Watch this space tomorrow for more photos from the 4th Annual Twin Cities Celebration of Hip Hop, which I wrote about in today's City Pages. I've been too preoccupied worrying about New Orleans to post more, but you need to have fun in life, too.

From inside the Superdome: People might have to wait as long as a week to be evacuated.

UPDATED 3:33 P.M. The water has stopped rising, but the looting seems to have just gotten started. Steve Perry at Blotter seems to think New Orleans has entered the past tense. Check yesterday's Complicated Fun for complete links, but the key places for New Orleans news are WWL-TV's online video broadcast, the WWL-TV blog, WDSU, WDSU video, the Times-Picayune blog, Fox, and Josh Britton's blog.

Meanwhile, let's focus on relief: Read more about the Sept. 10 Cabooze benefit below, and here's a complete list of charities from Instapundit, FEMA's list of suggested charities, Katrina help Wiki, harrowing article from the WSJ, Counterpunch on the "Reverence for Property over People," a photo of a levee breach, more on the looters today, news that White House will tap the Strategic Oil Reserve, Slate: "What's the Strategic Oil Reserve?", NASA photos of the flood, Did the Catastrophe Have to Happen?, the City of New Orleans official site, Rebuild New Orleans (disscussion at ILE), that Bush photo, American Idle's version, a 2001 article headlined "New Orleans Faces Doomsday Scenario," and more to come.

Thursday is Blog for Relief Day. One bit of good news from Katrina (thanks Corey Anderson): The halt of production on Road House 2. (Meanwhile, just the fear of suicide bombers has killed as many as a thousand in Iraq.)

Updates on my friend Machelle:

"I'm not sure who you are, but this is Machelle's sister Amy. I've talked to Machelle a couple of times & she's safe & fine. Her apartment was fine and she was biking around the city to check out some friends' homes & apartments. Just thought I would email to say that she's safe."

And:

"I just talked with Machelle. She's doing fine, but she woke up this morning to no running water. She said the water is rising and people are going crazy, but her building is still dry and safe because the police are living there, etc. However, at this point she is considering leaving, and she's going to talk with some friends who are still there. She's getting tired but is still perfectly fine."

Rebith Brass Band Benefit

Organizing partly though this thread, locals the Jack Brass Band (review of recent show here) plan to turn their Sept. 10 Cabooze show opening for New Orleans legends the ReBirth Brass Band into benefit for storm relief. I just talked to Phil, and it's news to him, but he's all for it. He says he's still regrouping with band members. Today he's on his way from Atlanta to Dallas. Trombonist Stafford "Freaky Pete" Agee posted on the thread with this humorous message: 

"this is ya boy stafford freaky pete safe and sound in houston tx. i am looking foward to doing the tour but i have one problem i dont have a trombone if there's anyone who can help me please post a message or email me at stafford_agee@yahoo.com"

Here's the press release for the show:

OPERATION BRASS AID

September 10th ReBirth Brass Band Show to Raise Funds for New Orleans Storm Relief Efforts

Members of local act Jack Brass Band and The Cabooze will accept donations for OPERATION BRASS AID on behalf of the SBC. Jack Brass and The Cabooze have hosted many well-known acts from New Orleans and are committed to helping out their hometown in this time of need.  We would like to show our friends from �Orleans and The Rebirth Brass Band what a charitable group of music fans we have in the Twin Cities. Last time Rebirth came thru Minneapolis, over a dozen fans from the 6^th & 7^th wards and the Treme neighborhood followed them to the Cabooze bringing the crescent city�s brass band party atmosphere. Now we want to give a little something back to these good people.

VENUE:       The Cabooze

DATE:          Saturday, September 10th

ARTIST:      REBIRTH BRASS BAND w/ Jack Brass

TICKETS:    $12.00

AGE:            18+

DOORS:       8:30 PM

UPDATE 3:25 P.M. Eerie video feed from Interdictor's 11th floor hideaway on Poyadras Street, on the corners of Camp and St. Charles. Notice there's few people and no cars. Plus, more on police looting, NYT: Louisiana and Mississippi each have more than 3,000 National Guard troops in Iraq.

UPDATE 3:33 P.M. From my email: "Good news at last * our dear Katy Reckdahl, with baby and Merv in tow, somehow got a ride to Baton Rouge and they are currently either en route to dry and stable Phoenix, where her sister Beth and many baby supplies await them, or they will be sometime today. I didn't talk to her directly; her mom called me. We know nothing more yet, other than that all three are healthy if not exactly happy. Will continue to update you all."

UPDATE 4:30 P.M. About my friend still in New Orleans: "I just wanted to send a quick update from Machelle. Thanks for all of your concern. At this point Machelle is remaining in New Orleans with her friend Felicity and her entire family. The flooding never reached her apartment, and the house she's staying in now is even further from the flooding. No electricity or running water are definitely complicating things, of course. They have also cleverly parked her car under a fallen tree in the yard to make it look unattractive to people who think a car with gas is a hot commodity.

"The most immediate problem/fear for Machelle was the rioting and looting. She contemplated leaving the city today, but people were being carjacked trying to leave the city. Machelle felt is was much safer to wait for the troops to arrive and get that situation under control. She feels they are safe & "have plenty of guns in the house." They seem to be safe and have the supplies they need for now.

"Machelle also said that they were possibly going to be interviewed by ABC News radio... she was hoping to even make it on the evening news. I haven't heard any more details about it yet."

On Tuesday morning, the Times-Picayune posted the following on its breaking news blog:

The Times-Picayune is evacuating from it's [sic] building.

Water continues to rise around our building, as it is throughout the region. We want to evaucate [sic] our employees and families while we are still able to safely leave our building. [Here's more on how that happened.]

