New Times Media

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The New Times Media corporation was a national publisher of alternative weekly newspapers.

Its papers were Cleveland Scene, Dallas Observer, Westword, East Bay Express, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Houston Press, The Pitch, Miami New Times, Phoenix New Times, SF Weekly, and Riverfront Times.

In 2003, the company was forced into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, over antitrust allegations. The company had colluded with another publisher of alternative weeklies, Village Voice Media, to stop competing in two cities where both companies published. New Times Media shuttered its New Times LA, while Village Voice Media agreed to stop publishing Cleveland Free Times. The settlement required each company to make available publishing assets and the defunct papers' titles to potential competitors.

On October 24, 2005, New Times Media announced a deal to acquire Village Voice Media, creating a chain of 17 free weekly newspapers around the country with a combined circulation of 1.8 million and controlling a quarter of the weekly circulation of alternative weekly newspapers in North America. After the deal's completion, New Times used the Village Voice Media name.

The Voice deal had many critics, including several that labeled New Times Media the "Clear Channel" of alt-weeklies [1]. New Times also dropped many popular features and contributors in an effort to overhaul the struggling Village Voice.