St. Petersburg officially cool with new tabloid

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© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 26, 2001

Want fresh proof that St. Petersburg's downtown economy is hopping? The town is about to get its own "alternative" newspaper.

St. Pete Weekly, a free weekly tabloid, officially hits the streets Nov. 7. The first issue's cover story tries to emphasize the paper's "alternative" roots from the start. The headline: "Tampa Bay's Biggest Jerks." No word if it's a lengthy report.

Publisher Dean Capone says St. Pete Weekly will reflect the city's changing demographics (younger) and expanding downtown. But the publication will offer commentary and features about other parts of the Tampa Bay area, as well.

What of the Weekly Planet, Tampa Bay's seemingly well-entrenched alternative paper? Capone says its coverage is Tampa-heavy. There's plenty of room for another alternative, he suggests.

St. Pete Weekly, which will start at 32 pages, is backed by Capone and family members. The paper is edited by Kristi Siegel, Capone's wife of 16 years.

Capone and Siegel first met at the St. Petersburg Times. He was an editorial assistant who went on to cover sports, music and religion for the paper in the 1980s. She was a copy person who most recently wrote feature stories for the paper's Neighborhood Times.

Capone left the Times in 1991, moved back to the Northeast and later started a software business called Correspra. He says he got homesick for St. Petersburg and came up with the idea for a weekly newspaper after watching the economic boom in the city's downtown.

"I've got news ink in my blood," says Capone, 36. He's looking at office space on Central Avenue. The paper hopes to attract ads from restaurants, night clubs, record and book stores and upscale clothing shops.

Could a weekly newspaper choose a worse economic time to start? It may not be as bleak as it seems.

"Alternative newspapers are hot at the moment," says Philip MacMonagle, director of advertising of the Weekly Planet, part of a chain of alternatives serving five Southeastern markets. If many mainstream newspapers are struggling with circulation and declining ad revenues, alternatives are performing relatively well, he says.

Can the bay area sustain two alternative newspapers? Time will tell. But MacMonagle agrees that St. Petersburg -- whose downtown resembled a ghost town 10 years ago -- is in the groove.

"St. Pete is buzzing at the moment," he says. "It's a happening place."

Today, the Tampa Bay/Orlando market is one of eight U.S. metro areas that will learn whether it has made the first cut in the race to host the 2012 Olympics. Four cities are expected to make the first culling.

Why do we care? Preparing for an Olympic event 11 years in the future would dramatically skew our region's economic development and financial resources.

Early elimination from the Olympics race means reconfiguring Tampa Bay's long-term economic vision.

Handicapping Friday's winners is rampant in the competing metro areas: Tampa Bay/Orlando, New York, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Cincinnati.

Citing unnamed U.S. Olympic Committee sources, the Dallas Morning News says New York (getting the sympathy vote) and Washington are frontrunners, with San Francisco a possible third-place contender. Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay are too close to call, the paper says. (That must mean adios Cincinnati.)

A similar spin comes from the San Francisco Chronicle, which (also citing unnamed sources) gives the top pick to New York but says San Francisco should survive today's cut.

Among U.S. cities, the finalist will be named next fall and compete against international cities to be host in 2012.

The Chronicle story says Atlanta's overly commercial style of hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics left a bad taste and may hurt many of the competing Sunbelt cities. Dallas, Houston and -- yes -- Tampa Bay face the potential perception (weather-wise, at least) of looking too much like Atlanta.

And the Washington Post toots its hometown bid, saying the area's bid "is almost certain to make the first cut."

A modest plus for Tampa Bay: The area, along with Houston, have the most solid government financial guarantees of their bids.

A serious minus: Except for Cincinnati, Tampa Bay has the lowest international recognition (other than Disney World's fame in Orlando) of the competitors.

Short takes

MORE BUCKS FOR GUARDS: Florida Power Corp., in negotiations with state regulators over the size of a refund to Florida ratepayers, says increased security costs since the Sept. 11 attacks may reduce the amount of money heading back to its customers. . .

MERGER MUCK? Now that First Union beat out SunTrust and acquired Wachovia, the resulting bank's debut financial report to Wall Street fell flat. The new bank, called Wachovia, this week delivered a financial performance update that various analysts called "weak, confusing and a kitchen sink" filled with one-time and recurring charges. . .

-- Robert Trigaux can be reached at trigaux@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8405.

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