San Diego Gay & Lesbian Times Shuts Down

After a tumultuous year in which it was accused of overstating its circulation numbers to advertisers, it appears the San Diego Gay & Lesbian Times has shut its doors.  According to NBC San Diego the entire staff has been laid off, and the newspaper failed to showed up at its usual distribution locations last week.

The publication has not released any official statement, and former employees seem to be just as confused as the rest of us.  In an online message, one staffer wrote that he was laid off via email with no explanation as to whether the shut down was temporary or permanent.  He goes on to say his last pay check was returned for non-sufficient funds and his group insurance plan was cancelled for non-payment.

Earlier this year, the newspaper was accused of significantly inflating its circulation figures to advertisers.  The San Diego County District Attorney’s office has reportedly been investigating the publications for “overstating circulation figures and possible financial irregularities.”

New Study Says Gays More Likely To Read Blogs, Connect On Social Networking Sites

It’s no secret that Americans are turning to the internet more and more as a source for connecting to the outside world, and a new report by Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communications suggests the GLBT community is at the forefront of this trend.

The press release published today reports that 54% of GLBT adults read blogs on a regular basis, compared to just 40% of heterosexual adults.  Furthermore, gay and lesbian membership on social networking sites outpaced heterosexuals on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter, and 55% of GLBT adults visit a social networking site every day compared to just 41% of heterosexual adults.

For marketers wanting to reach the GLBT community, this report has some significant implications – the most obvious one being that a strong social media platform is important when targeting gay consumers.  The study will also likely provide fodder for those who contend that gays and lesbians are turning to the internet more and more for news that affects the GLBT community (possibly at the expense of gay print publications).

Additionally, this report says something about gay consumers in general – that we are more likely to use new technology and new means of connecting to the world around us.  This means marketers should be agile and alert to new and innovative advertising outlets and must try to avoid stale, habitual techniques when targeting the GLBT community.

GLAAD Archives Showcase Gay-Oriented Ads

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the seminal monitor of all gay media, has compiled an impressive collection of gay-oriented advertisements over the years, and you can browse through them here.  Every ad is scored based on how it portrays the GLBT community on such crtieria as same sex affection, racial and age diversity, gay pride, same sex couples, and GLBT punchline.

GLAAD’s collection has over 2500 print ads and over 14oo television commercials, and it includes any ad that may be construed as “gay,” no matter who the target is or how vague the gay reference is.  At OGM, I like to focus on ads that target the gay community, and I usually choose ads broadcast within the United States.  The vast majority of the ads on GLAAD’s website are North American (59%), but unfortunately, only 42% of all ads portray the GLBT community in a positive light.  The other 58% are classified as Neutral (31%), Negative (16%), and Stereotype (10%).  I find it startling that over a fourth of the ads portray us negatively or in a stereotypical way.

It would be interesting to break down how the ads score by geographic region, but GLAAD doesn’t give that stat.  Judging by the scores on the first few pages of ads and from my own personal experience, I would be willing to bet that the U.S. ads score much worse in terms of how they portray the GLBT community.  The sad truth is, the U.S. marketing community is light years behind some of our progressive European counterparts when it comes to how we portray gays and lesbians in mainstream media.

Is GLBT Media in Decline Or Are Gay Stories Going Mainstream?

An interesting article appeared recently in the San Francisco Bay Times suggesting there was a crisis in gay journalism as evidenced by the decline of local and regional gay newspapers.  The article, written by Tim Vollmer, contends that the GLBT community should be alarmed that gay media on both the local and national level is deminishing.

It’s true that “fag rags” have waned in number over the years, and those that have survived are much more focused on gay lifestyle rather than investigative journalism.  However, I’m not convinced the gay media is in decline at either the local or national level as Vollmer contends.  In fact, I would argue gay issues are at the forefront of national attention more than ever before.  Gay news stories have just become mainstream and are no longer relegated to the pages of newspapers read only by the gay community.

It’s no secret that the national newspaper industry is in serious distress, with smaller, local and regional publications the hardest hit.  More people than ever are turning to alternate means, such as internet publications, blogs, podcasts, and social media outlets, to get their news.  The fact that so many gay-oriented periodicals have adjusted to changing tastes and survived is a testament to gays’ incomparable ability to adapt.

On a related note, the nation’s oldest GLBT newspaper, the Washington Blade, will begin publishing under its old name again.  For the last five months, the publication has been issued under the name D.C. Agenda after its parent company abruptly closed in November.  Donations have kept the paper going, and in February, three former staffers bought the name, rights, and archives of the publication in bankruptcy court.