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It's a brand new Weekend
[Times photo: Kevin Sullivan]
Forget all that TGIF business. From the nightclubs of Ybor City to the comedy clubs along the beaches, from the hot spots of St. Petersburg to the riverside hangouts of Citrus County, Thursday is a night for drink specials, open mike events, ladies’ nights and wacky promotions. Not into the club scene? Thursday is a great night for a leisurely meal or a show, before the Friday-Saturday hordes descend. And some of our art museums stay open late on Thursdays. You’ll find ideas for Thursday fun throughout your Weekend section, plus fun facts on Thursdays past. Don’t want to leave your big comfy couch? Curl up with Weekend and plan something more active for another day. |
By CHARLOTTE SUTTON
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 31, 2000
Welcome to your new Weekend.
It has been nearly 13 years since the St. Petersburg Times launched Weekend, the guide to events and entertainment around Tampa Bay that has since become one of our most popular features. Now it's time to make it better.
First, in response to the many readers who have told us they want more time to plan their days off, we're publishing a day earlier. So, as we announced on the cover, your weekend begins on Thursday. Even if, like us, you still have to work on Friday, it's a nice attitude adjustment.
Second, we're bringing you more of the information you've told us you want. We're expanding our coverage of arts, entertainment, dining and local events, and adding new sections on videos, day trips, night life and shopping. Some highlights to look for:
A new restaurant guide to dining in all price ranges;
Expanded listings of future arts and entertainment events plus a monthly pullout calendar to stick on the fridge;
More on new videos and older ones worth a rewind;
Weekly features on destinations within and away from the Tampa Bay area;
Night spots for all tastes;
Retail ideas for shopaholics and the mall-impaired.
Third, we're arranging it all in a format that's easier to read and use. Our look is bolder and cleaner, from the circle logos that top each section, to the calendars that pull more information together than ever before.
Fourth, even though we've added pages to Weekend, our arts and entertainment coverage will be spilling over into other sections of the Times:
In Thursday Floridian, you'll find the Mr. Music column and the Thursday movie theater timeclock (because that schedule is very different from the Friday through Sunday movie times, we wanted to separate them to avoid confusion later in the weekend).
In Friday Floridian, you'll find film critic Steve Persall's weekly column about people and trends in the movie world. His reviews of new movies will remain in Weekend, except when a screening is held too late for our deadline -- but we'll always let you know where to find the review. Friday Floridian also will include a colorful, full-page Calendar of the weekend's best bets in TV, film, live performances, visual arts and family activities.
Finally, you'll find in-depth articles and criticism on issues and trends in music, movies, theater, the visual arts and more in our new Sunday Arts pages, which start on page 3F of Floridian. Sunday Arts also will include the Audio Files column on new CD releases and the Billboard music charts, features which had run in Weekend.
These changes have come after months of work by Times writers, editors and executives and have included invaluable input from readers who have participated in surveys and focus groups or just written in or called to make a suggestion.
And just as our readers have helped inspire and guide these changes, we're looking for feedback to keep on making improvements. You can write any of us at the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg 33731, or fax us at (727) 892-2327. Via e-mail, reach us at weekend@sptimes.com.
Have a wonderful weekend!
[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
The Weekend staff, from left, photographed at Cha Cha Coconuts at The Pier in St. Petersburg: Steve Persall, film critic; Wilma Norton, calendar editor; Eric Deggans, TV critic; Charlotte Sutton, arts & entertainment editor; Mary Jane Park, Shop columnist; Audra Buck, news editor; Gina Vivinetto, pop music critic; John Fleming, performing arts critic; Ruth Walsh, editorial assistant; Mary Ann Marger, art critic. Not shown: Kelly Stefani, editorial assistant. |
- Charlotte Sutton, Arts & Entertainment Editor
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