The Tag ProjectThis, my friends, is a new newspaper committed to providing this madcap metropolis with compelling tales of intrigue, gravity, sorrow and humor. Our goal is simple: to produce a weekly paper so cool it'll be difficult to forgive yourself for missing it. Imagine the frustration when your buddies are gathered 'round the water cooler, the conference table or the corner table at the local pub, engaged in debate over something they read in CityBeat and there you are, unable to join in because you didn't happen to pick one up.
For lack of a more recognizable term, this thing is an alternative weekly, one of roughly 125 across the country. True, San Diego already has one-a big one-but we think it's high time for another. The latest trend in some of the country's urban centers-L.A., New York, Portland, Seattle-is the emergence of alternatives to the alternative. It's really a matter of journalistic evolution; the status quo will always be challenged, even when the status quo was once the upstart challenger. And so it goes.
If you haven't heard about us yet, you might not know how we got here, so let me explain: A little newspaper factory called Southland Publishing, which churns out fine papers each week in Ventura and Pasadena, bought SLAMM with a mind to giving thoughtful San Diegans another news weekly to chew on.
For eight years, SLAMM's been giving music lovers the skinny on the local rock scene, and before you SLAMM devotees go and conjure up predictions of doom and gloom, know this: This was no hostile takeover by some faceless media corporation. Truth is, SLAMM and the people behind CityBeat have had strong ties over the years, and, as you'll see inside this issue, SLAMM remains in name and spirit. It's the largest section in the paper, and everyone responsible for producing SLAMM is on board for the new ride.
On the flip side, we on the news end of things are new to San Diego, which presents the obvious set of challenges. But what we may lack in institutional memory, we'll make up for in fresh perspective. Maybe a view from the outside is just what this city needs.
If CityBeat does its job, it'll be smart, bold and fun to read. It will cater to thoughtful people who care about the issues. It will report, analyze and, at times, call for activism to solve important problems. It hopefully won't get lost in the tall grass of rhetoric and bureaucrat-speak. And while this paper won't get bogged down trying to be objective all the time-which is, by the way, an admirable but unattainable goal-we will do our best to be fair and accurate. What we're looking for is the closest version of the truth we can find.
Here's the bottom line: San Diego's on the fast track to becoming a leading metropolitan area and with that comes some major decision making that will, in some way or another, impact everyone living here. Those decisions will provide countless important stories, and we're here to tell them. Of course, we want your help. Give us feedback on how we're doing, and when you have an idea for a story, don't be shy; pass it along.
editor@sdcitybeat.com
