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You won't have Billman to kick around any more, because, gentlemen
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
You won't have Billman to kick around any more, because, gentlemen
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Tomorrow, after roughly 14 months as news editor of City Paper, I will bequeath my post to senior writer Isaiah Thompson, and head uptown to the 36th floor (!) Center City office of Philadelphia magazine, where I will become a senior editor, focusing on the mag's website and front-of-the-book, as well as doing some feature writing. I'm not one for long goodbyes, and anyway, I haven't spent a sufficient amount of time at this publication to warrant a drawn-out farewell, but I did want to pass along a little note, both to my colleagues and this paper's readers:
You are wonderful. Thank you.
This staff is, pound for pound, among the best in the alternative newsweekly industry, and so outpaces the other alt in this city in both creativity, writing and design as to be fairly ridiculous (in my humble opinion, which I can now express objectively, as I no longer have skin in the game). As is common in this business, and journalism in general, they are universally overworked and underpaid, and day after day, they show and work hard because they believe in what they're doing. It's quite a thing to work in an environment in which idealism — the notion that they're working not just for a paycheck, but to make this city a better place to live — trumps careerism. (If you've never had the chance to do so, I highly recommend it.) From the top down, I have nothing but the utmost respect for each and every person I've worked with here at Second and Chestnut, from E-in-C Brian Howard to publisher Paul Curci to our staff writers and freelancers and even our interns.
And readers: I'll be honest. I've spent the last decade in the alt-weekly industry, and, well, long-term business models don't bode well for it, generally. That's not to say CP is going out of business; but neither have the troubles plaguing newspapers nationwide passed over the alts — including the Philly alts. So, I beseech you: If you want vibrant, ferocious, independent journalism, be active — pick up this paper, frequent its advertisers, support the mission. Your city — your community, your neighborhood — will be better off for it.
That said, I've been pleasantly amazed at the engagement of CP's readership — from the guy who calls me each and every Thursday morning to bitch about that week's A Million Stories to the multitude of letters and e-mails I get on everything from blogs to cover stories to whatever else runs in the paper. I learned a lot in my time here — including from this paper's loyal readers. I'll miss you. Even the assholes.
So, again, thank you.
All right. That's pretty much it. If any of you need to reach me at Philly Mag, my e-mail address there will be jbillman@phillymag.com.
Look at the unyielding flow of people so terribly distraught by this meh news. Newsflash: NO ONE GIVES A FUCK!
Doesn't mean you have to be a douche
Darn I didn't realize you'd be doing the Philly Mag web site editing, I might have waited. Good luck to you, I think you've done a great job at the City Paper. Good luck to Isaiah Thompson too.
Best of luck Jeffrey!
Congrats, Jeffrey! Catch you on the flip side.
A farewell appropriately illustrated by faintly watermarked clip art.
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