A local newspaper serving the GLBT
community in Cleveland, Ohio says it is facing a financial crisis due
to an unhealthy economy and competition from the Internet.
The
Gay People's Chronicle, a local publishing fixture for 23 years,
says it can no longer afford to publish its weekly paper. Owners of
the paper say they considered shutting down entirely, but opted
instead to cut back to a biweekly publication.
“While it is a somewhat bitter pill
to swallow after a decade of being Ohio's weekly LGBT newspaper,
there is a silver lining to every dark cloud. This move puts the Gay
People's Chronicle on firmer footing than it has been for years,”
wrote Anthony Glassman in a story titled Where's my Chronicle?
Glassman's
article seems to suggest the paper is comfortable with its decision
and believes advertising revenues will return as the economy
strengthens.
“We
are not alone in feeling the effects of the current recession and the
rise of the Internet; across the board, newspapers are feeling the
pinch.”
Readers
of the free paper appeared unsurprised. Some said the paper's
coverage of local issues was weak and that its national reporting
relied too heavily on wire reports.
“I
read it on the porch in about five minutes,” said one reader. “I'm
not sure they could make it as a biweekly. The mainstream press
covers gay issues pretty well now – news is no longer relevant
after two weeks.”
The
paper was one of a handful selected to interview Sen. Hillary Clinton
in February. It is the only publication listed for Ohio in GLAAD's
media reference guide.
While
the beleaguered newspaper blames the Internet for its financial
crisis, they suggest it might also be their future. “The
possibility of creating a website that is more of a daily destination
than a weekly port of call is open, and is being examined
wholeheartedly,” Glassman wrote.
On the
net: The Gay People's Chronicle is at www.gaypeopleschronicle.com