• Editor & Publisher, Thursday, July 26, 2007 12 PM

The alternative weeklies are still consolidating, with the latest buyout coming form Tampa, Fla.-based Creative Loafing, which has cut a deal to acquire the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper. The purchase, which also includes the syndicated column the "Straight Dope" and its Web site, will bring the two papers onto the company's roster of weeklies in Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C.

"We are more grateful than we can say to the readers and advertisers who have supported us in both Chicago and Washington, and especially to the extraordinary writers, editors, photographers, artists and staff who have worked with us since we started in 1971," said Bob Roth, owner of the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper.

"We've had a great ride. Now, we're happily handing the keys to a new generation." Ben Eason, CEO of Creative Loafing, notes that the move will help save money in corporate and administrative costs, along with centralized production and printing facilities. The Chicago Reader, founded in 1971, boasts an average circulation of 135,000, while Washington City Paper began in 1982 and has 80,000 regular readers.

Read the whole story at Editor & Publisher »