Pictures of You (#162) | www.splicetoday.com

Pictures of You (#162) | www.splicetoday.com

Reflections from Russ Smith, founder of Baltimore's City Paper and the New York Press.

"I remember advice that Bob Roth, editor and part-owner of The Chicago Reader (which, by '77 had already zoomed in that city, six years after its similarly humble beginnings), gave me, saying that his editorial philosophy was to ignore major news events, even if they happened in Chicago--like the Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in '79--and focus on obscure topics that were elegantly written and researched.

"Scratching my head, I asked why, and he responded with an answer that became gospel: that people picked up the Reader for real estate classifieds, listings of events not found in the dailies and the small advertisements for independent retailers that would appeal to (the term wasn't yet in vogue) a yuppie demographic."