Based in Phoenix, Ariz., the New Times chain of alt-weeklies started in 1970, with the founding of what became the "Phoenix New Times" as a direct response to the Vietnam War and the shootings at Kent State. Under the leadership of executive editor Michael Lacey and publisher Jim Larkin, the company expanded to several other cities, eventually merging with New York's "Village Voice" and other papers to become Village Voice Media in 2005. The new company boasted 17 alt-weeklies from coast to coast.