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What’s In the Weeklies? Week of May 7

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve gotten a chance to post one, but it is also Wednesday, so it’s time for another installment of What’s In the Weeklies?

LEO May 7

LEO Weekly, May 7, 2008 issue:

Overall Score: 27 points

Velocity May 7

Velocity Weekly, May 7, 2008 issue:

Overall Score: 28 points

Velocity pulls out the surprise win this week! Granted, it’s gotta be tough for any editor in Louisville to put together a paper the week after the Derby, when not much happens. And Velocity’s Derby coverage was pretty vapid, to be sure (which is fine — we’re not looking for anything too serious when it comes to, say, Barnstable-Brown stories and photos). But the prospect of a thin paper led to some “risky” editorial choices that, while not de riguer for Velocity, actually seemed to work! Like a full two-page poem, we gotta like that. And a decent interview with Kevin Phillips, and a piece on House of Ruth, “a local organization that provides financial and social support to people with AIDS and HIV.” So perhaps Velocity should take more chances in the future.

As always, please feel free to comment! Especially as regards stuff we don’t cover in the weeklies, such as theater and film coverage.

This entry was posted on May 7, 2008 at 12:24 pm and is filed under Churchill Downs, Horse Racing, Louisville News, Media, Sports, What's In the Weeklies? . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Responses to “What’s In the Weeklies? Week of May 7”

  1. Phillip Olympia Says:
    May 7, 2008 at 8:46 pm

    What was up with the lack of Derby coverage from LEO? i mean, damn.

  2. Stephen George Says:
    May 7, 2008 at 8:49 pm

    I’m curious — how is a non-Derby story this week a tough sell? We have been inundated with Derby coverage in this market for at least two solid weeks. And how does “pretty vapid” Derby coverage, a puff piece on House of Ruth and an interview with Kevin Phillips earn more points than a profile of a Louisville artist grappling with city identity, a story about a legitimate neighborhood dispute, a long profile of a group of Collegiate kids who’ve spent the last weeks rebuilding homes in New Orleans, a news update about an environmental policy that could greatly harm Kentucky, and an interview with Kevin Phillips? Wow.

    I suspect there’s been some pressure to swing one Velocity’s way, and I demand a recount!!!

    All in good fun. We get a kick outta this feature. Keep it up. — sg

  3. Stephen George Says:
    May 7, 2008 at 8:52 pm

    Hey Phillip,

    Good question. While I’m here, I may as well respond.

    We put out a Derby issue two weeks ago, a nightlife and bar guide a week ago aimed at those here to party for Derby, and ran a two-page photo spread along with two long pieces about horse-racing this week — plus, for the last month, we’ve been running sports analysis of the race. Unfortunately we lack the zeal for vacuity that leads some organizations to send 30 photographers and post 10,000 images of the same stuff over and over again online. That’s a matter of taste more than anything. — sg

  4. stateofthecommonwealth Says:
    May 7, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    Oh how the mighty have fallen! Trouncing Velocity week-in and week-out content-wise isn’t enough, now that I give the arbitrary award to LEO’s competitor for once, main man Stephen George is reduced to commenting on my blog! What’s next — some Gannett flunkie showing up to claim a non-existent trophy?

    Just kiddin’, good sir. LEO was excellent as always this week (well, except for the music coverage — though partially that’s a function of Louisville’s semi-slow music scene the week apres-Derby), so take solace in publishing a fine paper. It’s more that I felt Velocity added a bit of weirdness in with the typical frat-boys-and-celebrities bullshit coverage, and I had to give them a bonus for that. C’mon, a two-page poem? In Velocity?!? And an interview with Kevin Phillips, who just wrote an excellent article on the US economy for Harper’s?!? Don’t blink, ’cause you’ll never see this kinda content in the big green V ever again, I don’t think.

    (Plus cut me some slack; I wrote this entry at like 7:30 AM, when most normal record store employees still haven’t gone to bed.)

  5. Stephen George Says:
    May 8, 2008 at 2:27 am

    Don’t sell yourself short: I dig your blog as much as anyone, and I check it compulsively, especially on Wednesdays — you know, that team ego! I only wish you’d publish more often. Well, I wish we’d publish more often too, but hey, we can’t have it all.

    I do have to give it up to the V for running Erin’s fine poem. God bless that woman. Now, if only they could find a way to get some damn photos in that paper…

    Keep up the good work. Louisville needs it. — sg

  6. What’s In the Weeklies? Week of May 14 « State of the Commonwealth Says:
    May 14, 2008 at 12:23 pm

    [...] where we take a look at Louisville’s two major weekly newspapers, so you don’t have to. Last week Velocity pulled off a surprising upset, but can they repeat? Read on, dear [...]

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