Philadelphia City Paper
Type | Alternative weekly |
---|---|
Format | Tabloid |
Owner(s) | Metro |
Publisher | Jennifer Clark |
Editor | Lillian Swanson |
Founded | 1981 |
Ceased publication | 2015 |
Headquarters |
30 S. 15th St., 14th floor Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 United States |
Circulation | 70,000 |
ISSN | 0733-6349 |
Website | citypaper.net |
Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The independently owned paper was free and published every Thursday in print and daily online at citypaper.net. Staff reporters focused on labor issues, politics, education and poverty. Critics review the city’s arts, entertainment, literary and restaurant scene. Listings of concerts, art exhibits, dance performances and other events were carried in the paper and in a comprehensive online events calendar.
The publication was established in November 1981 as a spinoff of the now-defunct WXPN Express newsletter. Philadelphia City Paper distributed 70,000 copies in more than 2,000 locations throughout Philadelphia, its suburbs and South Jersey. Its more than 2,000 orange-colored boxes and wire racks were found in Center City Philadelphia, in cafes, small businesses and on many university campuses.
Each year, City Paper published a City Guide for college students and new residents.
Its monthly readership was 521,000, which was verified by Scarborough.
Founder Bruce Schimmel sold the paper to the Rock family in 1996.[1] In 2014, Metro acquired the City Paper from the Rock family.[2] In 2015, the City Paper was sold to Broad Street Media, owner of Philadelphia Weekly. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.[3][4]
Print edition
City Paper was broken into a variety of different sections.
Naked City: The paper's news section regularly featured A Million Stories, an offbeat analysis of current events in the city, the Bell Curve, the city's "quality-o-life-o-meter".
Cover Story: Typically 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 was usually centered around the cover story's content.
Arts & Entertainment: Reviews and short show previews of both local and national talent. The section covered a broad swath of genres, including music, photography, performing arts, books and visual arts.
Movies: Reviews and picks of local, independent and mass-produced films. Lead reviews were usually written by Sam Adams, Shaun Brady, or Drew Lazor. The section also included movie shorts (200-word graded reviews) and local repertory film listings.
Events: A calendar of noteworthy events in the city, highlighting everything from clothing boutiques and book signings to festivals and music performances with quick, witty previews.
Food & Drink: Reviews and features centered around local restaurants, cafes and bars, and also chronicles the goings-on of Philadelphia's restaurant community, such as openings and closings. Reviews were mostly handled by critic Adam Erace.
Online edition
City Paper's website featured the digital version of the print edition, along with links to blogs and social networking pages.
Blogs
The Naked City: The news blog, covering anything from breaking news to quirky stories from the community.
Meal Ticket: The paper's food and drink blog.
Shop Savvy: Brenna Adams' expertise on shopping on a budget.
Data Points: A look at Philly's tech universe.
Let's Get It On: Rachel Kramer Bussel on sex of all stripes.
Philly: Hyper Local: This blog focuses on the local happenings with culture, food, people and more in Philly's neighborhoods.
Get Lit: Lynn Rosen reads between the lines for insights on the local book scene.
Social networking
City Paper had regularly updated profiles on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Contests
Contests: The contest page offered viewers opportunities to win concert, theatre, movie tickets and more.
Masthead
Associate Publisher Jennifer Clark
Editor in Chief Lillian Swanson
Senior Editor / Music Editor Patrick Rapa
Arts & Culture Editor Mikala Jamison
Senior Staff Writer Emily Guendelsberger
Staff Writer Jerry Iannelli
Copy Chief Carolyn Wyman
Production Director Dennis Crowley
Senior Designer & Social Media Director Jenni Betz
U.S. Circulation Director Joseph Lauletta
Account Managers Sharon MacWilliams, Susanna Simon
Classified Advertising Sales Jennifer Fisher
Founder & Editor Emeritus Bruce Schimmel
Awards
2015
In 2015, City Paper won 11 Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
- First Place: Investigative Reporting
- Ryan Briggs
- First Place: Series
- Emily Guendelsberger
- First Place: Feature Story
- Natalie Pompilio
- First Place: News Feature Story
- Emily Guendelsberger
- First Place: News Beat Reporting
- Daniel Denvir
- First Place: Feature Beat Reporting
- Mikala Jamison
- First Place: Front Page Design
- Brenna Adams, Jenni Betz
- Second Place: Personality Profile
- Mikala Jamison
- Second Place: News Photo
- Maria Pouchnikova
- Second Place: Video Story
- Daniel Denvir, Emily Guendelsberger
- Honorable Mention: Ongoing News Coverage
- Daniel Denvir
2014
In 2014, City Paper won 15 Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
- First Place: Investigative Reporting
- Ryan Briggs
- First Place: News Series
- Daniel Denvir
- First Place: Feature Beat Reporting
- Emily Guendelsberger
- First Place: Photo Story
- Neal Santos
- First Place: Sports Photo
- Neal Santos
- First Place: Front Page Design
- Reseca Peskin
- First Place: Page Design
- Reseca Peskin
- First Place: General News
- Daniel Denvir
- First Place:Ongoing News Coverage
- Daniel Denvir & Samantha Melamed
- First Place: Featured Story
- Ryan Briggs
- First Place: Graphic/Photo Illustration
- Evan M. Lopez, Emily Guendelsberger & Jess Bergman
- First Place: News Beat Reporting
- Samantha Melamed
- Second Place: Feature Beat Reporting
- Adam Erace
- Second Place: Business or Consumer Story
- Samantha Melamed
- Honorable Mention: Column
- Daniel Denvir
- Honorable Mention: Special Project
- Pat Rapa
2013
In 2013, City Paper won 8 Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.
