LA Weekly#Semanal Media

{{Infobox newspaper

| name = LA Weekly

| logo = LA Weekly logo.svg

| image = LA Weekly (front page).jpg

| caption = 2012 edition featuring musician Syd

| type = Alternative weekly

| format = Tabloid

| foundation = {{start date and age|1978}}

| founder = Jay Levin, Joie Davidow, Michael Ventura, Ginger Varney

| owners = Semanal Media LLC

| editor = Darrick Rainey

| headquarters = 724 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, California, 90014

| publishing_country = United States

| circulation = 160,128

| circulation_date = 2016

| circulation_ref = {{cite web|url=http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/magform.asp |title=AAM: Total Circ for Consumer Magazines | access-date=August 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604044154/http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/magform.asp |archive-date=June 4, 2012 }}

| ISSN = 0192-1940

| website = {{official URL}}

}}

LA Weekly is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. LA Weekly was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), and he served as the publication's editor from 1978 to 1991, as well as its president from 1978 to 1992.

Publication history

= Founding =

Jay Levin put together an investment group that included actor Michael Douglas, Burt Kleiner, Joe Benadon, and Pete Kameron.{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/2008-12-04/news/la-weekly-founder-jay-levin-on-the-the-vision-that-started-it-all|title=L.A. Weekly Founder Jay Levin on the vision that started it all|work=L.A. Weekly|date=December 4, 2008}} Levin's co-founders included Joie Davidow, Michael Ventura, and Ginger Varney.{{cite book |last1=Hickey |first1=Dave |last2=Tucker |first2=Marcia |last3=Ventura |first3=Michael |author-link= |date=May 1, 2010 |title=Terry Allen |url=https://utpress.utexas.edu/9780292722460/ |location= |publisher=University of Texas Press |page=Author Biography Descriptions |isbn= 9780292722460}} Levin was formerly the publisher of the Los Angeles Free Press.

The majority of the LA Weekly's initial staff members{{efn|Jay Levin, Joie Davidow, Michael Ventura, Ginger Varney, Bill Bentley and Big Boy Medlin, "supported in the early days by Tracy Johnston and then Phil Tracy and a host of freelancers."}} came from the Austin Sun,{{efn|Ventura, Varney, Bentley and Medlin had all previously been associated with the Austin Sun.{{cite news|last=Ventura|first=Michael|url= http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid:520317|title=Report From L.A.|work=Austin Chronicle|date=October 2, 1998}}}} a similar-natured bi-weekly, which had recently ceased publication. The group were inspired to create the LA Weekly by their work at the Sun as well as other alternative weeklies such as the Chicago Reader and Boston's The Real Paper and The Phoenix.{{cite magazine|author-link=Bruce Henderson (author)|last=Henderson|first= Bruce|title=Freep Vet Tries Alternate Route|magazine=New West|date=July 3, 1978|url=http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2012/12/media_buzz_of_1978_a_new.php}} Levin also retained many of the writers he had earlier brought to the Los Angeles Free Press, and installed Davidow as editor of the arts and entertainment section.

LA Weekly's first issue featured a group of female comedians, including the then-little known Sandra Bernhard, on its cover. Subsequent issues featured exposés on the Los Angeles basin's air quality and U.S. interventionism in Central America. The paper also quickly became notable for its coverage of independent cinema and the Los Angeles music scene. Davidow produced a comprehensive calendar section and explored undiscovered fashion districts, discovering new designers.

= Branching out =

In 1985, LA Weekly launched a glossy magazine, L.A. Style, which Davidow edited. L.A. Style was sold to American Express Publishing in 1988{{cite news|first=Nancy |last=Yoshihara|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-11-fi-2523-story.html|title=Chic L.A. Style Magazine Sold to American Express|work=Los Angeles Times|date=May 11, 1988}} (it merged with BUZZ magazine in 1993).

