MetroTimes a shell of its former self ?

[Willi]

Valerie Vande Panne, hired in April, is no longer editor-in-chief

From time to time the paper had some great articles over the years.

[nain rouge]

I think it's having a hard time finding it's niche in the current market. Couple the decline of traditional media with Detroit falling down a few rungs in prominence as a media market, and you have local rags with very confused identities. Is this a big market or a medium market? Is it more Atlanta in size and scope, or more San Diego?

Complicating the issue further is Detroit's intense self-interest. There is a huge demand for local boosterism and analysis, IMO much more so than you'd see in many other metros. Detroit Yes! is in itself quite remarkable. Try and find a board this active and thought-provoking for almost any other city.

So while Detroit is a tempting market to really go big in as a media company, it could be that the money isn't there. Hard to say.

[nain rouge]

Looking at the numbers, Detroit went from the #5 MSA in 1990 to #12 and falling by 2010. According to the 2013 estimate, it's now #14. That has to be a rough transition for a media company. If anything, I almost see Metro Times being absorbed into the Freep or News. That wouldn't be uncommon nationally.

Also, I think Metro Times screwed up by moving to Ferndale when it did. That move makes sense in the '90s. But to move out of Detroit just when your core audience is moving back in and declaring it the region's epicenter of hip was a strange move. I get it - they wanted better access to that Ferndale, RO, and Birmingham money, but it was still the wrong move.

[bailey]

Also, I think Metro Times screwed up by moving to Ferndale when it did. That move makes sense in the '90s. But to move out of Detroit just when your core audience is moving back in and declaring it the region's epicenter of hip was a strange move. I get it - they wanted better access to that Ferndale, RO, and Birmingham money, but it was still the wrong move.

IIRC it was all about cost cutting and a directive from out of state ownership that was trying to sell it. I think everyone in Ferndale, RO and BHam knows where the strip clubs are and how to get a hold of hookers without the MT.

[belleislerunner]

The paper is too negative. It needed to correct course and bring in fresh blood. Smart move on management's part.

It needs to follow Creative Loafing [[Atlanta) or a similar spin. http://clatl.com/

Be an alternative paper, investigate - but don't be so terribly negative. No one wants to read depressing crap.

If I wanted the same effect as reading 50 pages of obituaries, that's where to find it.

If you think about it - the Detroit Yes [[positive), Crains [[positive), Curbed [[positive), Model D [[positive) are all drawing crowds while the negative nellies [[Metro Times), Deadline Detroit, Muck Racker die a deserving death.

[nain rouge]

IIRC it was all about cost cutting and a directive from out of state ownership that was trying to sell it. I think everyone in Ferndale, RO and BHam knows where the strip clubs are and how to get a hold of hookers without the MT.

Possibly, but is Ferndale cheaper than - say - Woodbridge? It just gave off the wrong vibe, especially after MT moved a lot of the Blowout festivities to Ferndale BEFORE moving the company to Ferndale. The reasons MT gave for moving out of the city weren't convincing to me.

This blurb about the Blowout from HuffPost is interesting in light of the subsequent move:
Metro Times publisher Chris Sexson told the Oakland Press that going to Hamtramck was outside some people's "comfort zone."

“Hamtramck has a certain character and personality that is awesome and just perfect for rock ’n’ roll music," Sexson told the paper. "But I’ve found, even among some of the younger music and creative people, that some people don’t want to go down there, the same as some people might not want to go into downtown Detroit."

Granted, what happened in Hamtramck during one of the Blowouts was a tragedy, but still...

[Wesley Mouch]

The entertainment/bars information is valuable -- and useful printed. But on the editorial side, they have no reason to exist.

Nice to have a rabble rousing paper, but frankly nobody wants to pay for good journalism in print today. The advertisers just want eyeballs, and the editorial aspect of MT is just to give credence to the paper so people pick it up. Its a lot like the hard-cutting journalism in Playboy. Its only there as cover.

[Willi]

I like the MetroTimes .
I absolutely loathe Top 40 music, and don't give a damn what others listen to. I enjoy music with an edge, an agenda, and I like it live, in my face.
Yeah I've aged a bit now and don't bar hop nearly as much, but I DO like reading about new bands, new releases, interviews, etc.
I also like avante garde films/movies that make folks think, reflect, etc.
Mixing in some other local articles , topics, events, covered by local journalists is welcome and appreciated by me.

I would be disappointed if it ceased to exist
It is often enjoyed by me with a craft beer at a local microbrewery as a way to just chill a bit

[ronaldj]

Physical distribution seems to have become a problem for them. I cannot find it on a regular basis where it used to be regularly available on the east side. I like holding it in my hand while reading it and using it for tinder fodder when it becomes dated. Some editions I hang onto for an inordinately morbidly length of time.

