Failed merger of gay newspapers triggers allegations

Here’s the story, from Q-Notes.com. Not sure what to make of it all, except that there appears to be a lot of bad blood. Part of the story:

A recently attempted and failed merger between three Carolinas LGBT publications has resulted in several accusations, concerns and questions regarding unpublished print editions and pre-paid advertising by several Carolinas businesses and non-profits.

The Asheville, N.C.-based Stereotypd, a monthly LGBT news publication, and the Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based OnQ Carolina Edition, a bi-weekly glossy gay nightlife guide, announced Aug. 22 they would merge under the leadership and direction of Jamie Seabolt, executive editor and creator of OnQ.

Stereotypd business and artistic director Porscha Yount, OnQ’s Jamie Seabolt and Stereotypd editor Lin Orndorf distributed a press release announcing the merger. In it, Seabolt is identified as the Asheville paper’s new publisher and Stereotypd is identified as “part of the OnQ Network.” A few days later, the new OnQ team announced a merger with the Charleston, S.C.-based Drag Magazine.

By Sept. 16, the situation had devolved into a convoluted series of events, with Stereotypd and OnQ staff each accusing the other of bad business practices and financial mismanagement.

Yount and Seabolt both confirmed the original intent of their alliance was not a full-blown merger. With Stereotypd publisher Ira Schultz and Orndorf, Yount is a part-owner of Out in the Carolinas Publishing, Inc., Stereotypd’s corporate owner. Yount and Orndorf are life partners.

“The original plan was to share pay for a sales rep and do collaboration on sales,” Yount said.

Seabolt’s and Yount’s statements to Q-Notes regarding how the merger was first proposed and by whom have been in conflict with each other. Seabolt and Orndorf provided Q-Notes with a scan of a handwritten document identified as a “working agreement” between the parties.

In the Sept. 5 document, which is signed by Seabolt, Schultz, Orndorf and Yount, Stereotypd was to be split evenly between “OnQ Network” and Stereotypd.

Seabolt said a new publishing company was to be formed by Yount and Orndorf for their share of the Asheville publication. Although identified as “OnQ Network LLC” in an electronic edition of Drag Magazine’s September issue, Seabolt has not yet filed any legal paperwork to incorporate. Seabolt said he has begun the process to file with the North Carolina Secretary of State.

In two press releases on Sept. 16, Stereotypd and OnQ announced the merger between their publications and Drag Magazine had been called off; differences in business practices and artistic direction were cited as the main cause of the split.