BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

Costa Mesa-based OC Weekly and its sister alternative newspapers will be

bought by next month, it was announced this week.

The new company will be called Village Voice Media, after the chain’s

flagship paper, New York’s Village Voice.

No price for the sale was announced, but published reports put it between

$150 million and $160 million.

Along with the OC Weekly and its sister paper, the LA Weekly, the new

company will include the Seattle Weekly, Minneapolis-St. Paul’s City

Pages, the Long Island Voice and The Nashville Scene, as well as the

Village Voice.

Sigman said the investors in Village Voice Media have made it clear they

won’t interfere in any editorial decisions.

He also pointed out that the company’s executives, David Schneiderman,

Arthur Howe and Albie Del Favero, all have journalism experience.

“They’re all journalism-oriented,” said Michael Sigman, president and CEO

of the OC Weekly and the LA Weekly. “Who knows? If someone else would

have bought it, it may not have worked out that way, so we’re very

happy.”