By early evening, the mayor had called the disaster of New Orleans "a nightmare that I hope we wake up from" on WWL-TV (now broadcasting online). At 6:40 p.m., the station reported: "Efforts to stop the levee break at the 17th Street Canal have ended unsuccessfully and the water is expected to soon overwhelm the pumps in that area, allowing water to pour into the east bank of Metairie and Orleans to an expected height of 12-15 feet."

There is no electricity in New Orleans, and no safe drinking water. Some 80 percent of the city is underwater, as are both airports. Orleans, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes are under martial law. 60,000 people have gathered in the leaking Superdome to take shelter from the floods, and must now be evacuated. "What you see on TV, you have no idea what the level of devastation and frustration is on the street," says New Orleans Councilman Oliver Thomas.

The best places to keep up with the news are WWL-TV and its blog, and WDSU and its Katrina Blog (apparently abandoned yesterday), along with the Times-Picayune blog (still going) and Fox and CNN. There's also running commentary at Metroblogging New Orleans, and a set of neighborhood-specific message boards (for Orleans Parish only) at the N.O. Pundit blog, though the WWL-TV forums are larger.

Don't call the city unless you have to. I haven't been able to get hold of Katy Reckdahl, a former City Pages colleague now working at the (currently offline) Gambit Weekly. Katy had a baby in New Orleans two days ago, and I hope she and other friends are safe, though it appears half of the town got out of town this weekend (with WWOZ signing off the air, Tulane evacuating, and most New Orleans bloggers now reporting from other states). As a former New Orleans resident, I feel like I'm watching a relative die. I'm also angry. It's not as if the ecological dangers and inadequate technological solutions are news to scientists. Will New Orleans become the Atlantis that global warming made?

This afternoon I reached Philip Frazier of the Rebirth Brass Band at his hotel room in Atlanta, where he has fled with his family from his home in the flooded Gentilly area of New Orleans. Three members of the band are still in the city, and Frazier hasn't reached them yet. He says the group still plans on keeping its September 10 date at the Cabooze in Minneapolis, though you might not want to hold your breath. As I speak to him, he has the news on in the background.

Any news about the Treme [neighborhood, reputed birthplace of jazz]?

Last I heard it was underwater. We've always lived in the Treme, but we all moved out of the Treme [in recent years], you know.

Before all this, your [soon-to-be] wife was organizing the Soulja Slim Hip-Hop Festival. Could you tell me about that? 

The stuff that she was doing, it was called the Silence the Violence Festival. It was in honor of our son, who was the victim of a crime, he was murdered three years ago. What she was doing was trying to do something positive by putting on

- that festival, to help our kids, and maybe if she could reach out to someone, so that nobody else would fall victim, or to tell them that them that that's not the way to go. We were going to give out school supplies, bring a bunch of bands, and get guest speakers.

Seems like New Orleans will need more than a benefit now. Are you thinking of doing something like that?

Yeah. Soon as I regroup with my band, we'll put everything on the table and decide where we'll go from here.

I've been hearing for years about how the levees need to be looked at. Is anybody down there angry about this?

Oh, yeah. Including myself. I mean, they knowed the storms was coming, and the levees were built back in the '60s and '70s. I guess they were just putting the money in other places. But they should have put the money to save the city, save the people.

UPDATE 10:50 P.M. More about why, and how, Katrina is swallowing Tipitina's

The vital Josh Britton blog, a detailed explanation of the levee failures, a full list of emergency contacts, a place to make Red Cross donations, an article in the Washington Post explaining why FEMA has been killed slowly by the Bush administration, and older article about funding cuts to the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans, blacks "loot" while whites "find," a Katrina photo group, a list of blogs covering the topic, BBC's messages from Katrina survivors, an ILE debate on whether this is global warming or not, a story on the fallout for gas prices, the Eye of the Storm blog and discussion, Rush calls the storm "Katrina Vanden Heuvel," article on these Titanic-like looters, Katrina's Wikipedia entry, a map of affected oil rigs, Slidell Hurricane Damage blog, Yahoo's most viewed photos, and New Orleans goths defending their favorite bar with guns. Most of these were taken from an informative thread at ILE.

UPDATE 11:04 P.M. email from a friend of my friend Machelle

Breakdancer at this weekend's Twin City Celebration if Hip Hop. More photos to come. This isn't any kind of new band, but I was wondering if somebody could help me out with the guy's name.

Maria Isa outside First Avenue at this weekend's Twin City Celebration if Hip Hop.

My "Picked to Click" vote will likely include...

Maria Isa (incredibly talented rapper, dancer from the West Side of St. Paul, with call-and-response in Spanish, a Puerto Rican flag on her shirt, and charisma to spare)

Kill the Vultures (intense oddball rap group, formerly Oddjobs, but so different, they deserve this category)

The Deaths (new to me, at least, and you probably have seen them--or should if you haven't)

The Keepaways (hot female Duluth punk group whom I might have voted for two years ago, but they've gotten a lot better)

Heat (gangsta-esque female rap trio featuring Nena Brown, with a good live show)

Or maybe...

Desdamona (she's been around a while, but I think I realized how much I love her stuff this year, and with a must-buy Desdamona CD out now) 

Aphrill (really good new rap duo featuring Nomi from Kill the Vultures and Toki Wright from the C.O.R.E., though I might save this for next year's ballot)

The Knotwells (rustic and ragged waltz-punk just making itself a regular on the scene; I might have voted for them last year, need to check)

Trama Sutra (more "new resident" than "new artist," but his energetic live rap show deserves a mention)

Dessa, Sims, or Cecil Otter (I kind of think I voted for them last year by voting for Doomtree, but I might let their breakout hip-hop albums count for newness)

Soulistic (I'll save them for a future vote, when they've hit the radar, but a gifted spoken-word/jazz/R&B duo)

The Stnnng (still getting into these guys, but I bet they'll make my Top 20 if they weren't on last year's tally, though it could use more, I don't know, creativity?)

