The nation's largest LGBT print media company has gone belly up and with it my favorite paper (The Washington Blade), along with the Southern Voice, South Florida Blade, and magazines that include David Atlanta and 411 magazine. Earlier this year, the New York Blade had been shut down. This is a sad day for the LGBT news community.
I would guess it is the same problem that most all magazines today are facing: plummeting subscriptions. With the internet, most people don't read magazines nearly as much as they did in the past. Smaller niche audience magazines (ie, the LGBT crowd) often have a harder time staying afloat in this situation.
I think these were all free papers, and my guess is that, like many independent alternative newsweeklies in a lot of cities throughout the US, it was a function of not being able to get enough advertising because so many local businesses are going out of business, or struggling, and can't afford advertising. Very sad, but I don't think it says anything about the gay community specifically and more about the dire state of the US economy, even though it's "recovering"
i like magazines to internet same reason reading a boko is so much nicer than online and a cd is better than an mp3 somthing pyhsical and tangible is so much nicer and slong as the mag has summat good to say ill read it...the problem with the ones over here to be fair they dont offer sod all its mainly ads and other shit.... shame is as a whole nothign much lgbt of major intrest happens here and if it did it would be at national level and we would know
One of my fav's, The Advocate, is having issues too. Maybe with less LGBT magazines out there the ones still standing will get more subscriptions? It is really sad though I never read any of the above, but im sure they were really good.
Greggers, I can see your halo... couldnt resist. BEST SIGGIE IMAGE EVA! but to get back on topic from that gleerific detour, I think that people are right when they say that more people are going to the internet for information. That is why I do not have a newspaper subscription; the internet news is free. With the econamy the way it is, I have to pinch my budget just to stay afloat. it is the only thing keeping me from getting a few magzine subscriptions. I just cant see paying for it when I can use that money for something more lasting.