When I called the circulation office, the best they could do was someplace around 8 and Harper. They have even abandoned the Elmwood Branch of the Detroit Public Library as a consistent place to find it.

I don't know. The on-line version is fun but not the same as the print version.

[Willi]

Few things beat a paper and your favorite beverage for a couple of minutes of relaxation.

Being on a device doesn't cut it...

[rb336]

It's been years since it's been consistently good to read. Was a time when they had the best entertainment reviews and discussions around, great political reporting. hasn't been that way since the mid 90s

[jackie5275]

It's been years since it's been consistently good to read. Was a time when they had the best entertainment reviews and discussions around, great political reporting. hasn't been that way since the mid 90s

I remember it being in the 80s & 90s as my go to source for all good local info and non-mainstream entertainment. I always planned my weekend activities by going to the back of the paper to see which local bands where playing at what local clubs. I always liked their "Best of Detroit" issues as well as it gave me a chance to always be checking out something or some place new.

[professorscott]

Tough time to be in the print biz all ways round.

I remember back in the day always being amused by the irony of a paper, part of whose gestalt was a progressive, slightly profeminist street-corner rant, that made a significant part of its living selling classified ads to prostitutes.

Anyhow, best of luck to 'em.

[Honky Tonk]

Save the trees, go digital.

[SaintMe]

If you think about it - the Detroit Yes [[positive), Crains [[positive), Curbed [[positive), Model D [[positive) are all drawing crowds while the negative nellies [[Metro Times), Deadline Detroit, Muck Racker die a deserving death.

I actually really like Muckraker. And no offense to DYes, but I usually find the content over there more interesting. Dyes is pretty hit or miss.

[Bobl]

Wouldn't be surprised if it became a condensed Sunday feature in the News/Free Press. The ads for strippers and hookers will have to go online.

[Willi]

Must have read the MetroTimes a thousand times and I simply close the paper when I come to the classified adds. Never paid attention, never cared, basically irrelevant as to why I picked up the paper to begin with.

Others seem to make a Huge Deal over it.
Don't like it, turn the page, simple.
Just like a TV or Radio, skip to another item.

Such a complete non-issue to most readers

[Django]

Its sad that print is dying. They run a skeleton crew from what I know because they simply cant afford anything more. Id hate to see them die, not being able to walk into my bar and pick up an MT is not good. Im all about digital but I love the ink and smell on my hands after reading a paper.

[G-DDT]

Every city has a rag like Metro Times [["Velocity" in Louisville, "The Isthmus" in Madison, etc.). The ones in New York have hideous XXX ads with hookers [[many of them Asian and/or ladyboys). I liked magazines like Orbit better [[wasn't a fan of Real Detroit), when it was around for those nine years [[and it's predecessor "Fun").
Metro Times always had an uncanny habit of sticking it to anyone running a venue that promoted Non-corporate Indie Music. Places like the Gold Dollar had to shake their head every time they gave clear information for the ads they took out for events they hosted; Metro Times was always misspelling, jumbling acts, or just misprinting dates and times. Folks at Zoot's hated the personal ads in the MT for things like "Funk/Metal guitarist seeking a Reggae/Funk/Folk band", so they'd crank call those genre-minded schmoes. I knew guys from a band that played ethnic music, and they would win the Metro Times award for "Best International Band" every year. They'd shrug and send one of their representatives to pick it up [["It's your turn this year, man, I did it last year.").

[faron young]

some of you may find it relevant that Mike McGonigal, who previously lived in Portland, OR and has been basically the head honcho behind indie music rag Yeti over ten years now is a recent transplant to Detroit and was just hired in as head music writer for MetroTimes, which should at least lead to more exciting music coverage and related content in the magazine... One would hope, anyway.

[Dave70]

In the good ol' days before the internet got so big, MT was much better. They lost a ton of classified $ to craigslist I imagine. As the years went by the classifies section got smaller and smaller. Last time I saw one I think most of the adverts were escorts/porn stuff. I read MT from mid 80s to about 2000...

[Islandman]

Don't fret, there is still Hour Detroit. It is quite reflective of the demographics of the region.

[Honky Tonk]

Don't fret, there is still Hour Detroit. It is quite reflective of the demographics of the region.

The question is "What region?"

[belleislerunner]

When was the last time you picked up an Hour Detroit?

Five to ten years ago it had insightful articles. Now 70% of the magazine is doctor ads/lawyer ads/restaurant listings and classifieds.

Another one that if folded, no one would care. It does market to a significantly more upscale crowd.

Dbusiness seems to have stepped in and filled the niche left when Hour Detroit went to all fluff. You actually feel you learned something reading Dbusiness.

[Islandman]

Jury is still out on that one. It's a question I asked myself the few times I cracked it open.

@belleislerunner: It's been years, but I concur with what you stated above.