The ''SoHo Weekly News'' (also called the ''SoHo News'') was a weekly

alternative newspaper An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting l ...

published in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from 1973 to 1982. The paper was founded in 1973 by Michael Goldstein (1938–2018).

History

The first issue was published on October 11, 1973. Initially published in eight pages, it eventually grew to over 100 pages and competed with ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''. The paper's offices were at 111

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, Manhattan, although the earliest issues showed the address of Goldstein's apartment on the masthead. Circulation was reported as 25,000 – 30,000. The paper was sold to Associated Newspaper Group (ANG) in 1979. In the fall of 1981, ANG announced plans to close or sell the paper by February 1982. Although there were negotiations with possible purchasers, which continued beyond the original deadline, continuing losses ($1.7 million in the previous year) forced ANG to shut down the paper in March. The recent unionization of the paper was cited a factor in the decision. The last issue dated March 10–16, 1982 had 40,000 copies printed.

Influence and style

Three years after it was launched, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reported that the ''SoHo Weekly News'' was the second largest English-language weekly in the city, was being positioned as a direct competitor of ''The Village Voice'', and was sold at 400 newsstands in New York City. After the paper shut down, the New York Times ran an op-ed which called the ''SoHo News'' the "alternative to alternative papers". The paper's contributors were described as an eccentric mix of "neo-conservatives and Marxists, radical feminists and hedonistic libertines, chronic potheads and antidrug crusaders". The paper was an outspoken critic of the

commercialization Commercialization or commercialisation is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into ear ...

and

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

, the neighborhood where it was located and concentrated its coverage. Topics covered included a review of East Village drug merchants; the piece described various brands of heroin and cocaine that were available, their street names, and commented on the relative quality.

Music and art coverage

The ''SoHo News'' was known for its coverage of new musical artists in downtown New York. In 1975, the ''SoHo Weekly News'' was one of the first papers to interview

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

. In 1978, they ran an interview with the

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

Gerald Marzorati Gerald Marzorati writes about tennis for newyorker.com. He is also a contributing editor to the journal ''Racquet''. He is the author of ''Late to the Ball'' (Scribner 2016), a memoir about his learning to play tennis and becoming a competitive seni ...

was the arts editor. "Art Breakers: N.Y.'s Emerging Artists, Special Supplement," edited and with an introduction by Gerald Marzorati. (September 17-23, 1980) featured a cover story with photographs by

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (born February 16, 1952) is an American documentary filmmaker and portrait photographer based in New York City. The majority of his work is shot in large format. Early life Greenfield-Sanders was born on February 16, ...

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings" — with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been ...

was the issue's cover. Other artists featured and photographed by Greenfield-Sanders include:

Donald Sultan Donald K. Sultan (born 1951) is an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, particularly well-known for large-scale still life paintings and the use of industrial materials such as tar, enamel, spackle and vinyl tiles. He has been exhibiting ...

Christy Rupp Christy Rupp (born 1949) is an American artist and activist. Early career Rupp attended Colgate University (BA, 1974), Rhode Island School of Design - RISD (MAT 1974), and the Maryland Institute College of Art, Rinehart School of Sculpture (MFA ...

Sandy Skoglund Sandy Skoglund (born September 11, 1946) is an American photographer and installation artist. Skoglund creates surrealist images by building elaborate sets or tableaux, furnishing them with carefully selected colored furniture and other objects, ...

, Helen Oji,

David Hammons David Hammons (born July 24, 1943) is an American artist, best known for his works in and around New York City and Los Angeles during the 1970s and 1980s. Early life David Hammons was born in 1943 in Springfield, Illinois, the youngest of ten ...

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

, Bill Jensen, R.M. Fischer, Pedro Lujan, Rae Berolzheimer, Laurie Simmons,

Ann Sperry Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

Len Jenshel Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ * L ...

