Alternative Newsweeklies with Domestic Partner Benefits
Workplace Campaigns > Directory of Domestic Partner Benefits > Alternative Newsweeklies

Overview & Guide

The percent enrolled is a percentage of total employees. This is an incomplete list. Please contact NLGJA Deputy Executive Director Tom Avila at tavila@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888, ext. 17 with corrections and additions. 

Alternative Media Inc. Offered as of 1996 to same-sex partners of employees. If local insurance carrier does not offer same-sex coverage, the company provides a stipend to the employee to assist with spousal coverage.

• Metro Times, Detroit, Mich.
• Orlando Weekly, Fla.
• San Antonio Current, Tex.

Chicago Reader, Ill. Offered as of 1998 to same-sex partners, through Blue Cross. Total employees: 120.

Cincinnati City Beat, Cincinnati, Ohio. Offered as of 1996.

City Pages, Minneapolis, Minn. Offered as of 1998 to same-sex partners.

Coast Weekly, Monterey, Calif. All eligible as of 2001.

Icon, Iowa City, Iowa. Company pays only for employee insurance, but employee can pay extra to add a partner of any sex to their policy.

Metroland, Albany, N.Y. Offered as of 4-5 years ago. Total employees: 22.

New Mass. Media, Inc. Offered corporate-wide as of 1998. All eligible. Note: Acquired by Times-Mirror, 1999.

• Fairfield County Weekly
• Hartford Advocate, Conn.
• New Haven Advocate, Conn.
• Valley Advocate, Hatfield, Mass.
• Springfield Advocate, Hatfield, Mass.

New Times Media, Phoenix, Ariz. Offered corporate-wide as of 1998 through United Healthcare. All eligible. Total employees: 670. Adding DP benefits increased premium rates 0.025%.

• Dallas Observer, Tex.
• East Bay Express, Berkeley, Calif.
• Houston Press, Tex.
• New Times Broward-Palm Beach, Fla.
• New Times Los Angeles, Calif.
• New Times Miami, Fla.
• New Times Phoenix, Ariz.
• Riverfront Times, St. Louis, Mo.
• Scene, Cleveland, Ohio
• SF Weekly, San Francisco, Calif.
• Westword, Denver, Colo.

Pacific Sun, Mill Valley, Calif. Offered as of 1997 to same-sex partners.

Phoenix Media/Communications Group. Offered corporate-wide since at least 1997 to same-sex partners. Employee pays a portion of spousal coverage; company pays the rest.

• Boston Phoenix, Mass.
• Providence Phoenix, R.I.
• Worcester Phoenix, Mass.

San Francisco Bay Guardian, San Francisco, Calif. Offered as of 1997.

Stern Publishing. Offered by some divisions:

• LA Weekly, Los Angeles, Calif., as of 1998.
• Orange County Weekly, Costa Mesa, Calif., as of 1998.
• Village Voice, New York, N.Y.
• Weiss, Peck & Greer, N.Y.: Became the first employer in the nation to offer DP benefits in a 1982 union contract with the Newspaper Guild.

NO DP AT:

• Seattle Weekly, Wash.: "Too costly" for small staff.

UNKNOWN STATUS:

• Cleveland Free Times, Ohio
• Long Island Voice, Mineola, N.Y.
• Minneapolis City Pages, Minn.
  

The Paper, Grand Rapids, Mich. All eligible.

The Stranger, Seattle, Wash. Offered as of 1999. All eligible.

Tucson Weekly, Ariz.: Offered as of 1999.

Washington City Paper, Washington, D.C. Offered as of 1998 to same-sex partners, through Blue Cross.

