Also this issue:

The Thespian Club
-Mary F. Patel

The Bell Curve
City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

What Are the Odds?
-Daryl Gale

New Attitude

May 16-22, 2002

on media

Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. is looking into a deal that would address the nagging issue of whether posting content online hurts paid circulation. Newsstand.com is an online service that provides electronic versions of newspapers, in a format similar to PDF, for a fee. But the best part for the papers that participate (like The New York Times and the Tampa Tribune) is that sales through Newsstand.com can be counted among the figures that are report to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). PNI hasn’t signed on yet, but Daily News editor Zack Stalberg is hopeful. “It’s a whole lot better than giving it away,” he says. The service would be offered in addition to the current website, at Philly.com; the appeal of outlets like Newsstand.com (PNI’s news research manager, Dick Cooper, says the company is looking at several vendors) is that readers see the paper exactly as it was printed. Cooper says he expects PNI to close a deal in a matterof weeks.

Speaking of circulation, the numbers for the six-month period that ended March 31 are out, and PNI showed strong signs of improvement. The Inquirer was down about 3 percent on weekdays (to 381,104) and just .3 percent on Sundays (760,026) from the same period the year before. Losses, yes, but during the previous six-month period, which ended last September, the Inky's weekday circulation dropped 9 percent, and Sunday 8.2 percent -- the biggest losses among major dailies in the nation. The Daily News' weekday circulation was almost unchanged, dipping just a fraction of a percent to 151,842.

Participants and observers will dissect the Rendell-Casey race at a panel discussion at the Pen and Pencil Club, 1522 Latimer St., on May 22 at 7:30 p.m. Rendell spokesman Dan Fee, Casey consultant Howard Cain, Fox TV analyst Larry Ceisler and Daily News political editor Gar Josephs will participate. Members and guests are invited to attend. For more information, visit www.penandpencil.org.

Former Inquirer columnist Steve Lopez is touring to promote his new novel, In The Clear -- a murder mystery involving an ex-Philly cop who’s now sheriff of a small Jersey shore town -- and he’ll be making three appearances in the area: May 28, 7:30 p.m., at Borders Books, 2200 Wrangleboro Rd., Mays Landing, N.J. (609-407-1960); May 29, 7 p.m., Blauvelt Theater at Friends Select, 17th and the Parkway (215-563-4184); and May 30, 7:30 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 720 Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr (610-520-0355).

South Jersey native and author Eric Dezenhall will appear on the May 16 installment of Politically Incorrect (6ABC, 12:05 a.m.). Dezenhall’s first novel, Money Wanders, which was released in February, tells the story of a former political pollster who takes on the challenge of making over the image of an Atlantic City mafia boss who’s trying to win a casino license. The story is set in South Jersey and Philly.

City Paper editorial design director Brian Hogan is a finalist in two categories -- Cover Design and Editorial Layout -- of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies annual awards. Winners will be announced at the convention in Madison, Wis., in two weeks.