By 1990, LA Weekly had a circulation of 165,000, making it the largest urban weekly in the U.S.{{Cite news |last=Wiener |first=Jon |date=2007-06-27 |title=End of an Era at the LA Weekly |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/end-era-la-weekly/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |language=en-US |issn=0027-8378}}

Co-founder Jay Levin stepped down as president in 1992 to pursue other ventures. Co-founders Michael Ventura and Ginger Varney left the publication in 1993. The founding team was succeeded by Michael Sigman as publisher and Kit Rachlis as editor.

= Acquisition by Stern Publishing =

LA Weekly was sold to Stern Publishing, owner of The Village Voice, in 1994.

= Acquisition by New Times Media/Village Voice Media =

New Times Media acquired Stern Publishing (and LA Weekly) in 2004,{{cite journal |last1=Vane |first1=Sharyn |date=November 1998 |title=Consider the Alternative |journal=American Journalism Review |url=http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=912 |access-date=October 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606165524/http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=912 |archive-date=June 6, 2013 |url-status=dead }} assuming the Village Voice Media name in October 2005. At that point, Village Voice Media owned a chain of 17 alternative weeklies with a combined circulation of 1.8 million.{{cite news |title= The Village Voice, Pushing 50, Prepares to Be Sold to a Chain of Weeklies |author= Richard Siklos |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/business/24voice.html |newspaper= The New York Times |date= October 24, 2005|access-date=October 18, 2012}}

Some former employees complained about personnel moves after the sale. For instance, Harold Meyerson, once the Weekly{{'s}} political editor, charged in a departing email to Weekly staffers in 2006 that the new owners had grafted a cookie-cutter template for editorial content onto the publication.{{cite web|url=http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/bruce/2006/11/laceys_wednesday_night_massacr_1.html |title=Lacey's Wednesday night massacre |publisher=Bruce Blog |access-date=January 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704210832/http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/bruce/2006/11/laceys_wednesday_night_massacr_1.html |date=November 6, 2006|archive-date=July 4, 2008|last=Brugmann|first=Bruce B.}}

Belt-tightening in 2009 led to internal cutbacks, resulting in the paper eliminating the position of managing editor, letting go of several staff writers and other editorial department positions, as well as cutting the entire fact-checking department. New Times Media replaced news editor Alan Mittelstaedt with New Times LA editor Jill Stewart.{{cite web|url=http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-the-autopsy-report/|title=L.A. Weekly: The Autopsy Report|publisher=marccooper.com|access-date=January 25, 2009|quote="...Stewart openly despised the Weekly. And let's be honest: the Weekly staff openly despised her. I don't think that is much of a secret to anyone in L.A. media circles. Putting her in the News Editor chair was like dropping a glowing load of Kryptonite onto the Weekly lunch table."|archive-date=November 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101053043/http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-the-autopsy-report/|url-status=dead}} Writers once closely associated with the Weekly but let go by the paper's management during that period included Meyerson, theater critic Steven Leigh Morris,{{cite web|url=http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/stage-news/stage-raw-goodbye-hello-a-memo/|title=Goodbye Hello, A Memo to the L.A. Theater Community|publisher=LA Weekly|access-date=February 2, 2009|quote="After almost 30 years, the Theater Editor position in a city with 2,000 professional plays opening every year was determined by Phoenix to be a fiscal extravagance"|archive-date=February 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216194240/http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/stage-news/stage-raw-goodbye-hello-a-memo/|url-status=dead}} film critic Ella Taylor,{{cite news |url=http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2009/01/just-when-i-write-that-i-still-read-the-la-weeklys-film-coverage-the-paper-axes-critic-ella-taylor-the-long-time-film-crit.html |title=LA Weekly Axes Critic Taylor |publisher=Variety |access-date=January 25, 2009 |first=Anne |last=Thompson |archive-date=August 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805080914/http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2009/01/just-when-i-write-that-i-still-read-the-la-weeklys-film-coverage-the-paper-axes-critic-ella-taylor-the-long-time-film-crit.html |url-status=dead }} and columnist Marc Cooper.{{cite web |url=http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/10/marc_cooper_managing_edit.php |title=Marc Cooper, managing editor cut at LA Weekly |last=Roderick|first=Kevin|publisher=LA Observed |date=October 30, 2008|access-date=January 25, 2009}}