The Alrights (a decent new jammy-ish Duluth band that I'm just now getting into)

AD (not to be confused with Supaman AD of the C.O.R.E.; again, he hasn't quite arrived, but the 17-year-old rapper is one to watch)

Big Quarters (excellent duo, formerly EPL and Snakebird, though this strikes me as more extension than new--they also placed high last year, which means I'll probably save my vote for another contender)

I've been blogging this week, just not here: Check out my complete links for the Twin Cities Celebration of Hip Hop (starting today), these recommendations for the Black Film Festival (ditto), this piece on Village Voice pay cuts, and more on the Owls (also today) and Christopher Walken for President at Culture to Go, a.k.a. CPCulture.com.

So have fun this weekend, but if you're among the hundred or so people who have been invited to participate in this year's Picked to Click "best new band" poll by editor Dylan Hicks, don't forget to write and send your ballots by Monday. (If you haven't been invited, and are a music-scene honcho who wants to take part, click that link for Dylan's email and make your case to him.) The deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m. and I'll post my own choices that morning. (Lindsey has posted a list of her own suggestions.) Meanwhile, here are the top vote-getters from previous polls, from 1991's Walt Mink (pictured) to 2004's Olympic Hopefuls (fuck you, Olympics committee), with vote totals in parentheses. Hey, that's my old band Andromeda Strain hanging in at eighth place in 1993.

Picked to Click Winners 1991-2004

1991

Walt Mink (31)

The Loose Rails (24)

God's Favorite Band (19)

The Willie Wisely Trio (16), the Mighty Mofos (tie)

Draghounds (14)

Monster Zero (13), Rifle Sport (13)

Snapperhead (12)

T.V.B.C. (11)

Arcwelder (10), Cows (tie)

Mother's Day (9)

Jonestown, Pseudonymphs, the Mings, Dylan Hicks & Three Pesos, Dutch Oven, Superball '63, Vertigo (8)

1992

Hammerhead (38)

The Carpetbaggers (37)

Muskellunge (34)

Gneissmaker (18)

Mickey Finn (17)

Salbando, Cows (13)

The Pidgeonholes, Superball '63, the Loose Rails, Jonestown (12)

Walt Mink, Skeleton Ed (11)

Mint Condition, the Sycamores (10)

1993

Guzzard (27)

Rex Daisy (24)

The Spectors (21)

Balloon Guy, John's Black Dirt (16)

Saucer (15)

Hovercraft (13)

Dogfight (12)

Tim O'Reagan and Jim/Dave Boquist, Somethin' Smooth, Ten Cent Fun, Andromeda Strain (9)

1994

Lily Liver (41.5)

Low (26)

Smattering (19.5)

John Casey and the Old Pussums, Lefty Lucy (19)

Pleasure, Small Engine City (17)

Balloon Guy (16)

Bean Girl (14)

Hot Date (12.5)

Karen Therese and Jai Cafe (12)

Fauna (11.5)

Delilahs, Grows Like Topsy, the Sea, Venison, Vibro Champs (10)

1995

Tribe of Millions (36)

Polara (31.5)

Phull Surkle and Casino Royale (22)

February (19)

Honeydogs,  National Dynamite (16.5)

Strawdogs (14)

Rhea Valentine, Push on Junior (13)

John Ewing (12)

Vena Cava (11)

T.H.R.U.S.H. (10)

Dust Bunnies, Run Westy Run, Speedway, Interstate Judy (9)

Flipp (8.5)

Freddie Fresh [a.k.a. Freddy Fresh], G.I.V.E., Beangirl [a.k.a. Bean Girl], The Blue Up? (8)

Better off Airport (7.5)

[Other low-ranking 1995 notables: Deformo (7) and Abstract Pack (7)]

1996

12 Rods (43)

Semisonic (23.5)

National Dynamite (16)

Who Are Those Guys, Hot Karl (15)

The Kelley Deal 6000, Medium (13)

The Joint Chiefs [a.k.a. the Sensational Joint Chiefs], the Pins, Superman Curl (11)

Detroit (10.5)

Ether Bunny, Mountain Singers (9)

Dwindle (8.5)

1997

Brother Sun Sister Moon (49)

Sukpatch (30)

The Beatifics (25)

The Sensational Joint Chiefs (23)

Happy Apple (17)

Druel, Wheelo (14)

Accident Clearinghouse, The Short Fuses (13)

Mike Merz & the Can o' Worms (12.5)

Lifter Puller, Ninotchka, Magnatone (12)

Vaz (11)

Think Tank (10)

Dave King (et al.), Plain Jane (9)

The Sandwiches (8.5)

The Big Wu, The Buck-Fifty Boys (8)

Baby Grant Johnson, MMF (7)

Atmosphere, DJ Jesus Juice (Henry Mhoon), Terry Eason, Freedom Fighters,

The Great Depression, Lady & the Katz, The Siren Six (6)

1998

The Odd (20)

Love-cars (19)

So-So (18)

American Paint (17.5)

Ana Voog, The Autumn Leaves, Ousia (16)

The Minx (15)

Autonomous, Mary Nail (13)

Brits Out of America, Lunar 9, Rhyme Sayers Collective (12)

Florida (10)

Bobby Llama,

Freedom Fighters (9)

1999

The Mason Jennings Band (57)

Selby Tigers (33)

Plastic Constellations (29)

Jake Mandell (27)

Abstract Pack (23)

Bellwether, ÜberScenester (21)

Mark Mallman (and the Heat) (20)

Sixth Sense (18 1/3)

Tangletown (18)

Indigenous (16)

Hawaii (15 1/2)

Moveable Feast, Ouija Radio (14)

Walter Kong and the Dangermakers, American Head Charge (12)

Radar Threat, The Misfires (11)

The Hot (10 1/2)

The Dames, Escape Mechanism (10)

Landing Gear (9 1/3)

Lunar 9 (8 1/2)

Arkology, Fizzy Lifter, Truth Maze (8)

