Salon declares them dead. Carly Carioli at the Phoenix disagrees. Sharp-eyed readers will note a paragraph or two in the latter with which I am compelled to agree.
…adding, a thought about nomenclature: whenever the subject of these papers comes up, people inevitably ask “alternative to what?” And yes, admittedly the idea that the weekly press stands alone as the alternative to the mainstream press is outdated, though the best of them still provide content you won’t find in dailies — but it’s a name. People understand what it refers to. You don’t “dial” a telephone anymore, either.