SoHo Weekly News

The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (SWN) was a weekly alternative newspaper founded by music publicist Michael Goldstein and published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. Positioned as a competitor to ''The Village Voice'', it struggled financially. The paper was purchased by Associated Newspaper Group in 1979 and shut down three years later when they were unable to make it profitable.

The paper was known for its coverage of Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, which was just starting to become fashionable. Although the official editorial stance was anti-gentrification, some retrospectives have argued that its coverage of local culture and business actually contributed to the upward trend in property values. Coverage of emerging music acts in local venues was particularly strong, including being one of the first papers to interview the punk rock band the Ramones.

Many staff at the paper had storied careers after the paper shut down. Annie Flanders founded ''Details magazine''; Kim Hastreiter and David Hershkovits started ''Paper.'' Bill Cunningham spent many decades as a photojournalist for ''The New York Times,'' Allan Tannenbaum became known for his coverage of rock musicians, and Bruce Weber got his start photographing male fashion models with an influential SWN photo story showing an underwear-clad male model in erotic poses.

Startup and operation

The SoHo Weekly News (SWN) was a weekly alternative newspaper published in New York City from 1973 to 1982. The paper was founded by Michael Goldstein who put out the first issue on October 11, 1973, using "his last $800". Initially published in eight pages, it grew to over 100 pages and competed with ''The Village Voice''. In ''SoHo: The Rise and Fall of an Artists' Colony'', Richard Kostelanetz asserted that SWN "was founded ... in part to exploit the success of the ''Voice'', with a similar size and similarly weekly publication schedule". The paper's offices were at 111 Spring Street, Manhattan, although the earliest issues were produced out of Goldstein's apartment on nearby Broome Street.

In January 1976 Goldstein told ''The New York Times'' that SWN was the second largest English-language weekly in the city, positioned as a direct competitor to ''The Village Voice'', and sold at 400 newsstands with a circulation of about 28,000. He described the intended audience as "basically the 22‐to‐35‐year old group, who grew up during the 60's going to rock concerts" but conceded that his market research consisted of seeing who was buying the paper at newsstands. Hank Weintraub, vice president of advertising agency DienerHauser-Greenthal, stated that the paper's circulation and effectiveness were unproven and he would only place ads there when specifically requested by clients: "It has not proven itself to be a viable medium or the challenge to T''he Village Voice'' they say they are". At the time, SWN was looking to expand. Stephen M. Blacker, associate publisher of ''The Village Voice'', said "There is a need for more papers, but I don't see them as real competition".

In a 2020 interview, fashion editor Kim Hastreiter spoke with ''Paper'' magazine editor Mickey Boardman and described the impact SWN had:

Editorial stance on gentrification

The paper was an outspoken critic of the commercialization and gentrification of SoHo, the neighborhood where it was located and concentrated its coverage. In a 2003 review of the revitalization of the SoHo neighborhood, Stephen Petrus argued that despite taking an editorial stance opposing gentrification, SWN actually promoted it, "showcasing the galleries, boutiques, and restaurants", eschewing a role as neighborhood watchdog in favor of competing directly with ''The Village Voice.'' He gave as an example "a two-part series for the 1973 holiday season, n which''The Weekly News'' took readers on a tour of more than two dozen neighborhood shops". Petrus also said their "extensive classified section, listing lofts for rent or sale" helped drive up rents, pricing artists and other renters without long-term leases out of the area.

In 1974, SWN inaugurated a ''Loft of the Week'' feature in which they highlighted opulent residences. The first installment covered the home of fashion designer Valerie Porr, which they described as " ne of themost fascinating spaces in SoHo". The paper touted the advantages of converted lofts, writing, "Living in a loft gives you a whole new dimension in space and space relationships to work with" SWN writer Jim Stratton took a contrary stance. In response to a 1974 piece in ''New York Magazine'' which called SoHo "The Most Exciting Place to Live in the City", he lamented the influx of wealthy people who could "buy a loft in SoHo and send an artist to Brooklyn" and that when people came to artist's lofts, they were coming more to look at the real estate than the artwork.

Staff

Many SWN staff, 80 percent of whom were freelance in 1976, had notable careers before or after their association with the paper. The editorial team was led by founder Michael Goldstein who previously had been a successful music publicist. Among his clients were Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and the Grateful Dead; 17 of the acts he represented were eventually inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Gerald Marzorati, editor of SWN's ''Artful Dodger'' column, was reportedly the first journalist to write a major story about Keith Haring. Dramaturgy scholar Elinor Fuchs wrote for the paper as a freelancer. John Perreault was senior art critic from 19751982, earning a 1979 fellowship in art criticism from the National Endowment for the Arts. Edward Gorey wrote movie reviews under the byline Wardore Edgy; in a 1991 interview, he said that if ''The Village Voice'' was off-broadway, then SWN was off-off-broadway.

Richard Kostelanetz contrasted ''The Village Voice'' with SWN saying the former had been "founded ... by people residing within Greenwich Village, initially to provide them with cultural information about their community" and the latter "by an outsider" and that "Though the offices of the SoHo News were on Broadway below Houston Street, nearly all of its editors lived outside SoHo; most of its writers probably did as well".