Bobby Llama, Prosthetica, Debi 7, Sliver, Dixie and the Cannibals, Salamander (7)

DJ Ts, Ninian Hawick, Drunk Drivers (6)

Olo (5 1/2)

2000

Astronaut Wife (44)

decembers architects (38)

The Busy Signals, Tulip Sweet & Her Trail of Tears (29)

Valet (26)

Jan (25)

Triangle (tie)

Sean Na Na/Har Mar Superstar (23)

Hidden Chord, Manplanet (16) 

Capital! Capital (15) 

Iffy (14) 

Raw Villa, Smattering (12)

The Sure Shot Brothers, Touchy Feely (9)

Flapjack, Kaos (8)

Katie Spoden, Dred I Dread, Flim Flam Man, Skye Klad, Superhopper (8)

Keller Brothers, Arson Welles, Houston (7)

Inside Straight Blues Band, Vaz, Terraplane, End Transmission, Heiruspecs, The Hot (6)

2001

Faux Jean (43) 

Work of Saws (35) 

Alva Star (31) 

The Fog (26) 

Cropduster, Kid Dakota, Song of Zarathustra (20)

Poor Line Condition (18)

The Dames (17)

American Monsters, Black Eyed Snakes (14)

Jonas (13)

Suki Takahashi (11)

Iffy (10)

Buss. Jan, Sandman, Oddjobs, Ol' Yeller, the Waves (9)

The Psychedelicates (8) 

The Crush, Tin Porter (7.5)

Animals Expert at Hankering, Heiruspecs, Howlin' Andy Hound, the Mike Brady Trio, Jamie Ness, Satan on the Loose (7)

Silent Iris (6.5)

Grickle Grass, If Thousands, the Malachi Constant, Nationale, Sweet J.A.P., Volante (6)

2002

The Soviettes (35 points)

Dosh (31)

Ashtray Hearts, Sweet J.A.P. (22)

Fog (21)

The C.O.R.E. (17)

Signal to Trust, Vicious Vicious, A Whisper in the Noise (15)

Divorcee, Redstart (14)

Askeleton, Michael Yonkers (12)

Kentucky Gag Order, Ourmine, The Psychedelicates (11)

Exercise, Falcon Crest, Honeymoon Shockers, The Owls, Tiki Obmar (10)

2003

Monarques (69)

Haley Bonar (49)

Revolver Modèle (37)

Brother Ali (36)

Mike Gunther (35)

So Fox (24.5)

Bridge Club (20)

Ice-Rod (19)

Big Ditch Road, First Prize Killers, Tiki Obmar (17)

Luke's Angels (16)

2004
Olympic Hopefuls (90)
P.O.S./Doomtree (49)
Melodious Owl (48)
Spaghetti Wester, Thunder in the Valley (39)
Die Electric, Zebulon Pike (34)
Romantica (27)
Big Quarters, Halloween, Alaska (23)
Missing Number (18)
The Belles of Skin City (17)
Traditional Methods (16)

Christgau: "outraged, disgusted, and sick at heart"

Other Scholtes blogging:

Don't miss this weekend's Black Film Festival

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/08/the_black_film.asp

or the best band with the word "owls" in it

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/08/the_best_band_w.asp

Christopher Walken for President

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/08/christopher_wal.asp

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/08/christgau_outra.asp

My employer is part of a chain owned by Weiss, Peck & Greer, L.L.C., , which purchased the Village Voice and other papers from Leonard Stern in 2000 (as detailed here). Other investors include the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Weiss, Peck & Greer's parent company is the Dutch-based Robeco Group, which is 100 percent owned by the Rabobank Group (which, in turn, is owned by 350 local Rabobanks).

Weiss, Peck & Greer is now a division of Robeco Investment Management

Village Voice buys City Pages, 1997

Weiss, Peck & Greer is now a division of Robeco Investment Management.

As of the end of September, 2005, information on this site for Weiss, Peck & Greer can be found at http://www.robecoinvest.com/

As of the end of September, 2005, this site will be discontinued. You will be redirected to www.robecoinvest.com

Cleveland Free Times

http://www.freetimes.com/

Why should you care who owns City Pages? Because whatever you think of the newspaper, it could get a lot worse if the New Times chain takes over Village Voice Media, which has owned City Pages (and this web site). Yesterday the San Francisco Bay Guardian posted a comprehensive editorial on the rumors of a merger: "If there's a grain of truth here, and VVM and New Times are in any sort of talks, the implications for the alternative press and for readers, advertisers, and employees in 18 cities are too serious for federal regulators to ignore." For background,

http://www.gawker.com/news/village-voice/village-voice-to-sell-soul-to-new-times-117332.php

Christgau: "outraged, disgusted, and sick at heart"

 rumors that Village Voice Media, which owns City Pages, will be bought by the New Times

City Pages

Poynter

http://poynter.org/forum/?id=32365

New Times rumors

http://www.gawker.com/news/media/village-voice/village-voice-union-set-for-apocalypse-110291.php

More gawker New Times shit

http://www.gawker.com/news/village-voice/index.php#village-voice-to-sell-soul-to-new-times-117332

As blogged on Culture to Go

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/08/christgau_outra.asp

Rumors of merger

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/circulation/village_voice_on_the_block_23918.asp

http://www.sfbg.com/39/34/news_new_times.html

New Times

http://www.gawker.com/news/village-voice/index.php#village-voice-to-sell-soul-to-new-times-117332

New Times profile

http://aan.org/gyrobase/Aan/ViewCompany?oid=oid%3A1958

New Times web site

http://www.newtimes.com/

http://www.newtimes.com/overview.html

Started in 1970

Village Voice history

http://www.villagevoice.com/aboutus/

1.) Clear Channel owns City Pages

Village Voice Media's business practices may be questionable (the deal with New Times that closed the Cleveland Free Times impoverished local culture even more than the one that closed the Twin Cities Reader here in 1997). But get it straight: 

http://citypages.com/databank/18/846/article3268.asp

Have alt-weeklies ever not been in dire financial straits?

