Free Weekly Papers Proliferate in L.A. : Media: Almost every special-interest group can find its voice in an alternative newspaper. And more are published every year.

Erin Campbell didn’t think she’d have to make any tough decisions. But it took her 20 minutes to browse and finally choose a paper from a row of news racks in Long Beach.

“Geez, what is this? A library?” asked the 36-year-old nurse, pointing to copies of L.A. Weekly, Whole Life Times, Random Lengths and Entertainment Today.

Almost any special-interest group--lonely singles, parents, teen-agers, New Age philosophers, trendsetter wanna-bes, hard bodies, bikers, boaters, alternative news junkies, gays and lesbians and various ethnic and religious groups--can find free weekly or monthly newspapers tailored specifically for adherents.

And these publications are increasing, in numbers and in popularity, said Gary Godfrey, secretary and treasurer of the Independent Free Papers of America, a lobbying organization. They’re popping up along L.A.’s major streets and inside coffee shops, clothing and music stores, movie theaters and gyms.

Desktop publishing has contributed to the rise in publications, Godfrey said. “Anyone with a good Macintosh and about $5,000 can start a weekly or monthly,” he continued. “Everyone thinks they can run a newspaper. But papers come and go quickly because it’s hard to keep on track.”

David Sims of the California Newspaper Publisher’s Assn. said statistics on the growth and number of publications are “almost impossible” to get because the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech allows anyone to print information and call it a newspaper. “It’s chaotic, especially because there are a lot out there,” he said.

But Ruth Reilly, editor of the annual Bacon’s Newspaper Directory, estimates that, in the last few years, there has been a 10% increase in the number of weekly, semiweekly and tri-weekly publications nationally. The 1993 edition lists 8,213 non-dailies--most are traditional community newspapers--nationwide, compared to 1,700 dailies. Five years ago, it named 7,499 non-dailies and 1,666 dailies.

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Godfrey said alternative and specialty publications attract readers who don’t have time for or interest in traditional daily newspapers or people who would rather rely on TV news, especially CNN, as their primary source of international and national news. “It’s sad, but people don’t like to read what they can watch on TV,” he said.

Jamie Schneider, a 28-year-old Torrance physical therapist, reads the South Bay’s Easy Reader to get local entertainment listings and news--and restaurant coupons.

“I can never get through a daily newspaper,” Schneider said. “Besides, I think a lot of the news is long and boring and hard to follow.”

Kit Rachlis, editor-in-chief of the 14-year-old L.A. Weekly, said alternative newspapers can probe deeper into news stories than the mainstream press and help readers understand the consequences. The Weekly distributes 170,000 issues throughout the county and claims its readership exceeds 400,000.

“In an era of media glut, weekly newspapers analyze, elucidate and make sense of the overwhelming amount of information people receive from dailies, radio, TV, billboards and other sources,” Rachlis said.

A little more than two years ago, Raymond Leon Roker, 24, launched Urb, a monthly paper for teen-agers and twentysomethings who attend underground warehouse parties called raves. Articles focus on the music, fashion and people associated with the underground culture. Urb distributes 40,000 issues in California.

“It started as a form of expression for a culture that was not getting a good dose of attention,” Roker said. “It’s still young, but it’s really taken off.”

Daily newspapers are responding to the competition with sections devoted to special interests and local news, said John Morton, president of Morton Research, a Washington, D.C., newspaper research company.

“It took a while, but dailies know their readers and are trying harder to respond to their needs” with tactics like zoning--providing more local news in editions targeted to certain geographic areas, he said.

Greg Wallace said he would feel uninformed without his daily newspaper. But when he makes weekend plans, the 29-year-old Sherman Oaks teacher and musician turns to the entertainment pages in the Weekly and the Los Angeles Reader, an alternative weekly with 80,000 issues circulated primarily on the Westside but also spilling into the Valley and South Bay.

“Their writers are honest and their reviews aren’t trendy,” said Wallace, who recently advertised in the Reader for a drummer to play in his band. “I like reading alternative papers for complete and thorough entertainment news.”

Stacy, a massage therapist who lives in North Hollywood, said most newspapers alienate readers by ignoring non-traditional lifestyles. She reads Whole Life Times, a monthly tabloid focusing on spirituality, psychology and holistic healing. “The mainstream media doesn’t take these things seriously,” said Stacy, who asked that her last name not be used.

“Many professional people read Whole Life Times,” editor Abigail Lewis said. The monthly circulates 60,000 free copies to readers in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties as well as San Francisco. “It’s important for people to have an alternative to the traditional media.”

And it’s important for small businesses and restaurants that may not be able to afford the advertising rate of more established newspapers.

“My ads would get lost in a big newspaper,” said Teresa Ruppert, general manager of two South Bay tanning salons and an accessory store. “The number of people who read local papers is phenomenal, and that’s where I get the best exposure.” Ruppert advertises in the Easy Reader, which concentrates on Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

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Open one of Southern California’s alternative weeklies and you’ll find ads for mates, gyms, massage parlors, nude campsites, yoga retreats, sensual psychics, colon therapists, spiritual psychotherapists, pet therapists, hypnotherapists and metaphysical therapists.

“A lot of people think some of the ads are bizarre and amusing, while others seriously need the information,” said Ron Slack, associate publisher of the Los Angeles Reader.

When L.A. Parent was started 12 years ago, publisher Carey Bierman discovered many advertisers were interested in the free monthly that focuses on children. Ads for preschools and child-care agencies, furniture for toddlers, nannies, “baby-proofing” companies, Lamaze classes, photography studios and kids’ beauty pageants fill more than half the paper’s pages. Its circulation is 100,000 in L.A. County.

The success of L.A. Parent (Bierman would say only that the publication is “profitable”) inspired the publisher and his staff to launch Noise, a hip monthly “strictly” for L.A. teen-agers, 2 1/2 years ago.

“No one under 19 would want to read it,” he said of the colorful pages and articles on topics such as teen modeling, student protests and tips for acing tests.

Noise is full of ads for music and clothing stores, concert promoters, SAT preparation schools and driving schools. It has a circulation of 50,000.

“When L.A. Parent started, there weren’t as many specialized publications,” Bierman said. “Now they’re all over.”