Follow-ons

Annie Flanders had been the fashion editor; very shortly after SWN closed, she organized a meeting of ex-staffers including Ronnie Cooke, Stephen Saban, Lesley Vinson, Megan Haungs, and Bill Cunningham to found ''Details magazine'' which ran from 1982 to 2015. Kim Hastreiter succeeded Flanders as fashion editor; she and news reporter David Hershkovits went on to found ''Paper'' magazine. Marzorati went on to work at ''The New Yorker'', ''Harper's Magazine'', and eventually ''The'' ''New York Times,'' where he edited ''The New York Times Magazine''.

In a 1985 review, publisher Bonnie Marranca wrote of her efforts in 1975 to get ''Performing Arts Journal'' started. At the time, she was writing for SWN, which she described as "renegade" and "a fledgling publication, with no pretense to paying writers". She had lined up printing services but was facing the even larger expense of typesetting; SWN's publisher (unnamed but presumably Goldstein) knew of Marranca's plans and offered to provide her typesetting services for the first three issues at no cost in exchange for another year of her writing for free, which she accepted. Marranca again wrote about SWN in 1995, reflecting on her experiences as a theatre critic there during 1975 – 1977. She described the paper as "one of the respected, opinion-shaping newspapers at that time, featuring extensive coverage of the burgeoning downtown arts scene".

Photography

The photography staff included Allan Tannenbaum, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Bruce Weber, and Bill Cunningham. Cunningham did a style feature, ''Bill Cunningham's Sunday'', having been recruited by Annie Flanders. He then went on to a long career at ''The New York Times'' as a photojournalist, producing his famous ''On the Street'' and ''Evening Hours'' columns. Tannenbaum was known for his coverage of rock music, having photographed David Bowie, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the Rolling Stones. Greenfield-Sanders has work on display at the Museum of Modern Art and the National Portrait Gallery, and was featured in ''American Master: The Boomer List'' on PBS.

Bruce Weber's controversial 1978 series of photos featuring model Jeff Aqualon clad only in underwear was described in ''The'' ''New York Times'' as "flagrantly erotic" by Herbert Muschamp and having "become legend" by John Duka. Katya Foreman of the BBC labeled it as "iconic ... efininga new ideal for male models". The 2020 independent film ''Rise of the Male Supermodel'' described the story as "an intimate portrayal of a young athletic man", saying that "the male form as a sexualized object was historically the focus of gay porn, not mass media" but that Weber had " egitimizedthe notion for the mainstream". SWN fashion director Paul Cavaco described the story as using "very very expensive underwear from Saks Fifth Avenue". After the piece ran, Saks cancelled their advertising due to the erotic nature of the photos; this announcement was greeted with a round of applause from the staff because, as Cavaco put it, "it was all about, at that moment, how far can we push things, how far can we go against the norm of what fashion is supposed to be, of what people think of male models, of what male beauty is, of what is acceptable for men to show."

Music and arts coverage

Punk scene

SWN was known for its coverage of new musical artists in downtown New York. In an interview shortly after Goldstein's death, SWN music editor Peter Occhiogrosso credited Goldstein's "background in the rock 'n' roll world" for driving SWN's music focus and for its ability to differentiate itself from ''The Village Voice.'' Occhiogrosso said that Goldstein "was especially attuned to the developing music and associated night life scene south of 14th Street". Author Richard Boch described how many of the SWN staff would frequent the nearby Mudd Club each night, including Goldstein "dressed in a brass-button navy blazer and looking like a country club admiral". In a 2020 interview, Kim Hastreiter spoke about her experiences at SWN:

In 1975, SWN was one of the first papers to interview the Ramones. In his book ''Between Montmarte and the Mudd Club'', Bernard Gendron wrote about the music scene at CBGB; he described the club as "an altogether unlikely site for a major cultural movement", noting that it filled a void after the nearby Mercer Art Center was destroyed in a building collapse. CBGB hosted new bands such as Television, the Ramones, and Blondie, but the venue was largely ignored by ''The Village Voice'' and ''The New York Times,'' with "the brunt of local support omingfrom the alternative press, initially ''The SoHo Weekly News'' and later the fanzines ''Punk'' and '' New York Rocker''." In 1978, SWN ran an interview with Talking Heads. In their ''Video Lounge'' exhibit, the Museum of the City of New York spoke about the paper's leading role in covering the New York music scene:

Other areas

In 2023, ''The New York Times'' said that SWN's greatest success was in the 1970s and its demise in 1982 gave the ''Eye'' an opportunity to ' eakin influence". In 2002, dance critic Elizabeth Zimmer wrote that the "dance boom" of the mid 1960s was followed by increased opportunities for young dance critics in New York, with ''The Village Voice'' and SWN being the two main publications providing space for their work. The SWN arts coverage ranged from local talent to mainstream; one article on dance included a performance in a Mercer Street loft alongside one at the Metropolitan Opera House by the American Ballet Theater.

