‘guilty pleasures’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

This morning at 11:20, the Washington Blade tweeted, “Washington Blade, like all Window Media publications, is closing today. Thank you for your support. (Keep following us for developments.)” The Blade was owned by Window Media, which also owned Southern Voice, which was in turn bought by Avalon Equity Fund, which is now in receivership and closing publications. Today’s move was part of four GLBTQ outlets closing, the Blade, which just turned 40, Atlanta’s Southern Voice paper and David magazine and the South Florida Blade.

In addition to shuttering the paper property, the digital archives at Wash Blade is now reporting down (Update, 12:10p: the servers are alternating between down, up, and the Site Down page, probably under heavy load). The Blade has been a DC institution for 40 years, and its loss will be very hard on the DC area in specific. Started in 1969 with humble beginnings as a mimeographed paper, the Blade has a long and storied history that I can’t believe will just be destroyed like this. I recently heard a great segment with their editor on the Kojo Nnamdi show celebrating their great history.

Washington is a poorer place without the Blade.

UPDATE, 12:55p: Via Politico, the Blade’s staff is working on a new venture already, with the first meeting being tomorrow, under the helm of Private Citizen and former Blade editor Kevin Naff. Anything we can do to help Mr. Naff and his fine staff, he need but ask. I’m very, very glad to see Mr. Naff crafting his own Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and I hope it’s up and running very soon.