IIRC when The Village Voice was owned by R. Murdoch (late 70s) and Leonard Stern (80s) things weren't nearly as precarious. But the Voice's independently owned competition -- Soho Weekly News -- limped along with a fraction of the ads until folding in 1982. Look at NY Press, it's always been a shell of a newspaper. And Time Out must have some major financial resources behind it.

Clearly the current Voice's efforts to expand nationally, absorb New Times etc have been a mixed success financially. I bitch and moan about the Voice but I still pick it up each week and it'll REALLY suck if the management connives a way to shit-can their unionized staff in favor of cheaper and less provacative writers and editors.

Christgau

http://blogs.citypages.com/ctg/2005/08/christgau_outra.asp

Union troubles

http://www.gawker.com/news/media/village-voice/village-voice-union-set-for-apocalypse-110291.php

Village Voice

Stern

New Times

http://www.gawker.com/news/village-voice/index.php#village-voice-to-sell-soul-to-new-times-117332

Copyright 2005 PR Newswire Association LLC.
All Rights Reserved.
PR Newswire US

LENGTH: 677 words

HEADLINE: Robeco USA Announces Name Change in Rebranding Effort;
Firm relocates to midtown Manhattan

DATELINE: NEW YORK Feb. 7

BODY:


NEW YORK, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Robeco USA announced today that it has changed its name to Robeco Investment Management, effective immediately. The new name is intended to more clearly represent the firm's activities and focus in the institutional investment management business in the United States. Robeco Investment Management remains a fully owned subsidiary of Robeco Group, the global fund manager based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

"Robeco Investment Management will continue its strong focus on and commitment to the institutional investment management business, maintaining the heritage of its three distinct investment platforms -- Boston Partners, Sage Capital, and Weiss, Peck & Greer," said William J. Kelly, CEO.

"Our new name will help the marketplace better understand the scope and sophistication of our competencies as we grow our business and strengthen the collaboration between our US and European entities. We can thereby make all our capabilities available to our clients wherever there is a need," said Stefan Bichsel, Chairman of Robeco Investment Management and member of the Robeco Group Management Board.

Robeco Investment Management has approximately $30 billion in assets under management for institutional investors and certain high net worth investors in the U.S.

Separately, the firm also announced that it has relocated its headquarters to 909 Third Avenue in midtown Manhattan (54th Street), from its former address at One New York Plaza.

Robeco Group began assembling its US unit in 1998, with the acquisition of New York-based Weiss, Peck & Greer, an independent firm offering fixed income, equity and alternatives products. It added New York multi-strategy manager Sage Capital in 2002. Robeco then completed the acquisition of Boston Partners Asset Management, a value equity manager headquartered in Boston, in 2003.

About Robeco Investment Management

Robeco Investment Management is the U.S.-based institutional asset management arm of the Robeco Group. The platform consists of three separate and distinct investment capabilities and brands: Boston Partners (value equity), Sage Capital (multi-manager strategies), and Weiss, Peck & Greer (fixed income, equity and alternatives).

About Robeco

Robeco provides discretionary asset management products and services, as well as a complete range of mutual funds to a large number of institutional and retail clients worldwide. Robeco's product range encompasses fixed-income and equity investments, as well as balanced accounts, money-market funds and alternative investments.

Robeco distributes its funds for the retail market directly, and through other financial institutions. Several of its mutual funds, including the flagship Robeco N.V., are listed on the major European stock exchanges.

As well as from its head office in Rotterdam, Robeco services its clients from its European offices in Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Bahrain. In the United States, Robeco has offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco (Weiss, Peck & Greer), Boston (Boston Partners), White Plains (Sage Capital) and Toledo (Harbor Capital Advisors).

Robeco is the center for asset management with full operational independence within the Rabobank Group. The combination of the highest credit ratings from the major international rating agencies and the highest Sustainability Cluster Score within the banking sector reflects the high added value Rabobank has always offered its investors, members, clients and employees.

http://www.robecoinvest.com/

LENGTH: 1082 words

HEADLINE: Moeller determined to drive through the changes at Robeco

SOURCE: eFinancialNews

BYLINE: Hugh Wheelan

BODY:
George Moeller, chief executive of Dutch asset manager Robeco, may have winced as his former employer Euronext rocketed into the news at the end of last year with a potential offer for the London Stock Exchange.After all, his departure from the pan-European exchange came after the scrapping of an agreement stipulating that he would become chief executive in September 2004, prompting his departure. However, Moeller is determined to drive through change at his new employer and generate headlines of his own.

Barely six months into the job, Moeller has integrated Robeco's US fund management arms. Alternatives and traditional manager Weiss Peck & Greer, value manager Boston Partners and multi-manager specialist Robeco Sage have been merged to form Robeco Investment Management. They previously operated independently under the label of Robeco USA.

The group is looking to expand into the UK. Moeller, who lived for 10 years in London, is keen to tap into the country's lucrative institutional market. "If there is a group of people in the UK with investment talent then we would like to hear from them.

"We're looking for sales but much more for investment capabilities. There's so much product available in the UK but we believe we can have the most success in selling our products in the developed European markets."

Moeller declines to predict a timeframe in which appointments will be made.

The flurry of activity carries over from his decision on joining the Dutch manager to separate the roles of head of equities and fixed income. This led to the resignation of chief investment officer Marnix Vreizen, who led both asset classes.

"We felt we had substantial equity and fixed-income portfolios. We also acknowledged that these were very different asset classes and that the job of chief investment officer should be separated and more focused," said Moeller.

Edith Siermann and Mark van der Kroft, former heads of fixed income and equities respectively, moved up to the chief investment officer slots.

Moeller said the rebranded Robeco Investment Management in the US will be headquartered in a new office in midtown Manhattan.

"They were separate companies and we wanted to bring them under the same umbrella."

