CL signs distribution deal with St. Pete Times
July 16, 2008 at 7:37 pm by Wayne GarciaCreative Loafing laid off an assistant circulation director and gave two weeks’ notice to 18 independent contractor who deliver print copies of our weekly after signing a deal to have the St. Petersburg Times distribute the paper instead.
Publisher Sharry Smith informed staff this afternoon in an e-mail that read, in part:
We were recently approached by the St. Petersburg Times to open discussions about contracting with their distribution infrastructure to distribute CL.
After many conversations and very careful deliberation we have signed a distribution agreement with the St. Petersburg Times which will begin with the July 30 issue.
This agreement will affect our distribution expenses in a very positive way ….
Smith said the agreement provided both companies protections in terms of confidential information and would not be a problem despite the Times‘ distribution of what some view as a rival publication, the daily *tbt tabloid.
Smith would not reveal the financial terms of the distribution agreement.
