From: newsdistribution@gaydata.com Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 11:45:54 -0500 Subject: NEWS: Wis. Light Newspaper Folds, Gay Art WebRing Two News Items Follow: WISCONSIN LIGHT NEWSPAPER FOLDS GAYTOONS ART WEB RING ----------------------------------------------------------- Gaytoons.Com Announces the GAY ART WEBRING Although there are about 60,000 web rings, there hasn't been an art based webring for the gay/lesbian community. There was no easy way to visit art related gay sites until now. With millions of web sites, and 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 find it. 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. 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Obtain full details and sign up at: http://www.gaytoons.com/gayart/index.htm Thank you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This news release was distributed by the Gay Media Database at 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. -------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jay Moseley" Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 12:54:19 -0400 Subject: Wisconsin Light Folds ==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE================== >Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 09:12:08 -0500 >From: philengr@POWERCOM.NET >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. ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE===================