Nashville Scene
{{Short description|Newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee}}
{{Use American English|date = September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = September 2019}}
{{Infobox newspaper
| name = Nashville Scene
| image = Nashville Scene front page.jpg
| caption =
| type = Alternative weekly
| format = Tabloid
| foundation = 1989
| ceased publication =
| price =
| owners = Freeman Webb Company
| publisher = Mike Smith
| editor = D. Patrick Rodgers
| language =
| circulation = 38,000{{cite web |url=https://aan.org/member-directory/name/nashville-scene/ |title=Nashville Scene |access-date=2016-01-31 |publisher=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615154836/http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewCompany?oid=oid%3A57 |archive-date=2010-06-15 |url-status=dead }}
| headquarters = 210 12th Ave. South, Ste. 100
Nashville, TN 37203
US
| oclc = 1035130202
| website = {{URL|nashvillescene.com}}
}}
Nashville Scene is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with New Times Media early in 2006. The paper was acquired by SouthComm Communications in 2009. Since May 2018, it has been owned by the Freeman Webb Company. The publication mainly reports and opines on music, arts, entertainment, and local and state politics in Nashville.
Gordon Inman
The Nashville Scene once was a "throw away" sales advertising vehicle owned by Gordon Inman of Brentwood, TN.
The City Press
In 1989, Ed Richey, Gordon Inman,{{cite news |last1=Reisinger |first1=Brian |title=Gordon Inman: Gas station attendant |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2012/12/28/gordon-inman-gas-station-attendant.html |access-date=12 October 2023 |work=Nashville Business Journal |date=December 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403043012/http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/print-edition/2012/12/28/gordon-inman-gas-station-attendant.html |archive-date=3 April 2013}} and Chuck Snyder sold Nashville Scene to Albie Del Favero and group of investors.{{cite news |title=Desperately Seeking the News |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/desperately-seeking-the-news/article_c52037df-4a63-550a-bb23-873ac5f1a67d.html |access-date=12 October 2023 |work=Nashville Scene |date=8 August 1996 |language=en |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012082119/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/desperately-seeking-the-news/article_c52037df-4a63-550a-bb23-873ac5f1a67d.html |url-status=live }}
In 1989, after years as a national newspaper sales representative based in New York, Albie Delfavero recognized the need of his hometown, Nashville, to have an alternative weekly paper. The "alternative paper" format made news in cities across the country, especially on the east coast. The industry itself made news, took journalistic risk, provided arts criticism, schedules, and "happenings", and did not mince words re local and national politics.
Delfavero enlisted Bruce Dobie, political reporter for Nashville's soon to be "late" daily, The Nashville Banner, to become editor. The both of them, with an array of investors, bought the "Scene" from Inman and transformed it from a driveway throw-away to a long respected voice in Nashville's civic, arts, and political community.
On 26 July 1996, the paper's editor, Bruce Dobie, and its publisher, Albie Del Favero, bought Nashville Scene for $2.5 million.
In 1999 "The City Press", as their corporation was dubbed in 1989, merged with The Village Voice.
Village Voice Media
In 1999, Del Favero and Dobie formed a group of investors and purchased Stern Publishing,{{cite news |first=Amanda |last=Fazzone |url=http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid%3A1013 |title=Stern Sold to Investor Group |date=2000-01-06 |access-date=2007-02-20 |publisher=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194221/http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid:1013 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }} then-owner of the Village Voice and five other alternative newsweeklies across the nation. They named the new corporation Village Voice Media.{{ cite news |first=Matt |last=Pulle |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Columns/2000/01/06/A_New_Voice/index.shtml |title=A New Voice |access-date=2007-02-20 |date=2000-01-06 |work=Nashville Scene |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927191607/http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Columns/2000/01/06/A_New_Voice/index.shtml |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }} Village Voice publisher David Schneiderman, also one of the investors, became chief executive officer of the new venture.
In late 2004, both Del Favero {{cite news |url=http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid%3A136939 |title=Publisher Del Favero to Leave Nashville Scene |date=2004-07-15 |access-date=2007-02-20 |publisher=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194439/http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid:136939 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }} and Dobie{{cite news |first=David A. |last=Fox |url=http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2004/11/3/editor_bruce_dobie_to_leave_the_scene |title=Editor Bruce Dobie to leave the 'Scene' |date=2004-11-03 |access-date=2007-02-20 |work=NashvillePost.com}} resigned their positions as publisher and editor of the Scene. The editor role was taken on by the Scene{{'}}s then-news editor Liz Garrigan. Chris Ferrell was hired by Village Voice Media to assume the role of publisher at the beginning of 2005.{{cite news |url=http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid%3A141975 |title=Nashville Scene Hire Is the Latest Politico Alt-Weekly Publisher |date=2004-12-02 |access-date=2007-02-20 |publisher=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194457/http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid:141975 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }} In January 2006, Village Voice Media was acquired by New Times Media and kept the Village Voice Media name.{{cite news |url=http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid%3A152193 |title=Village Voice Media and New Times to Merge |date=2005-10-24 |access-date=2007-02-20 |publisher=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194021/http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewArticle?oid=oid:152193 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}
On September 27, 2007, Ferrell announced his resignation{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/blog/pitw/archives/00001973.shtml |title=Ferrell, Thanks for the Living Wages |date=2007-09-27 |access-date=2007-11-02 |publisher=Nashville Scene's Pith in the Wind }}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} as publisher of the Nashville Scene and, two weeks later, was replaced by long-time Scene retail sales account executive Mike Smith,{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/blog/pitw/archives/00001998.shtml |title=Mike Smith to Replace Ferrell |publisher=Nashville Scene's Pith in the Wind |date=2007-10-11 |access-date=2007-11-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104113637/http://www.nashvillescene.com/blog/pitw/archives/00001998.shtml |archive-date=2007-11-04 }} who took the title of associate publisher in line with the post-merger title structuring of Village Voice Media.