Management said staff cuts were necessary owing to poor economic conditions.{{cite web|url=http://www.lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/new_times/7943/ |title=New Times: Once the best alt-weekly in the nation, 'L.A. Weekly' tightens its belt |publisher=LA City Beat |date=January 14, 2009|access-date=January 30, 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130005039/http://lacitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/new_times/7943/ |archive-date=January 30, 2009 }} However, some of the cuts were likely attributable to philosophical differences with the paper's then-owners (who have since sold the chain).{{efn|During that period, Rick Barrs, editor of the Weekly{{'s}} sister paper Phoenix New Times, left comments on Marc Cooper's blog stating that "your old, hippy-dippy paper has gone the way of the dinosaur. extinct. bye, bye."{{cite web |url=http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-the-autopsy-report/|title=L.A. Weekly: The Autopsy Report|publisher=marccooper.com|date=January 6, 2009|last=Cooper|first=Marc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101053043/http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-the-autopsy-report/|access-date=January 1, 2023|archive-date=November 1, 2011}}}} Former staff writer Matthew Fleischer said at the time that "as part of the company's 'plug-and-play' management strategy, editors, writers, and ad directors were moved from city to city within the chain, without regard for local knowledge. Any old-school Village Voice Media manager who resisted the metamorphosis was denounced as a 'lefty,' a 'throwback,' and worse. They were fired or simply fled."

Despite this upheaval, the paper won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006,{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E0D8113FF934A25757C0A9619C8B63 | work=The New York Times | title=Wall Street Journal Wins 2 Pulitzer Prizes; History of Civil Rights Reporting Also Wins | first1=Katharine Q. | last1=Seelye | first2=James | last2=Barron | date=April 17, 2007}} and in 2009 broke the story of the "Grim Sleeper" serial killer.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/209937 |first1=Suzanne |last1=Smalley |title=Police, Press Hunt for an L.A. Serial Killer|website=Newsweek|date=August 1, 2009|access-date=August 9, 2016}} At the 2009 Los Angeles Press Club Awards, the Weekly won six first-place awards, including three by staff writer Christine Pelisek, who was honored in the Investigative Reporting, Hard News, and News Feature categories.{{Cite web |date=2009-12-15 |title=News Archives - Page 33 of 60 |url=https://lapressclub.org/category/news/page/33/ |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Press Club |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Jill |date=2009-06-25 |title=A cheap broadside on the LA Weekly |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-oew-stewart25-2009jun23-story.html |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

=Acquisition by Voice Media Group=

In September 2012, Village Voice Media executives Scott Tobias, Christine Brennan and Jeff Mars bought Village Voice Media's papers and associated web properties from its founders and formed Voice Media Group.{{cite web|title=Village Voice Media Execs Acquire The Company's Famed Alt Weeklies, Form New Holding Company|date=September 24, 2012 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/23/voice-media-group-acquisition/ |first1=Anthony |last1=Ha |publisher=Tech Crunch|access-date=September 27, 2012}}[http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2012/09/24/la-weekly-oc-weekly-sold-to-voice-media.html "LA Weekly, OC Weekly being sold to Voice Media"], L.A. Biz (September 24, 2012).

The paper won journalism awards before and after this transition, with two of its news writers, Patrick Range McDonald and Gene Maddaus, winning the Los Angeles Press Club's nod for "Journalist of the Year".{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2011/06/27/patrick-range-mcdonald-named-best-print-journalist-of-the-year-by-la-press-club-la-weekly-takes-home-6-more-awards|title=Patrick Range McDonald Named Best Print Journalist of the Year by L.A. Press Club; LA Weekly Takes Home 6 More Awards |website=LA Weekly |first=Simone|last=Wilson|date=June 27, 2011|access-date=August 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110105501/http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2011/06/27/patrick-range-mcdonald-named-best-print-journalist-of-the-year-by-la-press-club-la-weekly-takes-home-6-more-awards |archive-date= Nov 10, 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/06/30/gene-maddaus-named-la-press-club-journalist-of-the-year-again |website=LA Weekly |title=Gene Maddaus Named L.A. Press Club Journalist of the Year - Again|first=Sarah|last=Fenske|date=June 30, 2014|access-date=August 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141224063217/http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/06/30/gene-maddaus-named-la-press-club-journalist-of-the-year-again |archive-date= Dec 24, 2014 }}

