When you hear the word "Philadelphia," what do you think of? If you said "opera and high art," then you might want to get in touch with Dan Rottenberg, a former editor at the Welcomat (now Philadelphia Weekly) and Philadelphia Magazine. He's launched a new Web site called Broad Street Review which offers pointed criticism of, among other things, dance, theater and symphony music in Philly. We sat Rottenberg down to find out what on earth he was thinking.

City Paper: You've said that you want BSR to be "Internet for grownups." Most of the time, when media outlets talk about using the net, they're talking about reaching young consumers. Is this a savvy contrarian business plan you've got, or a project for your personal satisfaction?

Dan Rottenberg: This grows out of a hunch of mine that there is an audience in Philadelphia that is high-brow, or sophisticated, that no media is serving. I'm talking about college faculty, artists—people in the 40 to 60 age range who read the New York Times but don't read the Inquirer.

CP: Are they Internet literate?

DR: The Internet has largely been the domain of younger people. I've been pretty slow on the technological curve, but it's high time we got with it.

CP: You've emphasized that you want the site to be urban. In your introductory letter, you take shots at Larry Platt [editor of Philadelphia Magazine] and Tim Whitaker [editor of the Philadelphia Weekly] for living in the suburbs. Why do their residences prevent their publications from adequately covering urban culture?

DR: I don't think it prevents or disqualifies them, but I think it says something when the person running the publication doesn't really grasp, or maybe grasps theoretically, that the city is a good place to be.

CP: When I think of things like Stravinsky and surrealism—topics covered in the first issue of BSR -- I picture people speaking very courteously while sipping wine. But you write quite acerbically. Are you bringing a new tone to this culture, or do I have a misconception?

DR: I think you're pretty close. The name of the game is to attract an audience. To attract an audience you need to dramatize a subject, and the essence of drama is conflict. What's always fascinated me is how two different intelligent people can look at the same performance and come out with two different conclusions.