How To Pitch: Village Voice

Hit the right pitch if you want to break into the Voice

By Jason Gross - March 30, 2012

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We are currently updating this article with the cooperation of the publication's editors. In the meantime, please use these pitching guidelines with caution as some information listed may be outdated.]

Circulation: 190,000
Frequency: Weekly
Special issues: 20 per year, including Pazz & Jop poll and seasonal arts guides

Background: Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher and Norman Mailer, the Village Voice is the nation's first and largest alternative newsweekly, a publication that exhaustively chronicles the ins and outs of New York City politics while purporting itself to be "the premier expert on New York's downtown scene." It features what it bills as "groundbreaking investigations" of local and national politics, along with a variety of offbeat arts, culture, music, dance, film and theater reviews. It's also got original Web dispatches, widely read entertainment listings, and the recent distinction of displacing Craigslist as the #1 place for adult classifieds.

Although Village Voice Media has gone through a slew of staff changes since merging with Phoenix-based publisher New Times Media in 2006, the chain's flagship alt-weekly remains a dream publication for many freelancers looking to score a byline, particularly within the culture pages. The paper has snagged several industry awards, including three Pulitzer Prizes, so landing an assignment with the Voice is far from easy. However, should you break through, you could be named alongside alumni like Ezra Pound, Henry Miller, Allen Ginsberg, I.F. Stone and longtime columnist Michael Musto.

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