- First Place: Feature Beat Reporting
- Shaun Brady
- First Place: Page Design
- Reseca Peskin & Matt Egger
- Second Place: Business or Consumer Story
- Samantha Melamed
- Second Place: Photo Story
- Neal Santos
- Second Place: Feature Story
- Emily Guendelsberger
- Second Place: Investigative Reporting
- Isaiah Thompson
- Second Place: Column
- Daniel Denvir
- Second Place: Graphic/Photo Illustration
- Evan M. Lopez
- Honorable Mention: Personality Profile
- Drew Lazor
Also in 2013, City Paper won one Association of Alternative Newsweeklies awards.
- Second Place: Editorial Layout, circulation 50,000 and over
- Big Vision Awards by Reseca Peskin & Brenna Adams
- Honorable Mention: Beat Reporting, circulation 50,000 and over
- Fiscal Policy Reporting by Daniel Denvir
2012
In 2012, City Paper won six Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association.[5]
- First Place: Investigative Reporting, circulation 10,000 and over
- Isaiah Thompson for Why is Harry Bennett Dead?
- Second Place: Series, circulation, circulation 10,000 and over
- Isaiah Thompson and Anthony Campisi for The Abandoned City series
- First Place Personality Profile, circulation 10,000 and over
- Josh Middleton for Preaching Out
- First Place News Photo, circulation 10,000 and over
- Neal Santos for Safe Haven
- Second Place News Photo, circulation 10,000 and over
- Neal Santos for Down and Out
- First Place Page Design, circulation 10,000 and over
- Reseca Peskin, Alyssa Grenning and Allie Rossignol for The Green Line, Posh Spice and Naked City
2011
In 2011, City Paper won two Association of Alternative Newsweeklies awards[6]
- First Place: Arts Feature, circulation 50,000 and over
- Holly Otterbein for The Island
- First place: Food Writing, circulation 50,000 and over
- Drew Lazor for Minette Men, Here Come The Rooster and Waiting For Good Dough
Also in 2011, City Paper was honored by the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Awards:[7]
- Excellence in Non-Deadline Reporting (Non-Daily Publication)
- Ralph Cipriano for The Billion-Dollar Boondoggle
2010
In 2010, City Paper won six Newspaper of the Year (NOY) awards, including the prestigious newspaper of the year honor:[8]
- First Place: Newspaper of the Year (Non-Daily)
- First Place: News Writing Excellence
- First Place: Layout & Design
- First Place: Editorial/Opinion Page Excellence
- Second Place: Best Use of Photography
- Second Place (tie): Special Section
- Second Place (tie): Advertising Excellence
Also in 2010, City Paper won six Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association:[9]
- First Place: Investigative Reporting
- Isaiah Thompson for Steamrolled
- First Place: Special Projects
- Brian Howard for The Big Vision Issue
- First Place: Sports Story
- E. James Beale for The Prospect
- First Place: Personality Profile
- Carolyn Huckabay & Neal Santos for She's On a Mission
- First Place: Feature Beat Reporting
- Trey Popp for Food Beat
- Second Place: Specialty Award for Distinguished Writing
- Isaiah Thompson for Cop Detect; Believe It or Not; Meet Your New Neighbor
2009
In 2009, City Paper won three Newspaper of the Year (NOY) awards:[10]
- First Place (tie): General and Departmental News Coverage
- First Place: Advertising Excellence
- Second Place: Layout & Design
2008
In 2008, City Paper won three Association of Alternative Newsweeklies awards:[11]
- First Place: Editorial Layout, circulation 55,000 and over
- Reseca Glasser for "Truth in Prints"
- First place: Photography, circulation 55,000 and over
- Michael T. Regan for "Stenton Avenue Reprise"
- Second place: Media Reporting/Criticism, circulation 55,000 and over
- Doron Taussig for "The Deluge"
Also in 2008, City Paper won 13 Keystone Press Awards, awarded by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association:[12]
- First place: Distinguished Writing
- Tom Namako
- Second Place: Distinguished Writing
- Doron Taussig
- First place: Investigative Reporting
- Winnie Atterbury and Stacia Friedman's "F for Felony"
- First place: Business or Consumer Story
- Ted Hesson's "Betting the House"
- First place: News Beat Reporting
- Doron Taussig's coverage of immigration
- Second place: News Feature
- Doron Taussig's "The Prodigy"
- Second place: Feature Photo
- Michael T. Regan's "We’re Taking Poe Back"
- Second place: Photo Story
- Michael T. Regan and Rick Valenzuela's "Stenton Avenue Reprise"
- Second place: Front Page Design
- Reseca Glasser and Evan M. Lopez
- Second place: Page Design
- Reseca Glasser
References
- ↑ Fagone, Jason (2012-05-24). "The Death (and Life) of the Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia City Paper | Philadelphia Magazine". Phillymag.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ↑ Mathis, Joel (2014-08-13). "Metro Buys City Paper; Layoffs Ensue | News | Philadelphia Magazine". Phillymag.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ↑ Broad Street Media acquires rights to Philadelphia City Paper
- ↑ Brian Hickey (2015-10-08). "The alt-weekly printed its final edition today.". PhillyVoice.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ↑
- ↑ "2011 AltWeekly Awards Winners Announced | Honors & Achievements". AltWeeklies.com. 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ↑ "Society of Professional Journalists | Sigma Delta Chi Awards". Spj.org. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "AltWeeklies.com". Aan.org. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
- ↑
Further reading
- Jason Fagone. "The Death (and Life) of the Philadelphia Weekly and Philadelphia City Paper". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2014-08-22.