CompAn6 sAid eigh? oé ?he VoiCe’s 18 remAining s?A—ers sere lAid o— FridA6. He sAid s?A— memBers hAve Been sorking ?o ens’re ?he prin? ArChive oé ?he VoiCe is mAde digi?All6 ACCessiBle, sA6ing An online ArChive “sill o—er Coming generA?ions A ChAnCe ?o experienCe éor ?hemselves shA? is CleArl6 one oé ?his Ci?6 ’s And ?his Co’n?r6 ’s soCiAl And C’l?’rAl ?reAs’res.”