The new print and online publication, the South Florida Gay News.com will be published on Mondays, with more than twelve thousand copies slated for distribution in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

Nicknamed SFGN, Kent said he purposely chose a hard copy newspaper name with a "dot com" in the masthead "in order to accommodate and acknowledge; promote and link the diverse media platforms a 21st century newspaper has to deliver. Our developing website will be up and running this week."

"The bottom line is that we are going to publish a fiercely independent publication, a credible and legitimate weekly newspaper, which will feature topical news, cutting-edge issues, outspoken columnists, and articles capturing the breadth and diversity of gay life," according to a press release issued by Kent.

Kent is no stranger to publishing. In 1999 he published The Express Gay News - the first credible weekly newspaper for South Florida's gay and lesbian community.

Four years later he sold the paper to Unite Media which then published the paper under the banner of The Express, which eventually became the South Florida Blade, under ownership of Window Media.

Kent's announcement comes just one month following the closure of the South Florida Blade and 411 Magazine. The two south Florida-based gay publications were among six publications shuttered when Window Media succumbed to Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November.

The other publications were the Atlanta-based Southern Voice and David Atlanta, the Houston Voice, and the Washington Blade.

SFGN is the second gay publication to launch in South Florida.

Immediately after South Florida Blade closed in November, Mark's List, a South Florida-based online site, launched its own gay newspaper, Florida Agenda.

Last month, former employees of the Washington Blade launched DC Agenda, and earlier this month the founder of Southern Voice announced plans to launch the GA Voice in Atlanta.

The first issue of South Florida Gay News.com is expected to be published on January 25.

The GA Voice (pronounce it as you wish, its creators say) is set to debut early next year both online and in print, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"We've pretty much got the money for the pre-launch expenses," said Chris Cash, founder of Southern Voice and publisher of the soon-to-debut GA Voice. "We're in the process now of forming our core team."

"You'll probably see us online before you see the print version," she said.

Last week the Lloyd E. Russell Foundation gave the duo $12,000 in matching funds for the new news outlet. Cash said they're still seeking donations at www.savesovo.com.

The announcement comes just weeks following the closure of the SoVo and it's sister publication, David Atlanta. The two Atlanta-based gay publications were among six shuttered by Window Media, which succumbed to Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November.

The other publications were the South Florida Blade and 411 Magazine, based in Fort Lauderdale, the Houston Voice, and the Washington Blade.

Just days following the closures, Washington Blade employees rallied to launch DC Agenda, a replacement publication in the District of Columbia.

Following the Blade's surprise closure earlier this week, some former employees decided to rally around their craft and put together a new paper and Web site to serve the LGBTQ community in the nation's capital. The result is the DC Agenda.

Publisher Lynne Brown and Editor Kevin Naff said in a letter posted online that "the staff of the paper remains united," and currently is working on a volunteer basis.

"The strength of the Washington Blade did not lie in its brand name — it came from the spirit of those who worked passionately to serve and inform our community. Those people are still here. Our work continues," writes Naff in today's inaugural edition of the DC Agenda.

The Washington Blade, founded in 1969, was considered one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience; it's owner, Window Media, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Monday.

The paper's staff is seeking financial support to cover the costs of printing, distribution, equipment and other related activities, and donations can be made at SaveTheBlade.com.

The paper's nearly two-dozen employees arrived at their downtown offices Monday, only to be ordered to clear out their desks by mid-afternoon.

Steven Myers, co-president of the paper's owner, Atlanta-based Window Media, said the company also ceased operations at its other gay-oriented publications and websites, which include the Southern Voice newspaper and David magazine in Atlanta, and the South Florida Blade and 411 magazine in Florida.

"It's a shock. I'm almost speechless, really," said Lou Chibbaro Jr., a Blade reporter who has written for the newspaper since 1976, covering the full arc of the country's gay-rights movement, from early marches through the rise of AIDS and on to the latest battles over legalizing same-sex marriage.

Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, said when he arrived to work Monday morning, he was met by two corporate officers from Window Media, notifying him that his paper would be shut down immediately.

"The bottom line was they filed for Chapter 7, which means liquidation," Naff said. "I think a lot of us expected a Chapter 11 reorganization, but they didn't go that route and I guess the creditors wanted out."

Staffers of the Blade plan to meet Tuesday to organize an effort to revive the newspaper.

The Blade, founded in 1969, was considered one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience.