Village Voice Sold; Jettisons Backpage.com

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Village Voice Media Holdings, which includes its namesake free newspaper and a dozen other alternative weeklies, has been sold for an undisclosed sum to the company's CEO Scott Tobias and a private equity management team, Forbes reports.

Among other papers included in the sale are the Dallas Observer, LA Weekly and Phoenix New Times. Christine Brennan has been tapped to be the newspaper group's Executive Editor.

Former Village Voice Media heads Michael Lacey and James Larkin will retain Backpage.com, the controversial Web site that has attracted harsh public criticism and the interest of authorities over its adult ad services offerings (see "TUOL" posts 6/7/12 & 4/3/12).