Orlando Weekly

Last updated
Orlando Weekly
Orlando Weekly logo 2.jpg
Orlando Weekly cover, 2nd anniversary of Pulse shooting.jpg
AAN award winning cover of the June 6–12, 2018 Orlando Weekly, by Chris "Tobar" Rodriguez.
Type Alternative weekly
Owner(s)Chava Communications
PublisherMichael Wagner
EditorJessica Bryce Young
Founded1990 (print), [1] 1998 (online) [2]
Headquarters16 W. Pine Street, Orlando, FL, 32801
Circulation 40,000 [3]
Website orlandoweekly.com

Orlando Weekly is a liberal progressive alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. Every Thursday, 40,000 issues of the paper are distributed to more than 1,100 locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Orlando Weekly organizes an annual feature Best of Orlando issue that features the best Orlando has to offer in dining, music and nightlife, arts and culture, goods and services. Each year readers vote in the paper's poll to vote for their favorite Orlando restaurants, bars, boutiques, museums, local celebs and more. [4] [5] The paper also publishes an annual dining guide called BITE, [6] which features capsule reviews of hundreds of area restaurants, and an Annual Manual, an insider's guide to the region.

History

The paper was founded in the 1980s as the Orange Shopper. It was purchased by the Toronto Sun , [7] which changed its name to the Weekly and transformed it into a tabloid publication. The Weekly was later sold to the Detroit-based Alternative Media Inc., a publisher of alternative newsweekly Detroit Metro Times. Co-founder of Alternative Media Inc., Ron Williams, [8] transformed the paper into not just a tabloid but an alternative news source dedicated to investigative journalism. In 1997, Alternative Media Inc. also purchased the San Antonio Current ; [9] by 1998, the company was entertaining multiple offers for its stable of weeklies. [9]

In 2000, the papers were purchased by Times-Shamrock Communications. In 2013, Times-Shamrock sold the paper to Euclid Media Group. [10] The company dissolved in August 2023 and the newspaper was sold to Chava Communications, an entity created by Michael Wagner and his wife, Cassandra Yardeni Wagner. [11]

Association of Alternative Newsmedia Awards

2018 AAN LGBT Coverage 1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: By night, Orlando's drag queens entertain the masses. By day, they lead the fight for LGBTQ rights by Monivette Cordeiro Arts Criticism 2nd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: (I; II; III) by Jessica Bryce Young, Richard Reep INNOVATION / FORMAT BUSTER 1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Florida Film Fest/420 Issue by Chaya Av, Chris Tobar Rodriguez, Jessica Bryce Young

2017 AAN LGBT Coverage 2nd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Pulse In Memoriam: Remembering the Orlando 49 (I; II; III; IV; V) by Monivette Cordeiro Film Criticism 1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Film Criticism (I; II; III) by Thaddeus McCollum Illustration 1st PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Heavy is the Head by Samantha Shumaker Photography 2nd PLACE: Orlando Weekly: Pulse Photographs by Monivette Cordeiro

2014 AAN Arts Criticism 1st Place: Malick Sidibé; I Believe in You; and And Every Day Was Overcast by Jessica Bryce Young, Orlando Weekly

2013 AAN Breaking News 3rd Place: Sick of It (Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5) by Billy Manes, Orlando Weekly

2012 AAN Special Topic: Economic Equality 2nd Place: Bare Minimum by Jeff Gore, Orlando Weekly

2010 AAN Illustration First Place: Orlando Weekly, Fringe Free-For-All by Jeff Drew Arts Criticism Third Place: Orlando Weekly, Ecstatic Transformations and Summer Studies by Jessica Bryce Young

2009 AAN First Place: Orlando Weekly, Might Makes Right by Jeffrey C. Billman [12]

Controversies

The paper has been historically critical of anti-homeless laws passed in Orlando, [13] including a controversial city law that prohibits advocates for the homeless from feeding large groups of people in public spaces within two miles of Orlando's City Hall without a permit. [14] Orlando Weekly has also taken a decidedly critical stance on controversial Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott who took office in 2011, [15] as well as recent legislative efforts to pass laws that infringe on women's rights. [16]

In 2007, the paper ran afoul of Orlando's Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation when they staged a raid on the publication and arrested three of its advertising representatives for allegedly supporting prostitution. [17] Daniel Aaronson, a longtime Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer and First Amendment specialist, called the arrests and police actions "incredibly repugnant." Aaronson said the Weekly did nothing wrong if they simply took and ran adult-oriented advertisements."The papers aren't doing anything illegal. They're taking ads. If an ad uses suggestive language, the stopping of these ads threatens the First Amendment," said Aaronson, who has represented adult entertainment clubs, bookstores, and swinger clubs. [17] The paper considers this act retaliation for past negative coverage of the agency. [18] On February 27, 2008, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation dropped all charges in the criminal case. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tipper Gore</span> Former Second Lady of the United States and co-founder of the PMRC

Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore is an American social issues advocate. She was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 through her marriage to 45th vice president Al Gore in 1970, although they separated in 2010.

<i>Dallas Observer</i> Newspaper in Dallas, Texas

Dallas Observer is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The Observer publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circulates every Thursday. The Observer has been owned by Voice Media Group since January 2013.

<i>Real Change</i> Newspaper in Seattle, Washington

Real Change is a weekly progressive street newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, USA written by professional staff and sold by self-employed vendors, many of whom are homeless. The paper provides them with an alternative to panhandling and covers a variety of social justice issues, including homelessness and poverty. It became weekly in 2005, making it the second American street newspaper ever to be published weekly. Real Change is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with an annual budget of 950,000 dollars.

