Washington Blade, the paper of record, returns, as its assets are acquired by DC Agenda, the upstart publication which kept its staff occupied and afloat for several months since the death of the Blade's former parent company, Window Media.
"In late February, staffers bought the newspaper's name, copyright, trademark, archives, computers and office furniture for $15,000. Twenty-five thousand copies of the first edition of a redesigned Blade will hit the streets Friday.
The 40-year-old newspaper — founded as a one-sheet newsletter in October 1969 just months after the Stonewall riots in New York incited the modern gay rights movement — has published weekly editions under the name D.C. Agenda since Nov. 20, four days after parent company Window Media declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and ceased operations. Working with half the staff of the Blade (which last year had 24 full-timers) and an array of freelancers, D.C. Agenda also relied on the generosity of lawyers, accountants, advertisers and readers from around the world, many of whom contributed pro bono or financial support, according to editor Kevin Naff.
'A lot of people really have an emotional connection to the Blade, and the outpouring since it closed was overwhelming and was really what led us to carry on,' Naff says."
