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First, KKSF shuts down its smooth jazz radio. And now...

JazzTimes magazine announced that it has "temporarily suspended publication of the magazine and has furloughed the bulk of its staff while it finalizes a sale of its assets."

Jazz journalist Howard Mandel noted on June 5 that an associate editor of JazzTimes "until a couple of weeks ago when [he] was laid off," the magazine is in deep trouble. "There was some hope of a new buyer coming to the rescue," Mandel quotes the now-unemployed editor, "but as of my last contact with the guys it wasn't looking good." Mandel says he'd heard previously that the proposed deal fell through.

Howard's full post: http://www.artsjournal.com/jazzbeyondjazz.

Meanwhile, some writers and photographers report waiting on payments since March.

"The brand and operation will undergo reorganization and restructuring in order to remain competitive in the current media climate," says a terse announcement on the JazzTimes website. "Print publishing is expected to resume as soon as a sale is closed."

The magazine was founded by Ira Sabin in 1970 as a newsletter-type publication called Radio Free Jazz. In 1980, the magazine's name was changed to JazzTimes. In recent years, JazzTimes has claimed a circulation of 100,000.