Keith Spera, longtime music reporter for the Times-Picayune / NOLA.com, has announced that he has resigned from his position at the company. His last day will be this Friday, October 2.
Slash and Keith Spera.
Spera’s move comes just a couple of weeks after the Times-Picayune laid off a substantial portion of its staff as part of a reshuffle. Music reporter Alison Fensterstock was cut during the round of layoffs, while Spera was offered a job as Metro news writer that would have allowed him to “write the occasional music-related news story.”
Spera, who was an editor at Offbeat from 1991 to 1996, confirmed his exit via a statement on his Facebook page that reads:
When I was first hired by The Times-Picayune in 1996 to write about music, I never imagined remaining on the job for 19 years. That’s a lot of concerts, a lot of late nights, and a lot of incredible experiences and memories. There’s no better city in which to write about music than New Orleans. And to share in a Pulitzer Prize with fellow members of the newspaper’s Hurricane Katrina coverage team was an honor and thrill.
As NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune adapts to an increasingly difficult environment for media organizations, the company has changed immensely. As part of the most recent change, my fellow music writer Alison Fensterstock, for whom I have the utmost respect, was laid off, and I was asked to take on a different role as a metro news reporter.
I very much appreciated the opportunity to remain with the company. However, I did not feel that I could do justice to this new assignment. If I couldn’t commit 100 percent, that wouldn’t be fair to the organization, my colleagues, readers or myself. And if there was ever a time to discover what other opportunities might be out there, journalistic or otherwise, this was it. Thus, I’m leaving NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. My last day is Friday, Oct. 2.
As my wife can attest, I’m not necessarily a big fan of change. Taking this leap is bittersweet, and a bit scary, especially with three young children (whose “Paternity Test” adventures I will continue to chronicle, hopefully in book form). And I’ll miss working with so many great journalists and friends. But I look forward to hanging out my own shingle for the first time in nearly 20 years to see what happens.
Spera’s contributions to the New Orleans music scene will not be forgotten, and his reporting will surely be missed. We wish him the best of luck, and look forward to seeing what he does next.