<i>Houston Press</i> Online newspaper in Houston, Texas, US

The Houston Press is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017.

<i>Salt Lake City Weekly</i> Newspaper in Utah, United States

Salt Lake City Weekly is a free alternative weekly tabloid-paged newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began as Private Eye. City Weekly is published and dated for every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. of which John Saltas is majority owner and president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association of Alternative Newsmedia</span> Organization

The Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) is a trade association of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. It provides services to many generally liberal or progressive weekly newspapers across the United States and in Canada. AAN also operates AltWeeklies.com — a web portal that highlights the best news stories, features, arts criticism, and political commentary from its member newspapers.

<i>Cleveland Scene</i> Entertainment newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio

The Cleveland Scene is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper includes highlights of Cleveland-area arts, music, dining, and films, as well as classified advertising. The first edition of the newspaper was published in the 1970s.

The Pittsburgh City Paper is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment. It bought out In Pittsburgh Weekly in 2001. As of April 2015, City Paper is the 14th largest alternative weekly in the United States.

<i>Indy Week</i>

Indy Week, formerly known as the Independent Weekly and originally the North Carolina Independent, is a tabloid-format alternative weekly newspaper published in Durham, North Carolina, United States, and distributed throughout the Research Triangle area and counties. Its first issue was published in April 1983.

<i>Eugene Weekly</i> Newspaper published in Eugene, Oregon, U.S.

Eugene Weekly is an alternative weekly newspaper published on Thursdays in Eugene, Oregon. It began publication in 1982 and was originally named What's Happening.

Gambit is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based free alternative weekly newspaper established in 1981.

<i>Washington City Paper</i> Alternative newspaper in Washington, D.C.

The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1981. The City Paper is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused on local news and arts. It is owned by Mark Ein, who bought it in 2017.

The South Side Weekly, previously known as the Chicago Weekly News and Chicago Weekly, is an American alternative newspaper based in Woodlawn on the South Side of Chicago. It was established in 1995 under the Chicago Weekly News title and covers arts, culture, and politics.

San Diego CityBeat was an alternative weekly newspaper in San Diego, California that focused on local progressive politics, arts, and music. It was published every Wednesday and distributed around San Diego county, although with a focus on the city of San Diego itself, with a weekly circulation of 49,750.

<i>Santa Fe Reporter</i> Alternative weekly newspaper in New Mexico

The Santa Fe Reporter (SFR) is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. First published in 1974, it features reports on local news, politics, art and culture, and is published once a week on Wednesdays.

<i>Maui Time Weekly</i>

Maui Time Weekly is a free alternative newspaper published weekly in the county of Maui, state of Hawaii. The newspaper is owned mostly by its publisher, Tommy Russo.

<i>Santa Cruz Weekly</i> Newspaper in California, US

Santa Cruz Weekly was a free-circulation weekly newspaper published in Santa Cruz, California. It began publishing under its current name on May 6, 2009; publication ceased when operations were merged with the competing Good Times weekly on April 2, 2014, with the merged company continuing as Good Times. Formerly known as Metro Santa Cruz, the alternative weekly covered news, people, culture and entertainment in Santa Cruz County, a coastal area that includes Capitola, Aptos, Boulder Creek, Scotts Valley and Watsonville.

<i>North Bay Bohemian</i>

The North Bay Bohemian is a weekly newspaper published in the North Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The newspaper is distributed in Sonoma and Napa counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector Perez</span> American attorney

Hector A. "Tico" Perez is an American attorney at law and an administrator. He was the 9th National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America, serving from 2008 to 2016.

The Homeless Voice is an American homeless advocacy center that operates out of Florida. It was founded by Sean Cononie and runs a street newspaper by the same name. The center also ran a homeless shelter in Hollywood, Florida that closed in 2015.

References

  1. ↑ Ulrichsweb . Retrieved May 5, 2017
  2. ↑ "About Us", Orlando Weekly, Alternative Media Inc., archived from the original on February 3, 1999
  3. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Best of Orlando 2007 Arts and Entertainment". Orlando Weekly. 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  5. ↑ "Best of Orlando 2008 Arts and Entertainment". Orlando Weekly. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  6. ↑ "Bite". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013.
  7. ↑ Stutzman, Rene (September 16, 1994). "Owner Sells The Weekly To Alternative Publisher". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Ron Williams - President, Common Ground Magazine". Spoke.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Art's excellent adventure". Philadelphia City Paper. June 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Erin (December 31, 2013). "Orlando Weekly has a new owner". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  11. ↑ Bryce Young, Jessica Bryce Young; Nowlin, Sanford (August 11, 2023). "Orlando Weekly is now part of Chava Communications". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  12. ↑ "Full List of AltWeekly Awards Winners". Association of Alternative Newsmedia. October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  13. ↑ Billman, Jeffrey C.; Schneider, Steve; Whitby, Bob (May 12, 2005). "City spoils Food Nott Bombs' efforts; and "Wizard of Gore" seeks old Maniacs". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  14. ↑ Gore, Jeff (February 9, 2011). "Orlando's ban on feeding the homeless goes to court". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  15. ↑ Manes, Billy (March 2, 2011). "FOUL". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  16. ↑ Manes, Billy (January 26, 2011). "Planned personhood". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  17. 1 2 "Orlando Weekly trio charged with aiding prostitution". Orlando Sentinel. October 19, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  18. ↑ "OPERATION MBI SHAME". Orlando Weekly. October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  19. ↑ Billman, Jeffrey C. (March 6, 2008). "VICTORY!". Orlando Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.