NO DP BENEFITS AT:

• ACE Magazine, Lexington, Ky.: No request yet.
• ArtVoice, Buffalo, N.Y.: Hard to afford spousal benefits.
• Athens News, Ohio: No request yet.
• Austin Chronicle, Tex.: Tried to get DP coverage but couldn't find a willing insurer; health issues with some staff members limit their choice of insurers.
• Baltimore City Paper, Md.: No spousal coverage at all.
• Birmingham Weekly, Ala.: No request yet.
• Black & White, Birmingham, Ala.: No request yet.
• Bloomington Independent, Ind.: No request yet.
• Boise Weekly, Idaho: No request yet.
• Boulder Weekly, Colo.
• Casco Bay Weekly, Portland, Me.: Tried repeatedly to get DP benefits but insurance carrier would not offer to groups smaller than 300 people.
• Chico News & Review, Calif.: No request yet.
• City Newspaper, Rochester, N.Y.: No request yet.
• Creative Loafing, Atlanta, Ga., Charlotte, N.C., and Savannah, Ga.: Insurance carrier doesn't offer it.
• Dayton Voice, Ohio: No request yet.
• East Bay Express, Berkeley, Calif.: No request yet.
• Embarcadero Publishing:
  • Country Almanac, Menlo Park, Calif.
  • Palo Alto Weekly, Calif.
  • Mountain View Voice, Calif.
• Eugene Weekly, Ore.
• Everybody's News, Cincinnati, Ohio: No request yet.
• Flagpole Magazine, Athens, Ga.: No request yet.
• Folio Weekly, Jacksonville, Fla.: No request yet.
• Honolulu Weekly, Hawaii: No spousal benefits at all.
• Impact Weekly, Dayton, Ohio: Insurance policy doesn't permit it.
• Independent Weekly, Durham, N.C.: Asked for DP coverage but Blue Cross/ Blue Shield refused.
• Isthmus, Madison, Wisc.: Doesn't provide specific spousal benefits of any kind; rather, pays 85% of employee's premium, which can be applied to individual or family policy.
• Ithaca Times, N.Y.
• Metro Publishing, San Jose, Calif.
• Metro San Jose
• Santa Cruz
• Sonoma County Independent
• Metro Pulse, Detroit, Mich.
• Mountain Express, Asheville, N.C.
• Nashville Scene, Tenn.: No request yet.
• New York Press, N.Y.
• NUVO Newsweekly, Indianapolis, Ind.: No spousal benefits at all.
• Oklahoma Gazette, Oklahoma City, Okla.: No request yet.
• (The) Other Paper, Columbus, Ohio: No request yet.
• Pitch Weekly, Kansas City, Mo.
• Pittsburgh City Paper, Penn.
• Reno News & Review, Nev.: No request yet.
• Sacramento News & Review, Calif.: No request yet.
• Seattle Weekly, Wash. (See Stern Publishing listing, above.)
• Seven Days, Burlington, Vt.: No request yet.
• Shepherd Express Metro, Milwaukee, Wisc.: No spousal benefits at all.
• Syracuse New Times, N.Y.
• Texas Observer, Austin, Tex.: No request yet.
• Wausau City Pages, Wausau, Wisc.: No request yet.
• Weekly Alibi, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Weekly Planet, Tampa, Fla.: Asked United Healthcare for DP coverage, but the insurer refused; is considering switching carriers.

NO RESPONSE:

• Arkansas Times, Little Rock, Ark.
• Buffalo Beat, N.Y.
• C.Ville Weekly, Charlottesville, Va.
• Chicago NewCity, Ill.
• CityView, Des Moines, Iowa
• Cleveland Free Times, Ohio
• Colorado Springs Independent, Colo.
• Columbus Alive, Ohio
• Easy Reader, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
• FW Weekly, Fort Worth, Tex.
• Gambit Weekly, New Orleans, La.
• Illinois Times, Springfield, Ill.
• In Pittsburgh Newsweekly, Penn.
• Louisville Eccentric Observer, Ky.
• Memphis Flyer, Tenn.
• Missoula Independent, Mont.
• Mountain Times, Park City, Utah
• Omaha Reader, Neb.
• The Pacific Northwest Inlander, Spokane, Wash.
• Philadelphia Weekly, Penn.
• Random Lengths News, San Pedro, Calif.
• Salt Lake City Weekly, Utah
• San Diego Reader, Calif.
• Santa Barbara Independent, Calif.
• Santa Fe Reporter, N.M.
• Willamette Weekly, Portland, Ore.
• Worcester Magazine, Auburn, Mass.