Jamie Moses, founder and publisher of Artvoice, and real estate developer Frank Parlato Jr., owner of the Niagara Falls Reporter, are joining forces.

The partnership occurs as Artvoice, the 25-year-old alternative weekly, has been weighed down by debt and challenged by the Public, created by former Artvoice staffers last October.

Parlato said both Artvoice, which focuses on arts and culture, and the Reporter, an aggressive weekly tabloid some critics consider one-sided and mean-spirited, would be strengthened by combining resources.

Readers accustomed to Artvoice’s liberal leanings may be surprised to learn Parlato – a libertarian who is wary of government and believes strongly in personal freedom – is an admirer of Donald Trump.

“I admire that Trump is strong, and I very much admire his confidence, the man’s don’t-back-down attitude and the fact that he looks to argue that America has a right as a nation to be as good as it can be,” said Parlato, who will become editor in chief.

He said he wants to bring more conservative perspectives to Artvoice.

“I think there is room for both views,” Parlato said. “It can create an intensity that makes a publication vibrant.”

Moses will be publisher and Parlato, in addition to being editor in chief, also will serve as chief financial officer of the two papers as well as for two additional smaller community papers, the South Buffalo News and the Front Page, based in Lackawanna.

Tony Farina, an investigative reporter with the Reporter, will be city editor and reporter for both papers. Farina, 72, began his journalism career in 1966, and was previously an investigative reporter for the Buffalo Courier-Express and for Channels 2 and 7.