BLACK PUBLISHER TO EXPAND NEWSPAPER TO FIVE CITIES

Nov. 26, 2007, 11:20 a.m. - A Saint Louis newspaper veteran is scheduled to expand his publication's reach into Atlanta's black community and four other cities.

Anthony L. Sanders, 59, editor-in-chief of the black-focused St. Louis Metro Evening Whirl, says the Atlanta Metro Weekly Whirl will begin printing editions on Wednesday, with plans to expand the Whirl's brand into Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. in the future.

"I have lived in those cities and am familiar with the communities and the politics," Sanders said.

He said the Atlanta paper will feature articles from the nearly 70-year-old St. Louis newspaper's staff, with supplementary stories by several locally based writers.

Respected Atlanta-based journalist Maynard Eaton, who will serve as the paper's managing editor, said the publication will focus on crime and political coverage, much like its sister publication.

"This is Maynard unleashed," said Eaton, who parted ways with his soon-to-be rival the Atlanta Voice earlier this month.

"What is exciting about this is the inside pages are going to be about politics," said Eaton, an eight-time EMMY-award winning TV newsman.

Sanders agreed. "It is going to be hot and sensational because I don't believe in taking prisoners. This is news they can use, but it is also given to them in a style that is easy to read."

Sanders said the publication, which will have a first-run of at least 15,000 copies, will also immediately challenge heritage publication, the Atlanta Daily World.

"I have never worked with publications that didn't sell," said Sanders, adding that he is not worried about his paper's price of 99 cents a copy.

"The other papers are free because they don't want to take a chance to sell papers, because they know they can't," he said. "They don't sell because they don't put anything in the paper that people want to buy."

Web sites:
Atlanta Metro Weekly Whirl: http://atlantawhirl.com/
St. Louis Metro Evening Whirl: http://www.whirlusa1.com/