He said Robeco had restructured the businesses, suggesting there would be no further job losses. "We got rid of the private client and clearing businesses and the job cuts have been made."

William Kelly, chief financial officer, has been promoted to chief executive of the new unit from next month. Kelly succeeds Stefan Bichsel, who becomes chairman.

Moeller is excited about the hedge fund business the group has built in the US and said the merger will position the alternatives division as a stronger entity within Robeco's E115bn ($ 152bn) asset management business.

The company manages E4bn in hedge fund assets worldwide and an additional E8bn in structured products. "We want to concentrate on the success of this and bring it together.

"In Rotterdam, we also have a good alternatives business, which has been under- emphasised in the past.

"One of the things I felt when arriving here was that the alternatives side was not sufficiently integrated with the full company power behind it.

"It is important to recognise the areas where we are strong and to position them better. In two to three years I think we could double the amount of money we have in hedge funds."

Robeco Alternative Investments, the European business, covers structured products, funds of hedge funds, single-strategy hedge funds and private equity funds of funds. Robeco has also profited from growth in hedge fund of funds business Transtrend, in which it holds a 49% interest.



Among the planned innovations in alternatives for this year is a "hat-trick fund" - a bond product incorporating fixed income, currency overlay and a long/short element, said Moeller.

"The products themselves are doing well - we just need to put a little bit of a sales turbo on them. We may be a name for traditional investments but we need to bring alternatives into the shop window," he said.

The company is selling a fund of funds in private equity where sustainability criteria underpin the companies in which it invests. "We wanted to put an interesting flavour on this, which we have and it is going well, despite being a niche business."

Moeller wants to move Robeco beyond its reputation of being a decent Dutch growth manager. He said: "What I would like to see in the Netherlands is a change of direction. The first part of this regards investment, where we are perceived as being a little biased towards a growth style.

"What we are doing at the moment is launching a global value product so that our fund management is style neutral."

He also wants to develop a less centralised approach to the business. "We have been very focused on Rotterdam in the past but I want to push the fact that we have asset management and marketing talent in Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland and that we would like to be doing more in London."

The group has interests in Japan and is looking at expansion in the Middle East. He explains this as part of his vision that Robeco should run a virtual office.

"What this means is using the location where you have the best investment services to provide to clients wherever they are. That is the key to success," he said.

The support of parent company Rabobank, which was founded as a co-operative of Dutch agricultural banks, will be vital. The group's global investment banking arm, Rabobank International, has more than 200 offices in 35 countries.

However, Rabobank suggested it could seek to co-own Robeco with another bank although Moeller believes the parent's focus is now singular.

"Rabobank is a perfect partner and a good fit because it has a very different business. It is also triple-A rated, which helps. It wants to be the largest agricultural bank in the world and there is no suggestion that it is not committed to Robeco or would want to change our identity."

Looking at European asset management peers, Moeller sees Robeco in the mould of Schroders in the UK, "They have no other business but asset management and are looking to be successful in traditional assets and alternatives."

If Moeller's strategic expansion policy continues, it may not be long until Robeco is challenging Schroders for business on the UK manager's home turf.

April 09, 2001
LENGTH: 191 words

HEADLINE: Weiss Peck Crowns New Chairman

BYLINE: Christa Fanelli

BODY:
New York-based private equity firm Weiss, Peck & Greer recently appointed Nasos Michas as president, chief executive officer and chairman of the firm's investment committee.

Michas, a former chairman of Merrill Lynch Banks, will succeed Stephen Weiss. In a statement, Pieter Korteweg, president and chief executive of Robeco, which is the parent company of Weiss Peck, said the appointment of Michas fits well with the firm's strategic priority of enhancing its global position in alternative asset management.

Michas joined Merrill Lynch & Co. in 1974 and served as chairman of Merrill Lynch Banks and a member of it private client executive committee. Michas also was involved in several different arms of the organization including Merrill Lynch Bank & Trust; Merrill Lynch Insurance Co.; Merrill Lynch Domestic Trust Cos.; Business Financial Services; Merrill Lynch Credit Corp.; and Benefits Investment Services.

Weiss Peck last January led a group of investors in the acquisition of the Village Voice and five other alternative newspapers from Stern Publishing Inc. for an undisclosed amount (Buyouts Jan. 24, p. 38).

SECTION: M AND A

LENGTH: 688 words

HEADLINE: Voice Group Sold, Pub Rollup to Continue

BYLINE: by Richard Morgan

HIGHLIGHT:
The price Stern Publishing reportedly got for its group of seven alternative weeklies led by The Village Voice in New York falls just shy of 1999?s mean multiples.

BODY:
The price reportedly paid to Stern Publishing for its group of seven alternative weeklies - led by The Village Voice in New York - falls just shy of 1999's mean multiples for such properties.

The deal, reported Wednesday in The New York Times, calls for a management group headed by current Stern president and Voice veteran David Schneiderman, with Weiss, Peck & Greer, llc as the lead private-equity backer, to pay between $150 million and $170 million for the chain of newspaper giveaways.

Veronis, Suhler & Associations, the New York merchant bank for the media, communications and information industries, handled the transaction for Stern but declined to comment on its specifics. Others close to the transaction, however, put the cash-flow multiple a shade under 11x trailing 12-month cash flow (or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).

According to statistics compiled by The Jordan Edmiston Group, another New York-based investment bank for new and old media, this cash-flow multiple would rank slightly under the 12.6 mean recorded for deals of a similar nature in the first half of 1999. The revenue multiple, meanwhile, appears to be spot on the 1.8x average recorded by JEGI for that same period.

The seven Stern properties will be buttressed by The Nashville Scene, which Weiss, Peck & Greer recently acquired, to form an operating entity called Village Voice Media. This new entity has projected annualized revenues of $90 million on a combined circulation of 900,000.

