Urban Tulsa

[SXSW]

I always liked OKC's alternative OK Gazette.  More interesting articles and color.  This Land sort of functions as an alternative but without the numerous ads that would make it free.

[Gaspar]

I always liked OKC's alternative OK Gazette.  More interesting articles and color.  This Land sort of functions as an alternative but without the numerous ads that would make it free.

I like This Land, and love their graphic standard.  I just hate the fact that it seems most of their articles are about race issues.  I think there is probably more to Oklahoma than that.

[swake]

"Hi Mr. Businessman, would you like to advertise in our weekly free newspaper with a circulation of *insert bull$hit number here* readers?  We can fit your ad right here between Night Trips and this ad for a guy who sells used women's panties from China."

Waste of paper.

Restaurants throughout Tulsa just gained a bit more room in their waiting areas and probably lost a few square yards of trash they had to have hauled off. I'm guessing there will be a noticeable decline in paper waste generated in Tulsa.

[Conan71]

I've kept mostly quiet about it, but I was the first advertising sales director from June 1991 to March of 1994.  Keith and I were very close friends, being groomsmen at each other's weddings and the Skrzypczaks are Godparents to my daughters.  It was a risky proposition going to work there.  I was business manager for a car dealership and I needed to slow down from working 80 hour weeks as a new father.  Keith originally offered the job to my wife at the time as she had ad sales experience.  She had a secure job at TulsaPeople and we decided with a 90 day guaranteed nominal salary and accumulated savings, it was worth me taking the risk.  I figured it would give me time to look for a more worthwhile job.  Turns out, I was there almost three years on straight commission.

They originally started it as a monthly publication with the four founders each putting in $100 and managing to sell $6000 in advertising to get the first issue to the printer.  After that issue came out, it was my turn to take it and run with it trying to sell as many ads as possible as quick as possible.  Selling it was difficult at first mainly because Uptown News had gone through a spectacular flame-out and there were several other people trying to fill that niche as fast as we were.  Even though Gaspar was being somewhat facetious about "*insert bull$hit number here*" we really didn't have much of a clue about our demographics early on.  So yes, I might have spun a few yarns speculating on what age group, gender, and how many were reading it. I think we started out printing 20,000 units a month.

At the time, I was not allowed to sell to strip clubs, divorce attorneys, or nudist colonies, even if they called in and wanted to buy an ad. It was well-known that the Skrzypczaks were very pro-life so ads from Planned Parenthood were a big no-no as well.  Keith and I had some spirited arguments about the divorce attorneys per his personal beliefs.  In regards to strip clubs, initially, he wanted to keep the appearance as something you wouldn't have to apologize for if your child picked up the paper.  I guess the financial reality of going weekly necessitated eventually accepting ads from them.

I met a lot of neat people and got to go a lot of places most people aren't invited to simply because I worked in the media.  It was a fun place to work, but with a growing family, income growth potential and employer benefits were both limited.  I had several offers come at me at once in early 1994, all meant much better income and benefits.  

I seldom hear from Keith or Julie these days and had no idea UTW was on such perilous financial ground.  A few of us got together with Keith several years ago for lunch and it sounded as if everything was going great.  I rarely, if ever, picked up a copy after Michael Bates quit writing for them.  I don't follow local live music and I didn't find the writing to be all that innovative or edgy in recent years.  I suspect they fell victim to the same disease all print media are struggling with.  But if you have something compelling for people to read, you can stay relevant and above water, it would seem.

RIP UTW.  Thank you for the memories.

[RecycleMichael]

I have kept in touch with Keith and Julie and see them occasionally at parties and Keith and I would have lunch every once in a while. I bought advertising with his paper for almost fifteen years and always thought I got my money's worth up until the last couple of years.

I think Keith did a great job promoting the local music scene. GK Hizer did a real good job promoting bands and Keith put a lot of his own money up each year to a New music festival.

[sgrizzle]

I like This Land, and love their graphic standard.  I just hate the fact that it seems most of their articles are about race issues.  I think there is probably more to Oklahoma than that.

I subscribe to This Land, but they feel a bit hipster to me. I would like to see a wider variety of stories instead of everything being a tragedy shouted from a soapbox. The sole regular exception I can think of is the Tasha Ball part which was an existing site that got grafted in and kinda feels like awkward sometimes amongst the other articles, kinda like an ear in the middle of someone's forehead.

[Gaspar]

I subscribe to This Land, but they feel a bit hipster to me. I would like to see a wider variety of stories instead of everything being a tragedy shouted from a soapbox. The sole regular exception I can think of is the Tasha Ball part which was an existing site that got grafted in and kinda feels like awkward sometimes amongst the other articles, kinda like an ear in the middle of someone's forehead.

Like button.

[dsjeffries]

Wow, guess I missed the Hate on UTW Express. They covered things that we care about--urban planning, the comprehensive planning process, city politics and downtown development among them--stories the Tulsa World didn't want to touch. Sure, it was loaded with advertisements (some trashy, some not), but I always enjoyed reading it. It was a decidedly different voice from everything else we have in town. The quality has dipped in recent years, but it was still a decent paper covering things others wouldn't. I, for one, will miss UTW.

[Hoss]

Wow, guess I missed the Hate on UTW Express. They covered things that we care about--urban planning, the comprehensive planning process, city politics and downtown development among them--stories the Tulsa World didn't want to touch. Sure, it was loaded with advertisements (some trashy, some not), but I always enjoyed reading it. It was a decidedly different voice from everything else we have in town. The quality has dipped in recent years, but it was still a decent paper covering things others wouldn't. I, for one, will miss UTW.

Always got a kick out of the "Ask a Mexican" column, as well as News of the Weird.  My work buddies and I would go to Ron's, that was required reading while waiting on our orders.

[sgrizzle]

A friend who used to work there said last week's issue will be their final one.

There is a new issue out today, online at least, and the editor's section ends with "Reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated"

Huh?

[BKDotCom]

Zombie!

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/finance/urban-tulsa-to-resume-under-langdon-publishing/article_9dbb0aa0-52ce-11e3-8100-001a4bcf6878.html

[Conan71]

Crazy how that came full-circle.

Originally, Skrzypczak and Langdon were going to start a publication called "In Tulsa" in early 1991 after Uptown news went tits up.  Langdon backed out when ad sales for the first issue were sluggish.  Keith had worked for TulsaPeople writing their cover stories for five years prior to this all happening.  When Langdon pulled the plug, Keith and three others got together to start UT.  And from that point forward, at least while I was at UT, Keith would have nothing to do with Langdon and had nothing nice to say about him. 

Hopefully the sale of UT will let Keith and Julie walk away debt free.  Interesting timing since I think their asset hearing was today.

[sgrizzle]

Hopefully the sale of UT will let Keith and Julie walk away debt free.  Interesting timing since I think their asset hearing was today.

The purchase price was not disclosed

Bets on the purchase price being $1?

[Conan71]

Bets on the purchase price being $1?

Seriously doubt that happened. There's a lot of existing advertisers and potential ad revenue that would have substantial value to a buyer.  Other than that, office furniture and computers don't really add up to a lot of assets unless they had just dropped a ton on new computers for graphics, which I seriously doubt as well.

This was a brilliant move on the part of Langdon.  Having personally observed the history between these two, I still can't get over the tasty irony.

[sgrizzle]

A lot of advertisers but likely 6 figures in debt. That is a lot considering they paid writers something like $50 a story. If you can find someone willing to buy debt for more than $1, give me their phone #.