4:30 p.m. | Updated The Boston Phoenix, an alternative weekly newspaper known for its sharp political coverage and smart insight into the cultural and music scene, announced Thursday that it will fold.
Sister papers the Portland Phoenix in Maine and the Providence Phoenix in Rhode Island will remain open, the company said.
The Phoenix has struggled with the decline in advertising that has been affecting the rest of the newspaper business. But only six months ago, the paper’s owners announced a transition to a glossy magazine format that seemed to signal a commitment to staying open. On Thursday, it became clear that the advertising they had hoped would materialize, did not.
“We are a text book example of sweeping marketplace change,” said Peter Kadzis, the paper’s executive editor in a statement. “Our recent switch to a magazine format met with applause from readers and local advertisers. Not so — with a few exceptions — national advertisers. It was the long-term decline of national advertising dollars that made the Boston Phoenix economically unviable.”
Dan Kennedy, who worked at the Phoenix from 1991 to 2005, primarily as its media columnist, said the shutdown came as a complete surprise. He said that during his time at the paper, it had been a destination for “hard working and idealistic young journalists who were looking at this as a great opportunity.”
He said that in a media town dominated by the Boston Globe, the Phoenix long fought to carve out its own presence with extensive arts coverage and enterprising journalism. He noted that reporters like Kristen Lombardi were investigating the Catholic church sexual abuse scandal a year before the Boston Globe started its ambitious and award winning coverage.
“You really have the Globe as the dominant media presence in the city and then there’s everybody else,” said Mr. Kennedy. “I do think what the Phoenix brought to the table is an absolutely fierce intelligence which is rare to find in journalism in any era. It had terrific political coverage, terrific arts coverage. The one Pulitzer the Phoenix won was for its art coverage.”
News of the paper’s closing triggered a boom of comments from Phoenix fans across Twitter. Susan Orlean mentioned that the paper was her alma mater. Ellen Barry, the former Boston Globe reporter and Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times correspondent, wrote: “Heartbroken to hear that the Boston Phoenix is closing; it was a glorious nerdy pirate ship of a workplace. V. sad.”
The Phoenix responded through its Twitter handle: “Thank you Boston. Good night and good luck.”
Article source: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/boston-phoenix-to-cease-publication/?partner=rss&emc=rss
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