Subject: NEWS: Wis. Light Newspaper Folds, Gay Art WebRing
From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 11:45:54 -0500

Two News Items Follow:
WISCONSIN LIGHT NEWSPAPER FOLDS
GAYTOONS ART WEB RING
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Gaytoons.Com Announces the GAY ART WEBRING

Although there are about 60,000 web rings, there
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tens of thousands of gay content sites, this is the
way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. A
web site doesn't do much good if people cannot easily
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If your web site is LesBiGay oriented and related to
cartoons/comics, painting, drawing, photography,
sculpture, handicrafts, music, performance art, or 
theater you are invited to join.

The Gay Art Webring is sponsored by the Gay Toons
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to being one of the most significant sites of its type.
Gay Toons Syndicate also offers syndication and artist
representation, and is a divison of GLINN Publishing
Corporation, the parent of the Gay/Lesbian International
News Network, and the operator of 20 LGBT websites.

Although you are welcome to exchange text or banner
links with us directly, the Webring is a convenient and
fun way for visitors to quickly visit a number of sites.

The sooner you sign up the closer you will be to the
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Obtain full details and sign up at:
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Thank you.

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"WISCONSIN LIGHT" NEWSPAPER FOLDS

Milwaukee, WI (April 6, 2000)- WISCONSIN LIGHT, the largest LGBT
publication in Wisconsin, publishing for over 12 years, has closed.

Founded by Publisher Jerry Johnson and his spouse Terry Boughner,
Editor, WISCONSIN LIGHT was sold to Greq Quindel about two years
ago. For seven years prior to the sale, GLINN Publishing Corp. 
provided typesetting, film processing, photostats and other 
production services for the newspaper.

Financial and staff problems caused the publisher to
close down the newspaper.

The April 1, April Fools Day issue, was the final issue for this
nationally respected weekly newspaper. This issue and further info
is available on their web site at www.wilight.com

This leaves IN STEP MAGAZINE as the largest gay publication in
Wisconsin. Other publications include Quest and Probe.

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www.gaydata.com. We send occasional news items of interest to the
glbt community. To be permanently removed from the list, reply with
REMOVE in the subject line. Thank you.

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From: "Jay Moseley" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 12:54:19 -0400
Subject: Wisconsin Light Folds

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>Date:         Sat, 8 Apr 2000 09:12:08 -0500
>From:         [email-masked]
>Subject:      [GLB-NEWS] Wisconsin Light Folds
>

Milwaukee April 8 '00

One of Milwaukee's two gay newspapers has suddenly slammed the door.

Wisconsin Light had been run as a "shoestring" operation by Terry Boughner,
its publisher, and Jerry Johnson, who worked at other jobs to bring
sufficient income into the Johnson/Boughner household.

Most of the "jobs" at Wisconsin Light, particularly the writing, had been on
an unpaid volunteer bases, except for typesetting and advertising sales
services.

WI Light was taken over by Greg Quindell, who'd had some experience doing
something at the Shepherd Express, Milwaukee's "Alternative" newspaper.

Under Boughner, the Light had been black and white, rather crowded and muddy
in appearance, with small type but lots and lots of content.

Quindell added color to the paper, white space, glitz and more glitz. He was
asked how he could sustain this great increase in production cost, and as
things have worked out, he has finally answered that question.

After Terry Boughner, PhD., (who liked signing his articles in the paper
with his academic credentials) editing was done by Bill Meunier, a longtime
political activist who founded the Pridefest, the Gay Pride festival in
Milwaukee that entered the big time a couple years ago by changing its venue
from a city park to the Summerfest grounds on the lakefront.

It's hard to say what happened to Meunier. Publisher Quindell said that Bill
was "promoted" to editor of internet services Quindell purchased from Dan
Schramm, owner of glinn.

Meunier was replaced by Nadine Walther, after a "nation-wide search." Ms.
Walther increased the lesbian-oriented features of the paper, but opinion
pieces and letters-to-the-editor disappeared. Ms. Walther's activities began
to be questioned after she begged off a scheduled meeting of the local PFLAG
chapter, where she was to deliver an address. The last this writer heard of
her was an email complaining that letters sent via FAX should not be
duplicated in email, as whe was too busy. Then the famous April 1 issue came
out, and she was gone. Taking her place as "editor" was Ron Geiman, who
completed a circle of sorts: he had started Milwaukee's first gay paper, In
Step, a typical "bar rag" at the time, which eventually grew to a legitimate
paper.

Publisher Quindell did not help his reputation when he whined in public
about the troubles of Wisconsin Light. Although his addition of expensive
color and glitz to the paper, while drastically decreasing the quantity of
printed articles, had been questioned, he seemed to think that others owed
him a living. He wrote a number of editorials in Wisconsin Light criticizing
gay businessmen for not sending enough money to his paper, and criticizing
other gay publications for existing. Quindell belatedly recognized that the
market is limited, then whined that everybody should give it to him.

In addition to adding color and glitz upon glitz, Quindell converted WI
Light from biweekly to weekly publication, later bragging that he had
increased advertising revenue by 80%. Apparently the "extortion" was a
little too much to bear, and the financial "support" he sought was not
forthcoming.

Let other gay publications take note of the "rise" and downfall of Wisconsin
Light, and not make the same mistakes Quindell made.

It's a pity that WI Light is no longer with us. Under Boughner, the quality
of much of the material was questionable. For example, Boughner was roo
ready to print news releases from his Log Cabin friends as if they were
legitimate news stories. But there was content, and the paper was something
that could be (and was) placed in public libraries to reach isolated gays
and to give a reasonably decent picture of gay life to straights. (Under
Meunier and Quindell, the content of Light began to deteriorate, with too
much skin, leather, and other kink being pictured -- hardly the picture gays
should be presenting to the straight world.)

The only remaining gay publications in Wisconsin are those combining X-rated
or R-rated material with legitimate news. Hardly the picture gays should be
presenting to the straight world, and hardly fit for displays in public
libraries.

The old, old Wisconsin Light will be missed. It's function is not being
filled today.

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