Eye Weekly
Encyclopedia
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper
published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
. It was owned by Torstar
, the parent company of the Toronto Star
, and was published by their Star Media Group
until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid
.
in March 1994, and its website
launched in October 1994, becoming one of the first publications to put its content online. It had an audited circulation of 120,000 copies, as of a 2005-2007 report. However, total readership began to decline in 2003.
The founding managing editor was offbeat Toronto Star writer William Burrill. Burrill was replaced in 1993 by Bill Reynolds, previously the music editor, while Burrill stayed on as a columnist until returning to the Toronto Star in 1998. In 2002, after a series of resignations and dismissals, Catherine Tunnacliffe was named Managing Editor, and was later promoted to the position of Publisher in 2005; former intern/Music Editor Stuart Berman was promoted to the Senior Editor position. However, following the hiring of former Eye Society columnist Alan Vernon to the newly created Editorial Director position, Tunnacliffe left in 2006 to work for parent company. In late 2008, Berman moved to the new Online Editor position to oversee the eyeweekly.com website; former intern/City editor Edward Keenan was promoted to the Senior Editor position.
In its short time, the publication boasted three distinct logos. Eye Weekly has also made a transition from a mostly irreverent alternative newsweekly focused on acerbic commentary and rock and roll
, to an emphasis on youthful gay
and nightlife subcultures, then a renewed focus on cinema
and municipal issues.
While the publication was officially referred to as EYE WEEKLY, logos have displayed names such as eYe WEEKLY, and just plain eye. The publication's final logo was formally displayed as EYE WEEKLY.
, Gregory Boyd Bell, Denise Benson, Alex Bozikovic, William Burrill, Jason Chiu, Andrew Clark, Tyler Clark-Burke, Nicole Cohen, Kevin Connolly
, Peter Darbyshire, Gemma Files
, Sky Gilbert
, Bob Hunter
, Bruce LaBruce
, Guy Leshinski, Laura Lind, Sarah Liss, Donna Lypchuk, Cindy McGlynn, Gord McLaughlin, Jim Munroe
, C.J. O'Connor, Gord Perks
, Sasha
, John Sewell
, Kamal al-Solaylee, Hannah Sung and Marc Weisblott.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was owned by Torstar
Torstar
Torstar Corporation is an independently-owned Canadian broadly based media company that is named after its principal holding, the Toronto Star daily newspaper....
, the parent company of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, and was published by their Star Media Group
Star Media Group
Star Media Group is a division of Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation.Star Media Group assets includes:*Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper*Torstar Syndication Services*Fantasy Sports...
until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid
The Grid (newspaper)
The Grid is a weekly newspaper, published in Toronto, Ontario and Canada. The paper was launched on May 12, 2011, after owner Torstar discontinued publication of its previous title Eye Weekly....
.
History
Eye Weekly began publishing on October 10, 1991. The content was first posted online via UsenetUsenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
in March 1994, and its website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
launched in October 1994, becoming one of the first publications to put its content online. It had an audited circulation of 120,000 copies, as of a 2005-2007 report. However, total readership began to decline in 2003.
The founding managing editor was offbeat Toronto Star writer William Burrill. Burrill was replaced in 1993 by Bill Reynolds, previously the music editor, while Burrill stayed on as a columnist until returning to the Toronto Star in 1998. In 2002, after a series of resignations and dismissals, Catherine Tunnacliffe was named Managing Editor, and was later promoted to the position of Publisher in 2005; former intern/Music Editor Stuart Berman was promoted to the Senior Editor position. However, following the hiring of former Eye Society columnist Alan Vernon to the newly created Editorial Director position, Tunnacliffe left in 2006 to work for parent company. In late 2008, Berman moved to the new Online Editor position to oversee the eyeweekly.com website; former intern/City editor Edward Keenan was promoted to the Senior Editor position.
In its short time, the publication boasted three distinct logos. Eye Weekly has also made a transition from a mostly irreverent alternative newsweekly focused on acerbic commentary and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, to an emphasis on youthful gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and nightlife subcultures, then a renewed focus on cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and municipal issues.
While the publication was officially referred to as EYE WEEKLY, logos have displayed names such as eYe WEEKLY, and just plain eye. The publication's final logo was formally displayed as EYE WEEKLY.
Past contributors
Prominent contributors at various points through the newspaper's life included Jason Anderson, Bert ArcherBert Archer
Bert Archer is a Canadian author, journalist, travel writer, essayist and critic.Archer was born in Montreal and lived in Calgary and Vancouver before attending St. Michael's University School in Victoria, British Columbia, the University of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, and...
, Gregory Boyd Bell, Denise Benson, Alex Bozikovic, William Burrill, Jason Chiu, Andrew Clark, Tyler Clark-Burke, Nicole Cohen, Kevin Connolly
Kevin Connolly (writer)
-Biography:Kevin Connolly is a Canadian poet, free-lance editor and critic who was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and grew up in Maple, Ontario. Connolly has served as an editor for presses such as ECW Press, House of Anansi Press and Coach House Press...
, Peter Darbyshire, Gemma Files
Gemma Files
Gemma Files is a Canadian horror writer, journalist, and film critic. Her short story, "The Emperor's Old Bones", won the International Horror Guild Award for Best Short Story of 1999. Five of her short stories were adapted for the television series The Hunger.- Biography :Gemma Files was born in...
, Sky Gilbert
Sky Gilbert
Schuyler Lee Gilbert, Jr. is a Canadian writer, actor, academic and drag performer. Born in Norwich, Connecticut, he studied theatre in Toronto, Ontario at York University and the University of Toronto, before becoming co-founder and artistic director of Buddies in Bad Times, a Toronto theatre...
, Bob Hunter
Robert Hunter (journalist)
Robert Lorne Hunter was a Canadian environmentalist, journalist, author and politician. A member of the Don't Make a Wave Committee in 1969 with Dorothy and Irving Stowe, Marie and Jim Bohlen, and Ben and Dorothy Metcalfe...
, Bruce LaBruce
Bruce LaBruce
Bruce LaBruce is a Canadian writer, filmmaker, photographer and underground gay porn director based in Toronto, Ontario.-Biography:...
, Guy Leshinski, Laura Lind, Sarah Liss, Donna Lypchuk, Cindy McGlynn, Gord McLaughlin, Jim Munroe
Jim Munroe
Jim Munroe is a Canadian science fiction author, who publishes his works independently under the imprint No Media Kings.Munroe was managing editor at the magazine Adbusters in the 1990s, before publishing his debut novel Flyboy Action Figure Comes With Gasmask in 1999...
, C.J. O'Connor, Gord Perks
Gord Perks
Gord Perks is a Canadian environmentalist, political activist, writer and is the city councillor for the Toronto municipal electoral district of Parkdale—High Park, Ward 14.-Environmentalist:...
, Sasha
Sasha (journalist)
Sasha is best known as a Canadian advice columnist, authoring the weekly sex advice column Love Bites from 1999 to October 21, 2009. Her column originated in the Montreal Mirror...
, John Sewell
John Sewell
John Sewell, CM is a Canadian political activist and writer on municipal affairs; he was the mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1978 to 1980.-Background:...
, Kamal al-Solaylee, Hannah Sung and Marc Weisblott.