Sep 08, 2006  |  By: JOSHUA LYNSEN  | COMMENTS     

Chris Crain, executive editor of the Washington Blade, is leaving the paper and its parent company Window Media later this month to join his partner in Brazil.

Crain, who co-founded Window Media and will remain one of its owners, will leave the newspaper Sept. 15.

“The Washington Blade is the country’s oldest, largest, most respected and most successful gay newspaper,” Crain said. “I have been honored to be its editor for the last five years.”

The paper’s managing editor, Kevin Naff, has been named the new editor, and will report to Jake Spencer, who arrived this week as the new publisher of the Blade.

Crain said his departure, along with two other, unrelated vacancies in the Blade’s editing team, will allow “Kevin Naff the opportunity to take the newspaper in whatever direction he and Jake Spencer want.” Brian Moylan, the paper’s features editor, will leave at the end of September, and the news editor position is also open.

“With the support of a lot of very talented and dedicated people, we’ve accomplished my original goal of raising the bar in gay media,” Crain said of his five-year tenure with the Blade and nine years with Window Media. “By leaving at the same time the new Blade publisher starts, the staff will get a fresh start that should serve the readers well.”

Since August 1997, Crain has been editorial director for Window Media, overseeing the company’s editorial operations.

Naff, who has served as managing editor for nearly four years, will assume responsibility for editing the Blade on Sept. 18.

“Chris has been a terrific mentor and custodian of the Blade’s proud journalistic history,” said Naff. “I look forward to continuing the paper’s tradition of quality journalism.”

Spencer, who started as publisher Sept. 5, said he’s proud to lead a newspaper that ranks among “the most respected gay and lesbian publications in the United States.”

“I’ve been a reader and an admirer of the Blade for many years, and the opportunity to help lead it and guide it at this point in its existence is important to me,” he said. “I think the Blade has a brilliant future, and I want to play a role in helping to realize that future.”

Spencer: 25 years experience

A 59-year-old gay man who lives in Annapolis, Md., Spencer has more than 25 years of newspaper experience.

He previously served as publisher of the Advertiser Tribune in Ohio and the York Daily Record in Pennsylvania. More recently, he owned and operated several trade journals serving the print industry.

trong>Jake Spencer, a gay man with 25 years publishing experience takes the reins as the Blade’s new publisher.

“The editorial page is going to be the publisher’s page,” he said. “I’ll be working closely with the editorial department to address issues that should be addressed on that page.”

“I also hope to develop strong ties to many leading community organizations,” he said, “so that we are sensitive to issues that develop in the community.”

Spencer said as publisher, he’ll also seek to enhance the newspaper’s advertising base.

“Ad sales are strong, although I recognize that there are some aspects of the market that we aren’t serving as well as we should,” he said. “My role is to strengthen those areas, and continue our strength in the areas where we’re already doing well.”

Spencer said the Blade’s online presence also will be strengthened in the months ahead. Improvements to the Blade’s website have more than tripled traffic in the last two years.

“We’re going to continue to strengthen and improve our online presence,” he said. “Hopefully, most of those changes and improvements will be relatively transparent to the average reader.”

Kevin Smith will serve as director of online operations for the Blade and its sister publications in Atlanta, Houston and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Crain plans Brazil move

Crain, meanwhile, is planning his move to Brazil. The 41-year-old gay man said he is moving to Rio De Janeiro to be with his 31-year-old partner, who is Brazilian. The two have been a couple for almost two years.

But Crain said the long-distance relationship “has been very difficult for my partner and me, and there are no immediate prospects for bringing him to the U.S., even to visit.”

Crain’s partner cannot move to the U.S. because this country’s laws do not recognize gay or lesbian relationships for immigration purposes.

A proposed solution, the Uniting American Families Act, would ...