VV Media has also committed itself to completing the successful rollup strategy the weeklies' former owner Leonard Stern leaves half-finished. Schneiderman, who becomes CEO of the new company, even went on record with plans to accelerate the strategy's timetable.

'Our larger goals are to increase the pace of acquisition of alternative newspapers around the country, utilize the power of these brands in their local markets, to grow a substantial Internet presence and exploit opportunities in the radio market through cross-ownership and cross-promotion,' Schneiderman said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

Veronis' Kevin Lavalla, who helped broker the deal, said the sale took the form of an auction in two parts. Participants numbering in the 'double digits' and representing strategic and financial players alike submitted bids in the initial round, he said.

A cut-off point then left finalists numbering in the 'single digits,' he said, which then met with Stern management. The result was what Lavalla called a 'focused range' of final bids, the winner of which ended-'right on schedule'-a process that began with Stern's announcing his intent to sell last September.

In an e-mail to Voice staff Wednesday, Stern, whose decision to sell stemmed from his progeny's reluctance to take over the publishing fiefdom, rambled in a style not altogether different from that in the properties he sold. 'Unfortunately, the reality of life dictates different plans for each passing decade and, as we all eventually come to realize, time does not stand still for anyone,' he said. 'Faced with this reality as well as other personal considerations, I reluctantly concluded that the future of my publishing interest should be entrusted to new owners.'

Weiss, Peck & Greer, with offices in New York, San Francisco and Chicago, manages $18 billion in assets. Its private equity group, which specializes in middle-market companies, has invested in 38 companies over the past 19 years. Its other media investments include Lionheart Newspapers, a group of 70 community newspapers, and Regent Communications, a radio broadcaster with 29 stations in eight markets. The investment firm is part of European-based Robeco Group, which boasts assets in excess of $100 billion.

In the Stern deal, other partners include: Trimaran Fund II, llc, a private equity fund linked with CIBC; Arthur Howe, the owner of alternative paper Philadelphia City Paper, serving as president of VV Media; and Albie Del Favero, publisher of the Nashville Scene, serving as executive vice president.

www.TheDeal.com

SECTION: M AND A

LENGTH: 780 words

HEADLINE: Alternative papers call truce

BYLINE: by Peter Lauria

HIGHLIGHT:
A decision by Village Voice Media and New Times to close weekly titles that competed with each other could portend a larger combination between the two publishers.

BODY:
The announcement Wednesday, Oct. 2, that alternative publishers Village Voice Media Inc. and New Times Inc. will each close weekly titles competing in the same markets could set the stage for a larger combination between the two.

Voice Media CEO David Schneiderman said his company will shutter its Cleveland Free Times alternative weekly in return for New Times agreeing to close its similarly focused New Times L.A. Voice Media will also pay New Times an undisclosed cash sum to account for the disparity in market size between Los Angeles and Cleveland, Schneiderman said.

The arrangement eliminates competition between the two publishers for local advertising dollars, leaving each city with only one alternative outlet for news. Voice Media will continue to publish its LA Weekly, while New Times' Cleveland Scene remains in operation.

Schneiderman explained that neither company was doing particularly well in the Cleveland market, with the intense competition producing more of a strain than a gain for both. As a source close to one of the companies said, "Both companies were losing a lot of money from their competition in the Cleveland market."

The Voice Media chief denied the discussions went beyond Wednesday's deal to include a possible merger or portfolio reshuffling between the publishers. But, when asked if he was open to that, Schneiderman demurred, saying "I couldn't answer that question myself." Representatives for New Times did not return repeated calls for comment.

Given that both companies have committed themselves to a strategy of growth-through-acquisitions, it appears more than coincidental that Cleveland and Los Angeles are the only two markets in which Voice Media and New Times overlap.

In addition to Los Angeles, Voice Media has its headquarters and publishes its flagship Village Voice in New York, the Seattle Weekly, City Pages in Minneapolis-St. Paul and the OC Weekly in California's Orange County. New Times, the larger of the two companies, holds titles in Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, San Francisco (along with a sister publication in Berkeley), St. Louis, Kansas City. Mo., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Founded by Arizona State University students as a reaction to the Kent State University shootings in 1970, New Times is based in Phoenix, where it publishes its flagship Phoenix New Times. Both companies acquired the majority of these titles during a mid-to-late 1990s buying spree.

Moreover, New Times was considered to be the strongest candidate to buy Voice Media from Stern Publishing two years ago. But, according to a source involved in that auction, New Times balked at the asking price.

Voice Media eventually sold for a reported $150 million to a management group headed by Schneiderman, along with financial backing from Goldman Sachs & Co. and private equity houses Weiss, Peck & Greer LLC and the Trimaran Fund II LLC, a unit of CIBC World Markets. New Times in that same year received an undisclosed equity infusion from Alta Communications to aid its roll-up plans.

While Schneiderman evaded the question of a possible hook-up with New Times - noting his backers would decide - sources at two of the private equity houses, while not naming either company, said the alternative weekly arena offers "interesting opportunities to expand" and that they will "continue to pursue growth plans with a variety of other companies."

Those same sources claim to have no near-term designs on cashing out of their investments. But, as Reed Phillips, managing partner with media investment bank DeSilva & Phillips LLC, points out, "Private equity backers have to exit at some point."

Both companies got backing two years ago, which lags the traditional three- to five-year exit strategy of a typical buyout house. But the current environment for media companies, particularly print media companies, has been unkind. " Alternative media companies have lost significant advertising dollars from several key categories," an industry source said.

As weekly titles driven largely by local advertising, the companies would have to figure out what they could do together that they can't do independently. "There doesn't appear to be dramatic merger benefits here," the industry source said. "Titles aren't regionally clustered, and, for instance, CBGB's or another club in New York wouldn't advertise in an L.A. paper."

But that view is short-sighted, according to newspaper guru John Morton. "Weeklies don't have as much opportunity to save on newsprint as dailies," he said, before adding that combining the two companies could create one with enough girth to attract national advertising.