On May 6, 2008, Garrigan announced her resignation as editor on the Nashville Scene blog Pith in the Wind. She characterized her departure as "anticlimactic" and "not a protest resignation, a corporate cost-cutting measure or a veiled firing." She added that she had imposed a five-year expiration date for herself as editor, and would be cutting that short because she felt she had accomplished what she set out to accomplish. Garrigan's last day as Scene editor was slated for June 30, 2008.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2008/05/editors_note_1.php |title=Editor's Note |date=2008-05-06 |access-date=2008-05-08 |publisher=Nashville Scene's Pith in the Wind |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516192438/http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2008/05/editors_note_1.php |archive-date=2008-05-16 }}
SouthComm Communications
On August 19, 2009, former Nashville Scene publisher Ferrell announced that his Nashville-based media company, SouthComm Communications, was acquiring Nashville Scene from Village Voice Media.{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2009/8/19/southcomm_buying_iscenei_infocusi |title=SouthComm buying Scene, Nfocus |date=2009-08-19 |access-date=2009-08-19 |publisher=NashvillePost.com |archive-date=August 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821152911/http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2009/8/19/southcomm_buying_iscenei_infocusi |url-status=live }} SouthComm was formed in late 2007 and spent much of its first two years acquiring media properties in Alpharetta, Ga., Nashville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky.{{cite web |url=http://southcomm.com/news |title=Latest News |date=2009-08-19 |access-date=2009-08-19 |publisher=SouthComm Communications |archive-date=August 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820052322/http://southcomm.com/news |url-status=live }} Southcomm also owned the Nashville Post. Kotz was not retained as editor when the paper was purchased by SouthComm. Jim Ridley, who served as senior writer under Garrigan and managing editor under Kotz, was named editor. His tenure began with the September 3, 2009 issue.
On May 7, 2015, news editor Steve Cavendish announced that Daryl Cagle would contribute a weekly cartoon called "Metropolitan Planning Commission Funnies," focusing on city planning issues like umbilical houses, downtown cranes, Music Row demolitions and pop-up subdivisions.{{cite web |url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/cagles-view/Content?oid=5069778 |title=Cagle's View |date=2015-05-07 |access-date=2015-05-07 |publisher=NashvillePost.com |archive-date=May 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510202333/http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/cagles-view/Content?oid=5069778 |url-status=live }} "Nashville is growing like a weed, and though officials talk about planning, they really just approve every stupid proposal." Cagle wrote on his blog.{{cite web |url=http://darylcagle.com/2015/05/08/im-an-altie-weekly-local-cartoonist-now/ |title=I'm an altie-weekly local cartoonist now |date=2015-05-07 |access-date=2015-05-07 |publisher=DarylCagle.com |archive-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509210526/http://darylcagle.com/2015/05/08/im-an-altie-weekly-local-cartoonist-now/ |url-status=live }}
On April 9, 2016, Scene editor-in-chief Jim Ridley died at the age of 50 after suffering a cardiac event while at work. He had been with the paper as its film critic since 1989. {{cite web
|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/scene-editor-jim-ridley-dies-at-50/article_93d9066d-1e1a-596f-8edd-f04069da5b6f.html
|title=Scene Editor Jim Ridley Dies at 50
|date=April 8, 2016
|access-date=February 2, 2024
|archive-date=February 2, 2024
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202192155/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/scene-editor-jim-ridley-dies-at-50/article_93d9066d-1e1a-596f-8edd-f04069da5b6f.html
|url-status=live
}}
Former news editor Steve Cavendish came back as the Scene's editor in July 2016. SouthComm enacted editorial layoffs a year later, and Cavendish was among those cut. Longtime staffer D. Patrick Rodgers — who previously served as music editor and managing editor — was named the Scene's editor in November 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/article/20984367/southcomm-makes-cuts-scene-editor-steve-cavendish-laid-off|title=SouthComm Makes Cuts; Scene Editor Steve Cavendish Laid Off|date=November 30, 2017|access-date=May 17, 2018|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055103/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/article/20984367/southcomm-makes-cuts-scene-editor-steve-cavendish-laid-off|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/letters/article/20984873/a-letter-to-our-readers|title=A Letter to Our Readers|date=December 7, 2017|access-date=May 17, 2018|archive-date=May 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055010/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/letters/article/20984873/a-letter-to-our-readers|url-status=live}}
Freeman Webb Company
In May 2018, the Nashville Scene and the Nashville Post were purchased by the Freeman Webb Company, a company co-founded by Bill Freeman and Jimmy Webb which owns and manages "more than 16,000 apartment units and 1 million square feet of office space" in Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and Mississippi.{{cite news |title=Freeman Webb Buys the Nashville Scene, the Nashville Post and Nfocus |url=https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/article/21006773/freeman-webb-buys-the-nashville-scene-the-nashville-post-and-nfocus |access-date=July 24, 2018 |work=Nashville Scene |date=May 25, 2018 |archive-date=July 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724062734/https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/article/21006773/freeman-webb-buys-the-nashville-scene-the-nashville-post-and-nfocus |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist|30em}}