Window Media, the parent company of the Washington Blade and certain other local newspapers serving the gay community, abruptly filed for bankruptcy, and as of today the Blade is closed. It had been around for forty years, and it was a major presence in DC media, gay or straight. I had no idea they were in trouble, but that’s the newspaper industry for you, I guess.
I can see why papers like that go. I used to read the Chicago gay newspapers, “The Windy City Times,” and “Gay Chicago Magazine,” but now you can get the same info online quicker.
The main resources in additon to advertisers were, gay ads for “escorts,” “personal ads,” “excotic services” and “flats”
OK the first three have moved over to the Internet, and that leaves apartment rentals by people who favour the gay community. That ain’t much to go on.
The “show up today and pull the plug with no warning” way that this went down is shady and despicable. The employees of the Blade were given less than 8 hours to clean up all of their personal belongings and get out of the office. There was warning that this was coming, but the financial people at the parent company couldn’t be bothered to share it.