STRIKING VOICE?

Union activists at the Village Voice say editorial workers might be on the brink of the first strike in the 50-year his tory of the left- leaning weekly.

The current three-year contract expires at midnight June 30 and workers are said to be infuriated by the owner's initial offer.

"They [management] came to the table with a bunch of givebacks," fumed one insider.

He said the company was pushing to have workers shoulder medical costs for the first time in its history while offering workers a Hobson's choice when it comes to pay increases.

The proposed deal would offer no wage increases for the first two years and a 3 percent increase down the road.

Alternatively, the company said it could offer pay increases, at the expense of slashing the corporate contribution to the 401(k) plan, currently at 3 percent.

On Monday, about 75 workers chanted, "A fair press needs fair ownership," with white shirts bearing the slogan, "Is this anyway to celebrate our 50th birthday?"

Village Voice Media, the parent company which owns alternative weeklies nationwide, was taken over by an investment team headed by Weiss, Peck & Greer in 2000.

CEO David Schneiderman, who had served as president and publisher when pet food king Leonard Stern owned the weekly, stayed on board under the new ownership.

Mader Rosenstein, at Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, which is representing about 150 workers in the bargaining unit, said an impasse has yet to be declared.

"We're negotiating very hard," she said. "We're at the table. We'll see how it turns out."

Said a Voice spokeswoman, "The Village Voice management team is working with our union to resolve [the] issues and negotiate a mutually agreeable contract. We are confident that an amicable settlement can be reached."

The New York Times

SECTION: Section B; Column 5; Metropolitan Desk; Pg. 4

LENGTH: 260 words

HEADLINE: Village Voice Reaches Agreement With Union, Averting a Strike

BYLINE: By ABEER ALLAM

BODY:


After intense negotiations that lasted until early yesterday, the Village Voice's management and the paper's writers, clerical staff and advertising and marketing representatives reached an agreement, averting a strike.

The workers had threatened to strike when their contract expired yesterday if management cut back their benefits, as it had proposed.

The agreement calls for a $20-a-week wage increase in each of three years, and eliminates a proposal to have employees pay for health insurance. Salaries for entry-level newsroom jobs are under $30,000.

''We think it is a good agreement,'' said Maida Rosenstein of Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, which represents 150 employees at the paper. ''We are very glad we were able to avoid a strike.'' The union's members voted 81 to 5 to accept the new three-year contract yesterday.

Until two days ago, the negotiations, which started on June 14, were deadlocked. Management had offered a $15 weekly pay increase but had asked employees to pay for their health insurance, switch to a more limited health plan, and agree to a slight change in how contributions are made to 401(k) retirement accounts, according to the union.

David Schneiderman, the chairman and chief executive of Village Voice Media, the newspaper's parent company, and Judy Mizner, the publisher, did not return phone calls.

''We did not get everything we wanted,'' said Tom Robbins, a writer on the union negotiating team. ''In the end we did a whole lot better than the management had anticipated. We ended up ahead of the game.''

LA Weekly (California)

SECTION: News; Pg. 20

LENGTH: 568 words

HEADLINE: START THE PRESSES

BYLINE: HOWARD BLUME

BODY:
With a little help from the government, a newspaper that was shut down in a notorious deal has returned from the dead. The Cleveland Free Times, a feisty but financially challenged alternative weekly, will resume publication in May.

The paper had been killed off six months ago, when the nation's two largest chains of alternative newspapers agreed to end their head-to-head competition. The New Times chain closed its paper in Los Angeles, and Village Voice Media (which owns the L.A. Weekly) shuttered Free Times.

The arrangement immediately attracted state and federal regulators, because antitrust laws forbid companies from colluding to divide markets and eliminate competition. Rather than contest a civil lawsuit, the two chains opted to settle in January, paying nearly a million dollars in fines. The feds also required both chains to make the assets of the closed papers available for sale. These assets, including the names of the papers, had questionable value, but in Cleveland the formula has apparently fueled genuine competition.

The new Free Times will offer readers a familiar, popular label and even a familiar product, given that the former publisher, the former editor in chief and many former writers will return as staff. The paper "will pick up where we left off before we were closed," said publisher Matt Fabyan in a release. His ownership group includes Arthur Howe, a Pulitzer Prize--winning reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer who once was president of Village Voice Media.

Of course, there's one ingredient that Fabyan might have to change. On the last round, Free Times was losingk money, according to Village Voice Media CEO David Schneiderman. So was the competing Cleveland Scene (owned by New Times) -- which is why the two chains consummated their deal in the first place. Cleveland "was really a one-paper market in terms of profitability," said Schneiderman in a January interview. "One of us had to go."

Schneiderman as well as New Times execs declined comment this week. But Free Times editor in chief David Eden flatly denies that Free Times was losing money when it was "illegally closed," as he put it. As for New Times, "their worst nightmare scenario was that Matt Fabyan would resurrect Free Times and the deal would be worthless," said Eden. "We were the number-one paper and we expect to be the number-one paper again very soon."

The antitrust settlement explicitly gives advertisers a window to dissolve New Times/Cleveland Scene advertising contracts. "We want all former Free Times advertisers, and all Scene advertisers, to now know that they are free and clear to advertise again in the Free Times," said publisher Fabyan.

Making a go of it would defy conventional wisdom, but for the moment at least, fans of the alternative press can cheer for a David in its tilt against the Goliath of the two dominant chains. "I am hoping the new Cleveland Free Times will show the way and become a model for the critical new front in the alternative press: the rise of the entrepreneurial paper, willing and able to fight the competitive battle of the independent versus the chain," said Bruce B. Brugmann, editor and publisher of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, in a widely distributed e-mail. Brugmann's paper is not part of a chain. "I raise my martini glass . . . to the spirit and the good health of the new Cleveland Free Times."

LOAD-DATE: April 25, 2003