The reasons and the vision for Metro Pulse
by Brian Conley
For the past decade, Metro Pulse has been under the skillful direction of Joe Sullivan. Last Wednesday I purchased the paper from Joe and thus began my tenure at the helm of Knoxville's Weekly Voice.
Before my agreement with Joe had been consummated, I received a phone call from a reporter at the News Sentinel who had heard that I had bought Metro Pulse. I explained that I had not as yet purchased the paper but conceded that Joe and I were in negotiations. She then asked me a very good question:
"Why do you want the paper?"
I gave her a succinct, "No comment," choosing instead to reveal that answer in Metro Pulse.
First, I want to be a part of Metro Pulse because I love Knoxville. However, when I perceive that our city is falling short of its potential, I am also frustrated by it. I feel that Metro Pulse has been and can continue to be an effective agent for positive change in our community.
Second, Knoxville needs Metro Pulse. It is our city's only credible alternative print news source, and I want to do what I can to ensure its stability and vitality for years to come.
At the forefront of this task is to maintain the high standard of journalistic integrity that Joe has established. I have lived and worked in many cities around the country, and the quality of journalism found in Metro Pulse compares favorably to even the most established, big-city weeklies.
Our journalists will continue to uncover and report about injustices in our community, but we will also report about the numerous people, organizations, and events that shape our lives for the better.
When we perceive that our elected officials are not doing enough to improve our schools or create better jobs, we will say so. But our criticisms will not be vitriolic or malicious. Instead we will endeavor to make them with a mature, constructive voice aimed at effecting positive change.
When we believe that our leaders are accomplishing worthwhile goals such as establishing détente between the school system and County Commission or by finding money to build a desperately needed downtown parking garage even when money is scarce, we will applaud their efforts.
Jack Neely will continue to write his Secret History column. We as Knoxvillians are so very fortunate to have a writer of Jack's immense talent who, by revealing to us our own rich, eclectic history, has done so much to positively shape our collective self-image.
Metro Pulse will place even greater emphasis on our arts and entertainment section. Having lived other places and having traveled a good bit, I have concluded that Knoxville is blessed with more than its fair share of truly gifted artists whose talents range across the broad spectrum of artistic disciplines. At Metro Pulse, we will be unabashedly proud of this fact and will celebrate it weekly.
An alternative weekly should entertain as well as inform. Metro Pulse will do our best on both fronts. We will work to make our Calendar more complete, our reviews more enlightening, and our attempts at humor funnier. Oh yeah, in case you are worried, we'll keep News of the Weird.
As a small business, we will go out of our way to support other small businesses. That goes double for new businesses and those that are helping to revitalize downtown. We will do our best at all times to be good corporate citizens by sponsoring a plethora of social events and public forums, beginning with this summer's Sundown in the City concert series.
We will be vigilant in our efforts to constantly improve our paper and, to this end, we will be open to your criticisms and comments. I welcome anyone who has any thoughts on how we might better serve or entertain you to contact me at my email address: [email protected].
These are my reasons for wanting to be a part of Metro Pulse and my vision for it. I sincerely hope you'll keep checking in with us every week and, by all means, let us know how we're doing.
March 8, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 19
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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