, Howardina Pindell,

Kathleen Agnoli Kathleen may refer to: People * Kathleen (given name) * Kathleen (singer), Canadian pop singer Places * Kathleen, Alberta, Canada * Kathleen, Georgia, United States * Kathleen, Florida, United States * Kathleen High School (Lakeland, Flori ...

and

David Reed David Reed may refer to: Entertainment * David Vern Reed (1924–1989), American comics writer * David E. Reed (1927–1990), ''Reader's Digest'' editor * David Reed (artist) (born 1946), American artist * David Jay Reed (born 1950), artist * Da ...

Self-mutilation event

On November 26, 1979, 27-year-old Manhattan resident Henry Benvenuti walked into the ''SoHo Weekly News'' office and asked to see art editor Gerry Marzorati. After being told he could not see Mr. Marzorati, Benvenuti took out a hatchet, stated that, "I'm doing this in the name of art," chopped off two of his fingers, and walked out of the office, leaving the fingers behind. Benvenuti and his severed fingers were taken to

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

. Doctors were unable to reattach the fingers.

Alumni

Many ''SoHo News'' staff went on to have significant careers after the paper shut down. Noteworthy alumni include: *

Sasha Anawalt Sasha Anawalt (born 1956), born Marcia Evelyn Cunningham, is an educator, dance critic and former journalist who founded several arts journalism programs at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in Los Angeles, including a master's ...

, dance writer *

Richard Corliss Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects. He was the former editor-in-chief of '' Film Commen ...

, writer * Christopher Cox, writer, photographer, editor *

Danny Fields Danny Fields (born Daniel Feinberg; November 13, 1939) is an American music manager, publicist, journalist and author. As a music industry executive from the 1960s to the 1980s, he was one of the most influential figures in the history of punk r ...

, columnist * Annie Flanders, style editor * Peter Frank, art critic * Ralph Gardner Jr., writer *

, photographer * Kim Hastreiter, style editor *

Cynthia Heimel Cynthia Heimel (née Glick; July 13, 1947 – February 25, 2018) was an American feminist humorist writer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a columnist and foremost the author of satirical books known for their unusual titles, aimed at a ...

, writer *

Ira Kaplan Ira Kaplan (born January 7, 1957) is a co-founder, vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in the American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. He is married to the band's co-founder Georgia Hubley. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Kaplan formed Yo La T ...

, music critic *

, art editor *

Michael Musto Michael Musto (born December 3, 1955) is an American journalist who has long been a prevalent presence in entertainment-related publications, as well as on websites and television shows. Musto is best known as a columnist for '' The Village Voi ...

, writer * Tim Page, news editor *

Jane Perlez Jane Perlez is a long time foreign correspondent for ''The New York Times''. She served as Beijing Bureau Chief in China until 2019, where she wrote about China's role in the world, and the competition between the United States and China, particula ...

, reporter *

John Perreault John Lucas Perreault ( New York, New York, August 26, 1937 – September 6, 2015, New York, New York) was a poet, art curator, art critic and artist. Early life Perreault was born in Manhattan and raised in Belmar and other towns in New Jersey. ...

, art critic *

Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Awards-nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...

, political cartoonist * Charles Ruas, literary critic *

Jill Schary Robinson Jill Schary Robinson (born May 30, 1936) is a Los Angeles-based novelist, essayist, and teacher, whose memoirs contend with the themes of addiction, recovery and growing up during the golden age of Hollywood. Early life Schary Robinson was bor ...

, writer * Ken Tucker, freelance reviewer *

Judd Tully Judd Tully is an art critic and journalist who writes about artists and the art market. He has been contributor to BlouinARTINFO, The Washington Post, ARTnews, Flash Art and covered topics such as the potential indictment of museum staff in re ...

, art reviewer * Bruce Weber, fashion photographer * Ron Whyte, arts and book review editor *

Peter Zummo Peter Zummo (born 1948) is an American composer and trombonist. He has been described as "an important exponent of the American contemporary classical tradition." Meanwhile, he has been quoted as describing his own work as "minimalism and a whole ...

, music reviewer

References

{{Reflist

External links

''SoHo Weekly News – New York in the 70s''
Allan Tannenbaum photo gallery Alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States 1973 establishments in New York City 1982 disestablishments in New York (state) Defunct newspapers published in New York City