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Welcome to Press Check, a new blog where we'll cover the local media, keeping tabs on Baltimore newspapers, TV stations, magazines, radio stations, websites, and blogs.
It occurred to us that Baltimore's media landscape is going through some major shifts, from the existential questions faced by our paper of record, to the emergence of truly vital news outlets on the web. It seems that this industry—which impacts local residents more than most others—doesn't get the coverage it deserves. We aim to change that here.
To get rolling, let's start with some news at The Sun:
+ After several years of shedding pages and sections, The Sun seems to intent on building new content vehicles lately. Our favorite addition has been the return of the Friday "LIVE!" section (which won "Best Comeback" in our August Best of Baltimore issue), but Sun editors have also added a stand-alone business section and a Monday-only "Sunrise" section. This Sunday, The Sun revives its Sun Magazine. At first, the glossy feature-oriented supplement will be a quarterly, but editors hope to increase its frequency, and we hear that ad sales have been fairly brisk, which means that might happen quickly. Jean Marbella—a Best of Baltimore winner for "Best Columnist" and a true local treasure—is working on a feature for the debut issue.
+ In semi-related news, one of the prime movers of the "LIVE!" section, entertainment reporter Sam Sessa, gets a promotion today, becoming The Sun's entertainment editor (or something like that—read his explanation). This means that he will hand over the reins of his nightlife blog, "Midnight Sun"—one of the paper's most popular, and a runner-up for "Best Blog" in our Readers' Poll—to new Sun hire Erik Maza, a recent University of Florida grad who previously interned at the Orlando Sentinel (which, like The Sun, is owned by the Chicago-based Tribune Company). Newly-married Sessa says going out two to three nights a week to cover nightlife had become a bit of a grind. "I'm happy to take a desk job and let Erik have all the fun," he says. We'll miss Sessa's always-sharp observations and his tireless promotion of Baltimore arts and culture (check him out on NPR's "Sound Opinions," at about the 8:45 mark), but we wish him the best in his new role.
Got a media tip? E-mail me at sevan@baltimoremagazine.net.
