Wis. alternative weeklies merge

By: Lucia Moses Two alternative Milwaukee weeklies have decided to team up against the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rather than continue competing with each other. The Shepherd Express and The Metro will merge to become the Shepherd Express Metro May 6.
Shepherd Express publisher Louis Fortis, who will keep that title, says the move is a logical follow to the Journal and Sentinel merger in 1995.
"It just made sense, because it's a one- daily-paper town, to have one strong alternative instead of two alternatives competing against each other."
While the Shepherd Express was profitable, growth opportunities were constrained, he says.
The Shepherd Express has an estimated readership of 190,000; The Metro, 150,000. The merger will cost some jobs at both newspapers, which employ about 35 full-time equivalents. The new weekly should have a readership of about 250,000. As of deadline, negotiations were underway to install Metro editor Bruce Murphy as editor of the new paper.

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