New England Blade's Swan Song

As speculation over the future of the New York Blade continues to grow among more than one gay media circles in Gotham, my EDGE colleague Joe Siegel posted a story on Friday that confirmed what almost everyone had concluded months ago: the former InNewsweekly has officially folded.

Former InNewsweekly editor Fred Kuhr hired me as the once venerable newspaper's New Hampshire correspondent more than five years ago. I had just completed my junior year at the University of New Hampshire and this hir launched my career in journalism. I owe much to the former InNewsweekly, and its demise at the hands of a greedy, incompetent and arguably corrupt publisher who bought the paper in late 2006 and drove it into the ground is a sad day for both its readers and LGBT media as a whole.

There is certainly no joy associated with what happened in the Hub. And the New York Blade's speculated demise would be an equally unfortunate calamity for almost everyone involved. The stark lesson remains, however, is karma brings its just desserts to those who arguably deserve it the most.

New England Blade announces print hiatus

A week after a source contacted Boy in Bushwick with reports suggesting the possible imminent demise of the New England Blade, the troubled Boston-based newspaper announced on its Web site its print edition has gone on hiatus until further notice. The brief statement concludes with an ominous harbinger of what many local observers have concluded will come.

"Thank you for allowing us to be your premier source of GLBT news and entertainment for the past 17 years," it read.

This announcement comes on the heels of a string of resignations, embarrassing revelations, controversies and speculation that has left the once respected weekly reeling since HX Media purchased it in late 2006. The question remains as to whether this announcement marks the beginning of the end of a publication about whose future many in Boston and LGBT media circles have long speculated. Perhaps? This ominous news clearly indicates the New England Blade continues to fight for its very survival.

New England Blade's swan song?

Does the ongoing saga that is the New England Blade finally have an end?

A source who contacted Boy at Bushwick yesterday afternoon pointed to a virtual laundry list of items that suggest a possibly eminent end for the troubled Boston-based LGBT weekly. He said the New England Blade's landlord served the newspaper an eviction notice to vacate its South End offices because of failure to pay rent, and HX CEO Matthew Bank rushed to the Hub to give staff what he described as a "pep talk." The source further indicated the company asked staff to wait to cash their paychecks because HX is trying to secure 11th hour capital to keep the operation going. He also said the New England Blade is two months behind in payments to its distributor.

Our friends over at Loaded Gun have also posted on these potentially terminal developments, but these reports are the latest in a series of controversies and all around bad news that have rocked the once venerable publication. These include former editor-in-large Fred Kuhr's resignation last December, continued failure to pay freelancers and other contributors as this blog has previously documented and the brouhaha over the New England Blade's publication of its "official event guide for Boston Pride" in June over strong objections from the festival organizers.

I'm not one to immediately jump to conclusions, but the controversies and all around drama that have repeatedly dogged the New England Blade since HX bought the former InNewsweekly nearly two years ago clearly indicate something is not kosher. Is it time to grab our fiddles and watch Rome burn? Perhaps we will know sooner rather than later.

Update [Sept. 25, 2008; 4:37 p.m.]: New England Blade publisher James Patterson told Bay Windows his publication is not facing eminent demise. He dismissed claims the newspaper faced eviction, but refused to comment on allegations HX Media asked employees not to cash their paychecks until sufficient capital could be located. Patterson conceded, however, the ongoing ecomonic crisis has impacted the New England Blade.

More bloodletting at the New England Blade

Just when one may think things at the New England Blade (formerly InNewsweekly) couldn't get any worse, sources familiar with the troubled LGBT weekly in Boston have indicated to Boy in Bushwick that they very well may have. The paper's long-time office manager left a few weeks ago, and rumor has it additional terminations and resignations have once again left the newspaper scrambling. This writer anecdotally saw HX Media CEO Matthew Bank's away message on his Facebook profile as 'is going to Boston' over the weekend. Something must be going on in the Hub!

This speculation is the latest in a series of salvos directed at the troubled weekly. Former editor-at-large Fred Kuhr, Rhode Island correspondent Joe Siegel and columnist Chuck Colbert ceased their contributions to the newspaper late last year over back pay and concerns over editorial content and direction. HX Media also fired former associate publisher Bill Berggren in January after he allegedly used InNewsweekly resources to sell ads for a new publication, N'Touch, he unveiled in February.

A Suffolk County judge issued a temporary injunction against Berggren in February after HX Media filed suit against him and two former InNewsweekly sales representatives to block the publication of N'Touch. In addition to this litigation, Colbert told Boy in Bushwick this morning HX Media still owes him roughly$3,500.

These latest Boston revelations clearly indicate HX Media's empire remains in dire straights. HX Philadelphia abruptly folded late last month. And the New York Blade publishes every other week. Gay newspapers and other pink outlets are a very small niche within a much larger enterprises. The industry remains subject to the same trials and tribulations currently rocking the vast majority of traditional media, but HX Media's arguable antics don't serve their interests or those of their dwindling readership. They continue to tarnish the already questionable reputation of gay media. And this trend harms everyone involved.