Westword
 | |
| Type | Alternative weekly |
|---|---|
| Format | Magazine |
| Owner(s) | Voice Media Group |
| Publisher | Scott Tobias |
| Editor | Patricia Calhoun |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Headquarters | 1278 Lincoln St,Denver,Colorado, 80203, USA |
| Circulation | 67,520 (as of 2014)[1] |
| Website | westword |
Westwordis a free digital and print media publication based inDenver,Colorado.Westwordpublishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circulates every Thursday.Westwordhas been owned by Voice Media Group since January 2013, when a group of senior executives bought out the previous owners.
Patricia Calhoun has been editor ofWestwordsince she and two of her friends founded the publication in 1977. Calhoun and her former partners sold the newspapers toNew Times Mediain 1983.[2]In 2005, New Times Media acquiredVillage Voice Media,and took on theVillage Voice Medianame as part of a deal that created a group of 14 publications nationwide.[3]In January 2013, former Village Voice Media executives Scott Tobias, Christine Brennan and Jeff Mars bought VVM's papers and associated web properties and formedVoice Media Group.[4]
Westwordhas received several awards forinvestigative reportingand feature writing, including the 2017Sigma Delta Chi Awardfrom the Society of Professional Journalists for Chris Walker's story "Acid Trip".[5]
The publication's website, westword, offers daily news coverage along with comprehensive listings of music, arts and other events, along with restaurants and bar listings.
Best of Denver
[edit]Every year,Westword's staff awards hundreds of Denver-area personalities, restaurants, bars and shops with its "Best of Denver" awards.
The newspaper also throws a yearly concert, the "Westword Music Showcase", which brings dozens of local bands along with national headlining acts to venues in the Golden Triangle.Westwordalso produces an annual list ofMasterminds,people whose contribution to arts and culture in the Denver area deserve special recognition.[6]
Other live events include Artopia, an annual celebration of the arts, Tacolandia, which features dozens of local taquerias and live music, and Feast, which focuses on the city’s entire food scene.
Marijuana
[edit]In November 2009 Westword became the first magazine or newspaper worldwide to employ amedical marijuanacritic.[7]An anonymous contributor known by thepen nameWilliam Breathes contributed regular reviews of local marijuana dispensaries and began a column called "Ask a Stoner". Since that time,Westwordhas continued to be sympathetic to Colorado's growingrecreational and medical marijuana movements,featuring ads for dispensaries in print editions and devoting an entire section of its website to covering the marijuana industry.[8]Westword'scurrent marijuana editor is Thomas Mitchell.
Westword MasterMind Awards
[edit]The Westword MasterMind Awards were started in 2005 to recognize and encourage the "aesthetic adventurers who are changing the cultural landscape" of Denver.[9]The award comes with a no-strings attached cash grant.[9]Katie Taftwas awarded the Westworld Mastermind Award in 2006.
References
[edit]- ^Alliance for Audited Media
- ^Vane, Sharyn (November 1998)."Consider the Alternative".American Journalism Review.RetrievedOctober 18,2012.
- ^Richard Siklos (October 24, 2005)."The Village Voice, Pushing 50, Prepares to Be Sold to a Chain of Weeklies".The New York Times.RetrievedOctober 18,2012.
- ^"Village Voice Media Execs Acquire The Company's Famed Alt Weeklies, Form New Holding Company".Tech Crunch. September 24, 2012.RetrievedSeptember 27,2012.
- ^"Acid Trip: Denver's Secret LSD Labs Fueled the Psychedelic Revolution"Westword
- ^Celebrate Artopia and Westword's newest MasterMindsWestword
- ^"William Breathes looks back on three years as the country's first pot critic - - News - Denver - Westword".westword.Archived fromthe originalon March 27, 2013.
- ^"Denver Marijuana Guide | Cannabis News, Laws, Deals in Denver, CO".
- ^abPatricia, Calhoun (February 18, 2010)."MasterMind alumni brainstorm about the state of the arts in Denver".Westword.