Philadelphia City Paper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Type | Alternative weekly |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner | Independent |
| Publisher | Paul Curci |
| Editor | Brian Howard |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | 123 Chestnut St., Third Floor Philadelphia, PA 19106  United States |
| Circulation | 90,807[1] |
| Official website | citypaper.net |
Philadelphia City Paper is a free alternative news weekly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in November 1981 as a spin-off of the now defunct WXPN Express newsletter. New issues are released every Thursday.
The Philadelphia City Paper regularly covers topics pertaining to news, arts, entertainment, food, and city life, both in Philadelphia and nationwide. It also publishes schedules and listings of concerts, festivals, live performance art, and think-tank events.
The paper is circulated around Philadelphia, its suburbs, and southern New Jersey. Within the city limits, copies may be obtained from the paper's signature orange-colored boxes. The Philadelphia City Paper is found on many of the street corners in Center City Philadelphia as well as many points throughout the city and the surrounding region. It can also be found in many local cafes and small businesses, and the dormitories of Philadelphia's many universities.
Its estimated audience is 245,000, which has been verified by Verified Audit Circulation (VAC).
Contents |
[edit] Print Edition
City Paper is broken into nine main sections: the Cover Story, Opinion, Naked City, News, Movies, Arts, Music, Food and Agenda.
The Cover Story is usually a long-form feature, news, or service package, taking on various writing forms such as narrative, question-and-answer, and explanatory. The paper’s front page art or design is usually centered around the cover story’s content.
Opinion features Editor-in-Chief Brian Howard’s Editor’s Letter, along with a weekly guest column known as the Slant. Publisher Emeritus Bruce Schimmel also has a weekly column, known as “Loose Canon.” The section also features Tom Tomorrow's weekly political comic strip This Modern World.
Naked City contains offbeat features about the city and its surrounding region. Regular features include A.D. Amorosi’s Icepack gossip column.
News usually features analysis or explanation of current events in the city. Topics include politics, social services, law enforcement, business and poverty. Regular features include the Bell Curve, the city’s “quality-o-life-o-meter."
Arts includes features, reviews and short show previews of both local and national talent. The section covers a broad swath of genres, including photography, performing arts, books and visual arts. Regular columns include Robin Rice’s Re:View, Justin Bauer's Shelf Life and John Vettese’s Full Exposure.
Movies include reviews and picks of local, independent and mass-produced films. Lead reviews are usually written by Sam Adams, Shaun Brady or Cindy Fuchs, and the section also includes movie shorts (200-word reviews) along with City Paper’s recommendations.
Music focuses on an eclectic mix of genres, from jazz fusion to pop, mostly focusing on local artists or upcoming performances with in-depth features and shorter reviews. M.J. Fine’s Reconsider Me, J. Edward Keyes' Hang the DJ and Peter Burwasser’s Suite Spot are regular columns.
The Agenda and the Arts Agenda sections focus on what to do in the city, highlighting everything from clothing boutiques to book signings with quick, witty reviews. The sections feature comprehensive listings each week.
Food includes reviews and features centered around local restaurants, cafes and bars, and also chronicles the goings-on on Philadelphia’s restaurant community, such as openings and closings. Reviews are often written by Trey Popp or David Snyder, and Drew Lazor writes the regular beat column Feeding Frenzy.
Other regular features throughout the paper include I Love You I Hate You, a section where readers submit short anonymous messages to anyone person or group, and Feedback, where readers contribute letters to the editor.
[edit] Online Edition
City Paper’s Web site, www.citypaper.net, also hosts several blogs, podcasts, and social networking pages.
[edit] Blogs
The Clog: The general staff blog, covering anything from breaking news to the newest kitten videos.
Critical Mass: An A&E blog that reviews everything from video games to independent artist appearances in Philly.
Meal Ticket: The paper's food and drink blog, headed up by Drew Lazor and Felicia D'Ambrosio.
[edit] Podcasts
Local Support: Jon Solomon showcases local bands
[edit] Social Networking
City Paper also has pages on MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook.
[edit] Masthead
Editor in Chief Brian Howard
Senior Editor Patrick Rapa
News Editor Jeffrey Billman
Staff Writer Isaiah Thompson
Copy Chief and Arts Editor Carolyn Huckabay
Associate Editor Molly Eichel
Associate Editor and Web Editor Drew Lazor
Listings Editor Holly Otterbein
Assistant Copy Editor Carolyn Wyman
Contributing Editor Sam Adams
Editorial Art Director Reseca Glasser
[edit] Recent Awards
In 2008, City Paper won three Association of Alternative Newsweekly awards[2].
- First Place
- Editorial layout, circulation 55,000 and over
- Truth in Prints by Reseca Glasser
- First place
- Photography, circulation 55,000 and over
- Stenton Avenue Reprise by Michael T. Regan
- Second place
- Media Reporting/Criticism, circulation 55,000 and over
- The Deluge by Doron Taussig
Also in 2008, City Paper won 13 Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association[3].
- First place
- Distinguished writing for Tom Namako
- Second Place
- Distinguished writing for Doron Taussig
- First place
- Investigative Reporting for Winnie Atterbury and Stacia Friedman’s "F for Felony"
- First place
- Business or consumer story for Ted Hesson’s "Betting the House"
- First place
- News beat reporting for Doron Taussig’s coverage of immigration
- Second place
- News feature for Doron Taussig’s "The Prodigy"
- Second place
- Feature photo for Michael T. Regan’s "We’re Taking Poe Back"
- Second place
- Photo story for Michael T. Regan and Rick Valenzuela’s "Stenton Avenue Reprise"
- Second place
- Reseca Glasser and Evan M. Lopez’s front page design
- Second place
- Reseca Glasser’s page design
[edit] References
- ^ "Philadelphia City Paper". Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. http://aan.org/alternative/Aan/ViewCompany?oid=oid%3A70. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ^ [1]2008 AAN Awards
- ^ [2], 2008 Keystone Awards
