two-twenty

let the blood bath begin

Today, the fifth of May, marks not only the anniversary of the 5 billionth drunk Mexican (or something), but also the beginning of New York City's newest media war: the battle of the bird cage liners. Yes, today AMNewYork's new competitor the  New York Metro paper hit the streets (we're not sure of their web site-- newyorkmetro is rather, uh, taken, and frankly we couldn't be troubled to look much further than that). No word yet on Vegas oddsmakers' take on the situation, but two-twenty can report the following:

At 34th and Park two pushers of the Metro paper had strategically placed themselves between that busy intersection and the entrance to the downtown 6 train at 33rd. Flustered AMNewYork slingers huddled at the bottom of the station's stairs, passing out their product to loyal customers and trying in vain to shove a second piece of crap into the hands of those poor souls who had already been accosted just moments before. Tensions appeared high. However, at 14th St./Union Square's popular southwest corner exit, sales associates representatives from both media empires stood at the top of the stairs, in close proximity, offering their wares with hands stained equally black by the smudge-prone ink of solidarity. Perhaps not chummy, but certainly not combative. AMNewYork and the Metro paper: the"Hatfields and McCoys" of free dailies, or the Donald Rumsfeld and c.1980's Saddam Hussein of worthless rags? Only time will tell.

'METRO' Free Tabloid Prepares Launch in New York City | adage.com

Metro Launches Daily in Crowded NYC Market | mediainfo.com