=Acquisition by Semanal Media LLC=

In November 2017, the publication was sold to Semanal Media LLC, whose parent company is listed as Street Media. In December 2017, it was revealed that the new owners of Semanal Media LLC included "David Welch, a Los Angeles-based attorney with ties to the cannabis industry; philanthropist Kevin Xu, an investor with biotech firm Mebo International; attorney Steve Mehr; boutique hotelier Paul Makarechian; real estate developer Mike Mugel; and Southern California investor Andy Bequer", all residents of Orange County, California. The new operation manager was Brian Calle.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/12/la-weekly-names-new-owners-editors-revealed-on-monday-1202218865/|title=LA Weekly's New Ownership Responds To Boycott Threats, Promises Improvements|first=Bruce|last=Haring|date=December 7, 2017|publisher=Deadline Hollywood}}

In August 2018, David Welch sued the other co-owners, alleging "they've pillaged the company."{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-la-weekly-20180827-story.html|title=One LA Weekly owner sues the rest, alleging they've pillaged the company|last=Raab|first=Lauren|website=Los Angeles Times|date=August 28, 2018|access-date=2018-08-30}}{{Cite news|url=https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/l-a-weekly-co-owner-sues-other-owners-alleges-wild-eth-1828653738|title=L.A. Weekly Co-Owner Sues Other Owners, Alleges Wild Ethics Violations|last=Redford|first=Patrick|work=The Concourse|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en-US}}

Street Media also owns The Village Voice, Irvine Weekly, Marina Times, and The Laker/Lutz News.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.laweekly.com/about/ |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=LA Weekly |date=May 16, 2019 |language=en-US}}

In March 2024, the publication offered buyouts to a majority of its staff.{{Cite web |last=Lecaro |first=Lina |date=2024-03-15 |title=LA Weekly Losing Most of Its Editorial Staff Today |url=https://lamag.com/news/la-weekly-losing-staff-buyouts |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=LAmag |language=en}} As of July 2024, WIRED reported that many articles on the publication's website were AI-generated advertorials about OnlyFans creators.{{Cite news |last=Knibbs |first=Kate |title=Zombie Alt-Weeklies Are Stuffed With AI Slop About OnlyFans |url=https://www.wired.com/story/zombie-alt-weeklies-are-stuffed-with-ai-slop-about-onlyfans/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}

Notable staff and contributors

Some of the publication's recent notable writers are Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold, who left in early 2012; and Nikki Finke, who blogged about the film industry through the Weekly{{'s}} website and published a print column in the paper each week, leaving in June 2009 after the blog she founded, Deadline Hollywood Daily, was acquired by an online firm.{{cite web |url=http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/mmc-acquires-deadline-hollywood-daily/ |first1=Nikki |last1=Finke |title=MMC Acquires Deadline Hollywood Daily|date=June 23, 2009|website=Deadline Hollywood Daily |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625150449/http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/mmc-acquires-deadline-hollywood-daily/ |archive-date=June 25, 2009 |url-status=dead}} During the 1990s, LA Weekly co-founder Michael Ventura was the recipient of the USA PEN award, the Los Angeles Press Club Award, and the Upton Sinclair Award given by the Liberty Hill Foundation.

