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Creative Loafing – Drive A Faster Car Merger?


Posted :: August 20, 2009 | 10:00 am ::

Quick guys! Let’s raise a few million and buy Creative Loafing! Rename it all Drive A Faster Car! In my dreams. We aren’t quite ready for that sort of expansion yet…

AJC reports that the Creative Loafing chain is officially up for auction.

His family’s empire of alternative weekly newspapers headed to the auction block next week in a Tampa bankruptcy court, Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason said Wednesday he’s confident his bid will prevail.

“I think we are absolutely the best bid,” Eason said in a telephone interview from Tampa, the headquarters of the struggling six-newspaper chain that was founded in Atlanta 37 years ago by his mother, Deborah Eason, who sold her interest to her son and a group of investors in 2000.

“Any bid has got to have cash, management and know-how, and be in a position to run the business and pay off debt,” said Eason. “We have all of that.”

I’m anxious to see what happens. What would Atlanta do without an alternative weekly? I don’t really feel like The Sunday Paper fills that category. What are your thoughts?
Posted in Atlanta Links, Gossip


4 Responses to “Creative Loafing – Drive A Faster Car Merger?”

  1. John P Says:
    August 20th, 2009 at 3:25 pm

    I personally would be sad to see it go as I always pick up my copy every week. But honestly, print publications don’t hold the cache they once did, especially now that almost everyone seems equipped with a smartphone. Of course they are advantages and disadvantages with print vs online content, but something about holding newsprint in your hand that makes it more tangible. Guess we’ll have to wait and see who ponies up the most $ and then what they decide what to do with it.

  2. BradleyAG Says:
    August 20th, 2009 at 11:04 am

    Creative Loafing is a double edged sword. It's always had so much potential to really give a voice to the underculture of Atlanta but seems content to skate the surface of it most of the time. It wouldn't be the end of the world if it did come under some new management.

  3. DriveAFasterAlternativeWeekly Says:
    August 20th, 2009 at 11:12 am

    If all else fails, you can always ask these guys if they're interested: http://buffalobeast.com/ – they're used to adversity

  4. John P Says:
    August 20th, 2009 at 11:25 am

    I personally would be sad to see it go as I always pick up my copy every week. But honestly, print publications don't hold the cache they once did, especially now that almost everyone seems equipped with a smartphone. Of course they are advantages and disadvantages with print vs online content, but something about holding newsprint in your hand that makes it more tangible. Guess we'll have to wait and see who ponies up the most $ and then what they decide what to do with it.

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