Confirming rumors of its downfall, Boston-based New England Blade, which is owned by New York-based HX Media, announced yesterday that they're suspending print publication until further notice. [NEB]

Regarding rumors that HX Media's Boston-based New England Blade is headed down to toilet, here's a note from a reader: "The New England Blade, which normally comes out on Thursday mornings, is still not anywhere to be found at any of their usual distribution locations in Boston, Provincetown or Providence (as of Friday, 3:30pm). I personally checked the Boston locations and got phone confirmation from P-Town and Providence."

Uh-oh! HX Media's in an awfully bad way. The New York-based company tried expanding their reach last year when they took over Boston's In Newsweekly, now called the New England Blade. The move was definitely a gamble - and doesn't seem to be paying off.

Rumor has it that the paper has received an eviction notice for not paying their rent, the staff has been asked not to cash their paychecks and distributors haven't been paid in two months. HX founder Matthew Bank reportedly flew up there recently to reassure staffers that their jobs are safe. We wonder if those people remember April's staff shake-up.

HX Media doesn't have the best track record in pioneering into new territories - HX Philadelphia folded earlier this year.

Homo-journo Brandon Voss finally gave his notice and will later this month leave his position as fag rag HX's editor-in-chief. We hear Voss, who has been at the magazine since 2004 and editing it since 2006, plans on spending more time freelancing for The Advocate and working on a novel, which we're sure will change the face of American literature. No one's officially been appointed HX's new editor, the rhetorical finger's pointing at associate editor John Russell.

New York-based HX Media ain't making any friends up in Boston.

The company's New England Blade ruffled some feathers when they printed what they called "the official guide to Boston pride." Too bad the Boston Pride planners didn't give them the green light. Needless to say, rival paper - and pride guide publisher - Bay Windows is not pleased:

…For those of you who care about good business practice and like to support businesses that support the LGBT community, just know that "official" affiliation with Boston Pride is based on a contractual agreement between the Pride Committee and whoever they’re doing business with, in this case the publishers of Bay Windows, Jeff Coakley and Sue O’Connell.

Coakley and O’Connell earned "official" Boston Pride sponsorship status by agreeing to share revenue from advertising sales to the guide with the Committee. And the revenue the committee gets goes to make Boston Pride fun and fabulous for you. Any other guide claiming to be "official" is basically ripping off the Pride Committee and in effect, ripping you off.

Slap!

HX Media took another blow last week when a number of New England Blade staffers were unceremoniously sacked and/or fired from the newspaper. Rumor has it the company owes thousands of dollars and is scrambling to keep its head above water. The New York-based company lost its short-lived Philadelphia outpost back in March. We'll get our funeral suit ready, just in case…[BIB]

We knew it was coming, but we've just received word that civil war torn HX magazine shuttered its Philadelphia venture, HX Philadelphia. Now the city's homos have no other option but to wander the streets like zombies to seek out their own debauchery. Tragic.

HX Media and its lawyers must be celebrating today. "A Boston judge issued an injunction against a new Boston LGBT newspaper on Monday
after the parent company of troubled weekly In Newsweekly filed suit against its former associate publisher for allegedly stealing his former employer's advertising database for his new publication. Bill Berggren, publisher of N'Touch New England, allegedly solicited ads for the publication while still working at In Newsweekly." Berggren's backstage machinations reportedly led HX Media CEO Matt Bank to give him the ax. [Boy in Bushwick]

HX Media honcho Matthew Bank may sue former In Newsweekly associate publisher Bill Berggren for deleting some of the weekly newspaper's advertising database. Not only that, but Berggren allegedly plans to use his former clients at In to start a rival paper, N'Touch New England, which sounds like an uninspired tab rag.

Meanwhile, in other gay media news: our prediction was right - HX Media's In Newsweekly fired associate publisher Bill Berggren.

Matthew Bank, CEO of HX Media, which owns IN Newsweekly, fired the paper’s associate publisher, Bill Berggren, Jan. 2. Berggren’s termination comes less than a month after four of the paper’s longtime freelancers, including former editor Fred Kuhr and religion columnist Rev. Irene Monroe, left the paper, claiming that the paper has lost editorial focus and that they have waited months for HX Media to pay them for their work.

When it rains, it poors!

New York-based HX Media's Boston adventure hit some speed bumbs this week.

Editorial staffers at In Newsweekly, which HX acquired last year, are none-to-happy with the way things are going down. Contributor Joe Siegel offered his resignation this weekend, just a week after he and three other regulars - including our favorite black preacher woman, Irene Monroe - sent HX founder Matt Bank a blistering letter. They've all since stepped down.

Read said letter, after the jump…

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