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Monday, November 16, 2009
Employees of Atlanta gay publications Southern Voice and David Atlanta Magazine were shocked when they arrived to work this morning to find a notice taped to the front door informing them they were no longer employed by Windows Media, LLC and operations had been closed down effective immediately.
Project Q Atlanta reports:
A three-sentence notice was posted to the front door of the Window Media office in Atlanta before employees arrived Monday morning. It was signed by Publisher Steve Myers and longtime Window executive Mike Kitchens.
It is with GREAT regret that we must inform you that effective immediately, the operations of Window Media, LLC and Unite Media, LLC have closed down.
Please return to this office on WEDNESDAY, November 18th, 2009 at 11:00 AM to collect personal belongings and to receive information on your separation stipulations. Please bring boxes and/or containers that will allow you to collect all your personal belongings at one time.
Regretfully,
Steve Myers
Mike Kitchens
The websites to the publications, which were online early Monday, were shut down by 8:30 a.m. Visitors to the sites received an “unexpected error” message.
Window Media owns Southern Voice, David, the storied Washington Blade, Houston Voice, South Florida Blade and 411 Magazine.
In Atlanta, the company employed more than two-dozen people.
This closure ends a long battle with a federal receivership and major changes at the top tier executive level of Windows Media.
This is a sad day for LGBT news consumers, gay bloggers who depended on these publications, and the dozens of people who are now unemployed, especially in Georgia where our unemployment rate has already reached 10%.
4 Comments:
DAMN... I AM GAGGING OVER HERE THIS MORNING. WHAT A WAY TO FIND OUT YOU HAVE NO JOB. LEAVE IT UP TO CORPORATE AMERICA TO BE SO FUCKING RUTHLESS.
November 16, 2009 11:14 AM
That is sad news. But something to note is that they stayed around longer in this economic time than some of the NYC publications.
November 16, 2009 12:56 PM
Although it doesn't ease the pain, newspapers that have been around for over 100 years have closed down in the past years. Ebony and Jet are till trying to stay afloat.
Also I can understand from the business standpoint of why they handled the situation they way that they did, to safeguard their property. It's just unfortunate. Sometimes we forget businesses are in business to make a profit and employees are there for them rather than the business being their for employees.
I worked for a union-based company and the company had an procedure for downsizing so this wouldn't happen. I'm reminded of how Radio Shack notified their layoffs to their employees several years ago by a text message to their cell phones. There's no good way to layoff employees even if they had more time. End of the year you can always find layoffs happening.
November 16, 2009 5:41 PM
I am just shocked!!! I was wondering why I couldn't find either David Magazine or SOVO on Friday!!
November 17, 2009 12:31 AM
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