Film critic Jerry Oster lamented in his 1977 coverage of the New Directors/New Films Festival that ''The New York Times'' gave it minimal attention, and ''The Village Voice'' and ''The New Yorker'' none at all: "The most comprehensive coverage of the program was ceded to the scrappy irregulars of ''The SoHo Weekly News''". SWN was also known for their coverage of local artists struggling to make a name for themselves; Gary Indiana wrote in ''Artforum'':

In a 2018 interview at the Museum of Modern Art, lyricist Scott Wittman told of the influence SWN had on promoting the acts of rising performers: "There was only one newspaper back then ... ''The SoHo Weekly News''". He recounted his experience doing a show with Marc Shaiman at Club 57 in the east village; after the SWN published a "rave review", the next week's performance was "packed with people like Jay Presson Allen, Mike Nichols, Joe Papp, and Allan Carr".

Coverage of Nancy Spungen murder

Interviewed for ''Room 100: Sid, Nancy, and the Night Punk Rock Died,'' Ann Bardach told of her start in journalism. She had landed a position at ''The New York Times'' but the 1978 New York City newspaper strike put her out of work after writing a single story. She decided to frequent the New York City morgue where she became friendly with the staff and was introduced to the chief medical examiner, Michael Baden, who reportedly allowed her free access to the autopsy room (although Baden disputed this).

One night, a woman's body was delivered who, Bardach recalled, everybody assumed was "some hooker, probably". Bardach, however, said she recognized the woman from the Mudd Club and exclaimed, "Holy shit – that's Nancy Spungen!" although none of the people there recognized the name, nor that of punk rocker Sid Vicious, whose girlfriend she was. Baden also disputed this part of the story, saying that they had been informed by the police of the impending arrival of Spungen. Regardless of which version of the story was correct, Bardach wrote a series of articles about Spungen's murder which were published by SWN. Author Jesse Pollack described the stories as "among the earliest and most influential pieces of journalism on the crime, layingan important role in shaping public understanding of it as well as the historical record". Barden said that when she pitched the story to the paper, "''The SoHo Weekly News'' was the place to be because they covered the punk scene. They recognized that it was a big deal".

Henry Benvenuti incident

On November 26, 1979, 27-year-old Manhattan resident and artist Henry "Banger" Benvenuti walked into the SWN office and asked to see art editor Gerald Marzorati. After being told he could not see Marzorati, Benvenuti took out a hatchet, stated that "I'm doing this in the name of art," chopped off two of his fingers, and walked out of the office, leaving the fingers behind along with a briefcase containing a $1 bill and a rat trap. Benvenuti and his severed fingers were taken to Bellevue Hospital but doctors were unable to reattach the fingers.

Benvenuti was a graphic artist connected to the SoHo punk scene. His roommate and manager Lenny Ferrari was a drummer for many of the area's bands; Benvenuti's art was displayed at the Mudd Club and his photograph hung on the wall. Benvenuti was struggling financially and was upset about the difficulties artists had. Interviewed at Bellevue, he said "It's so hard to get anyone to look at your work" and expressed disappointment at the lack of attention his exhibition in a SoHo gallery received a year earlier. He described his one-man show as "the first punk new wave art exhibit in New York", said that it didn't receive any serious reviews from the media, and that his self-mutilation at the SWN office was "to protest the plight of starving artists".

Benvenuti had reportedly spoken to Marzorati earlier in the day by telephone. Marzorati said he was too busy to speak, to which Benvenuti replied "You're just like all the other art writers". Paul Richard of ''The Washingon Post'' likened Benvenuti's actions to incidents of self-harm by many famous artists, most notably Van Gogh's cutting off his own ear.

Decline and shutdown

Circulation was variable, at one point dipping as low as 14,000. In May 1978, the English Associated Newspaper Group (ANG), led by Vere Harmsworth, took a 25% share in SWN''.'' Reportedly, this was in response to Rupert Murdoch (with whom Harmsworth had been feuding) having bought ''The Village Voice'' the previous year. A year later, Goldstein stated that the paper had an annual revenue of $1.1 million and their circulation was 60,000; it was reported, however, that the paper was losing money. ANG bought out the remaining stake in 1979 and named John Leese as publisher and editor in chief.

In the fall of 1981, ANG announced plans to close or sell the paper by February 1982. Although there were negotiations with possible purchasers which continued beyond the original deadline, ongoing losses ($1.7 million in the previous year) forced ANG to shut down the paper in March. The closing was despite an increase in circulation in the last year, variously reported as "12 to 15 percent" or "almost doubled". The last issue, dated March 10–16, 1982, had a print run of 40,000 copies, carried a cover price of $0.75 and featured a front-page story about John Belushi. The next issue was in production at the time the paper was officially shut down but never reached the newsstands. At the time of the shutdown, the staff numbered about 70 people, of which 25 were full-time reporters and editors. The shutdown of SWN left ANG with interests in two other American publications: ''The American Lawyer

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