INtake/Indy.com/Metromix

The free Thursday off-shoot of the Indianapolis Star is once again going through a name change.

An editorial in today’s edition of indy.com says that, in the renamed and redesigned Metromix, “we’ll be hitting the topics you asked us to feature more frequently: dining, music, bars and clubs, movies, TV, local events, video games and celebrities.”

I often get questioned about how I feel regarding “the competition” in this market. My sincere response is that I believe the more vibrant, interesting, engaging, thoughtful coverage we have on A&E matters, the better. But by “A&E matters,” I don’t mean celebrity gossip, press-release re-writing or material that can be found just as easily from a hundred other sources. It’s difficult for a city to thrive culturally without critical commentary and the encouragement of excellence and I’m hoping that this latest transformation doesn’t reduce even further the coverage by local writers of local events, restaurants, and attractions.

So what would you like to see in the revamped INtake/indy.com/metromix when it comes to coverage of local A&E? What has been your take on the previous incarnations? And where to you stand in the ongoing battle between the Star’s freebie (by whatever name) and Nuvo Newsweekly?

Your thoughts?