Recently closed Blade to reopen?

Posted by Betsey Reinsborough on November 18, 2009 at 2:25 PM

The Washington Blade may have been closed Monday but it may not be gone forever. Following the announcement of the closure, employees of America's longest running gay newspaper met at a DC coffee shop in an attempt to organize a revived edition for publication on Friday. The issue will look into why the 40-year-old paper was closed.

According to the Blade's editor, Kevin Naff, plans for the new edition were not finalized: "It could be a four-page Kinko's job, it could be an eight-page professionally printed paper, we're still figuring it out. It's to let people know we're still here, and still reporting the news."

The paper was closed without warning Monday by Window Media, its Atlanta-based owner. Window Media's gay publications in Atlanta and Miami were also closed. The paper was also partly owned by Unite Media, which, along with Window Media, was purchased by Avalon Equity Fund in 2001.

The closure was a shock due to the two potential buyers who had expressed interest in the weekly paper previous to the announcement. One potential buyer, Nicolas Benton, gay rights activist and owner of the Falls Church News-Press, had even had contact with agents of the sellers through mail, telephone, and e-mail as recently as 6 November, according to a press release Benton put out yesterday.

Benton also reveals that his company, Benton Communications Inc., had put in a bid that was accepted, but the sale never went through. According to the press release, "everything was in place, although moving slowly, to make the seamless transition we hoped for. But I remain unaware of what happened, and as a result of Monday's events, the Blade is gone after 40 years of publication, its employees are out of work, and the nation's and region's LGBT community has been stripped of an invaluable institution."

Benton is not part of the employees' efforts to launch a new Blade, though his spokesperson, Cathy Renna, says that he would be interested in talking to them about the publication.

Will the Blade be back in action soon? Or will the closure be permanent? According to Naff, former Blade employees will be launching a Web site shortly called savetheblade.com where they will publish news articles and keep readers posted on the efforts of the relaunch

Says Naff, "it's numbing and exhilarating, sad and exciting today. What has been heartening is the support from the community."

Sources: Editor & Publisher, Washington Post, Washington City Paper