On June 1, 2009, the paper announced that Editor-in-Chief Laurie Ochoa, who began helming the paper in 2001 (before the New Times acquisition), was "parting ways" with the Weekly.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/for-immediate-release-la-weekl/ |date=June 1, 2009 |title=For Immediate Release: LA Weekly, Editor to Part Ways |publisher=LA Weekly|access-date=June 3, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090611150208/http://blogs.laweekly.com/ladaily/for-immediate-release-la-weekl/ |archive-date= Jun 11, 2009 }} Though some speculated that Jill Stewart was guaranteed for the position,{{cite web |url=http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-editor-gone-now/ |date=June 1, 2009 |title=L.A. Weekly Editor Gone Now *Updated|website=Marccooper.com|access-date=June 3, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608194005/http://marccooper.com/la-weekly-editor-gone-now/ |archive-date= June 8, 2009 }} the job quickly went to Drex Heikes, formerly of the Los Angeles Times. When Heikes left in 2011, he was replaced by Sarah Fenske.{{cite news |title= LA Weekly Owner Names Ex-Girlfriend As Editor-in-Chief|author= Benjamin Gottlieb |url=http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/10/la-weekly-owner-names-ex-girlfriend-editor |newspaper= Neon Tommy|date=October 31, 2011 |access-date=October 31, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101225653/http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/10/la-weekly-owner-names-ex-girlfriend-editor |archive-date= Nov 1, 2011 }}

In 2009, former Los Angeles Times food writer Amy Scattergood became food blogger at LA Weekly{{'}}s Squid Ink,{{cite web|url=http://whiteonricecouple.com/photo-essay/portrait-gourmand-amy-scattergood-editor/|title=Portrait of a Gourmand – Amy Scattergood – Food Editor |website=White on Rice Couple |author1=Todd + Diane |date=August 13, 2009|access-date=August 9, 2016}} and was later promoted to food editor. In late 2009, the paper hired Dennis Romero,{{cite web|url=http://www.dennisromero.com/2008/06/bio.html|website=Dennis Romero |title=Bio |date=June 25, 2008 |access-date=August 9, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920174150/http://www.dennisromero.com/2008/06/bio.html |archive-date= Sep 20, 2016 }} formerly of Ciudad magazine, as a full-time news blogger.

Following the recession, in 2012, the paper added food critic Besha Rodell, a James Beard Foundation Award nominee and former food editor of Atlanta's Creative Loafing.{{cite web|url=http://clatl.com/omnivore/archives/2012/04/16/la-weekly-hires-besha-rodell-as-food-critic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419165657/http://clatl.com/omnivore/archives/2012/04/16/la-weekly-hires-besha-rodell-as-food-critic|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 19, 2012|title=L.A. Weekly hires Besha Rodell as food critic|access-date=August 9, 2016}}

In 2013, the paper named Amy Nicholson its lead film critic.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/07/amy-nicholson-la-weekly-film-critic-533374/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830012943/http://deadline.com/2013/07/amy-nicholson-la-weekly-film-critic-533374/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 30, 2014|title=LA Weekly Hires Amy Nicholson As Film Critic|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=July 1, 2013|access-date=August 9, 2016}}

In 2016, LA Weekly named multimedia journalist and Emmy-winning producer Drew Tewksbury as managing editor.{{Cite web|url=http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2016/05/drew_tewksbury_named_la_w.php|title=Drew Tewksbury named LA Weekly managing editor|website=LA Observed|language=en|access-date=2017-01-18}}

As of 2022, the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director is Darrick Rainey,{{Cite web |title=Staff |url=https://www.laweekly.com/staff/ |access-date=2022-10-03 |website=LA Weekly |date=May 16, 2019 |language=en-US}} the Music Editor is Brett Callwood, the Culture & Entertainment Editor is Lina Lecaro, the Arts Editor is Shana Nys Dambrot and the Food Editor is Michele Stueven. The Publisher and CEO is Brian Calle.

In June 2022, the Los Angeles Press Club named news reporter Isai Rocha as its "Journalist of the Year" for print publications under 50,000 in circulation at the 64th Annual Southern California Journalism Awards.{{cite press release |url=https://5499fe.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SOCAL-2022-WINNERS-REVISED-12022023.pdf |title=WINNERS: 64th SoCal Journalism Awards Contest |agency=Los Angeles Press Club |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205235554/https://5499fe.p3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SOCAL-2022-WINNERS-REVISED-12022023.pdf |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |url-status=live}} The judges said, "Whether exploring issues of diversity, pandemic inequities, or homelessness, Rocha delivers the goods by putting into sharp relief situations and issues many—including city officials and politicians—would rather ignore or keep in the dark. His work is commendable and deserving of recognition by both the public and his peers."