So I think this week presents a great dichotomy for ye old “small town having two news weeklys and who’s going to survive(?)” debate. The fighters: Cville “Best” of Cville. vs. The Hook - “Arrested!”
Ads vs. news.
Who wins?
As of now, I’m not sure yet. But I really hope news.
So this week’s Best of C-Ville has drawn uncounted eyes due to its cover that panders to the ever hungry for drama Charlottesville community. The color scheme matching their blue box (not balls) and the “sex” etc. headlines draws passer-bys in in almost as much as that Paris Hilton cover about a year back (what does she have to do with Central Virginia again?). But you can’t judge a book by its cover can you? In this case, yes. But unfortunately once its opened, well that’s about it. Then when it comes to its Best of Cville ads, a ridiculous amount of ads are sold to those who win all of the categories (how do the companies already know they won so they can promote it in their huge ad before the issue came out?…)
Then comes The Hook. While they may be not exactly the “Bold Type (barf!),” they surely have something to say. And something to feel! They not only broke one of, if not the, biggest story of the decade, but also were able to get an in depth cover story within a day of the story breaking (by them!) And while I think it may not have been the most fair thing to print the “SUSPECT’S” (yes, I hope it’s really him too) mugshot on the cover, I surely would rather see him than Paris Hilton. Drawbacks: their paper is not as easy to clean up spilled coffee with at Mudhouse, and not quite as easy to wrap birthday presents with.
Ok, I assume you get the point. I’m Hooked.
…and yourself?
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Tagged as: C-Ville Weekly, Charlottesville, Gripes, Local Business, Local Newspapers, Rants, Reviews, The Hook
(how do the companies already know they won so they can promote it in their huge ad before the issue came out?…)
That shouldn’t be too hard to figure out. There’s just lag time between when the contest ends, they notify the winners, ask them to run ads, then run the paper. Daily Progress does the same thing.
The HooK, in my opinion, purposely tries to stir up controversy where none really exists .. they are like the little kid with a stick whacking a bee’s nest. I can think of several stories like this, and even in the comments section (they do have a much better website than c-ville), people have accused them of the same thing repeatedly.
Ryan, thanks for the post. I think the C-Ville vs The Hook issue has been brought up in my circle of friends at least once every three months. I think the truth of the matter is (despite the hope for a “news winner”) is that this town is healthy enough to support two weekly newspapers.
I think these guys need to embrace the changes on the internet and start creating a community around their site… it’s what we do.. just with cvillains, not your average townie.
Yea, this is an exceptionally well-tread topic in this town.
Both papers have flaws, and neither are nearly as hip as they think they are. Each comes up with a scoop now and again, although I think The Hook, while frequently displaying poor news judgement, is unquestionably newsier.
The key demogaphic of each strikes me as Crozet soccer mom who fancies herself “edgy.”
I prefer the hook because it has staples and doesn’t fall apart.
It’s in full color, too. Who else misses In Living Color?
Agreed, the Hook comes off as sensational, the C-VILLE as whiny. But I still read both almost cover to cover and enjoy the controversy. I have flaws too, but I get to sensationalize and whine anonymously. Woo-hoo.
What did you guys think about that glossy cover last week?
I don’t live in Charlottesville (yet) so I can’t comment on the physical papers, but IMO both of their web sites are awful… confusing, jumbled, poorly organized. CVILLE has a better online classified section (particularly employment), but only by a tiny degree.
While both try to be too clever by half, the hook tries to “create controversy” more often. They also have an unhealthy, stalker like obsession with Coran Capshaw and DMB.
I don’t live in Charlottesville (yet), so I can’t comment on the actual papers… but both of their websites are awful. Jumbled, poorly organized, not very well-designed. CVILLE has a slightly better classified section (breaks jobs out by category), but only by a very small degree.
I didn’t want to bring that up, but I’ve gotten the same feeling.
In my imagination, they’re a bunch of DMB kids who picked their office space so they could be close to Millers in case Dave comes back to bartend there. It could happen…like, he’s so cool like that, brah.