November 30, 2009 News

LA Observed breaks the news that LA Times Readers Rep Jamie Gold is leaving the paper and speculates…

…it's unclear if her exit is part of the fairly large newsroom reduction (via buyouts and layoffs) that staffers expect to hit next week. The buzz is that several staffers who lose their jobs will be invited back as contract workers, at lower pay and without benefits, to begin once the calendar year turns over on Dec. 31…

More LA Times… read the announcement of its new hire, "Steven Zeitchik [who] is joining The Times’ entertainment team as a reporter and blogger assigned to cover the movie industry."

So sad to read about Mike Penner's death…


Downtown News writer Anna Scott debuted her own blog a few weeks ago, with this welcome message:

This is a blog about LA people. Or, to put it more fancifully, Angelenos revealed, one question at a time. That's pretty much it. Angel City will consist entirely of Q&As with all kinds of Los Angeles denizens, from Hollywood types to barflies to artists (not that those descriptions are mutually exclusive, but you get the idea).

And who will be conducting said interviews? That would be me, Anna Scott, an L.A.-based journalist and dancing fool.

According to this FishbowlDC post, the Washington Post…

… is closing their offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Three news aides will be let go but the reporters in those cities have been offered positions in Washington.

Effective date is December 31. Take link above for more details.


For anyone who missed this, dated November 16:

The following Playbill.com editors and writers can be reached at the following address and phone number:

Playbill.com
525 Seventh Ave.
Suite 1801
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212-557-5757
Fax: 212-661-5866

Andrew Gans: Ext. 166
Ken Jones: Ext. 133
Adam Hetrick: Ext. 114
Ernio Hernandez: Ext. 112
Matt Blank: Ext. 140

This from FishbowlLA is also from November:

Dennis Romero has been hired as news blogger for the LA Weekly. In the month since former blog editor Steven Mikulan parted ways with the paper, Romero has been a regular contributor to LA Daily. Editor Drex Heikes announced to the staff [in November] that Romero would join the paper as a full-time staffer.

This makes my heart sing… Don Shirley is back, at the wonderful LA Stage blog…

"…to blog about theater in the L.A. area. He has observed the scene since the early ’80s: as a KCRW contributor and a Los Angeles Times free-lancer, as a Times staff reporter and frequent reviewer from 1990 to 2006, and as the theater critic of LA CityBeat from 2006 until the alternative newspaper and web site folded earlier this year.

Don will choose his own topics and will express his own opinions, which are not necessarily those of the LA Stage Alliance or its members. He welcomes disagreeing comments — especially those that are thoughtful and civil. He hopes to post fresh commentary frequently. Please join the conversations."

This, on the other hand, makes my blood boil… LA Observed has a memo from the LA Times which says…

… the Entertainment Department has openings for two general assignment reporters who can write news and features across the full spectrum of our coverage areas -- from fine art, theater and classical music to movies, television and pop culture.

LA Observed surmises, and I have no doubt of it, that they're looking to replace the already excellent writers they laid off with those who might work for less. Disheartening. And a whole bunch of other adjectives I'd rather not use.


More LA Times-related stuff…

Since my last posting – and you don't need a weatherman to see which direction my finger is pointing – the Times had a bunch more layoffs last month. Among those no longer there are Barbara Thornburg; Diane Haithman,Tina Daunt and Ken Hively.

Cision reports that Metromix Los Angeles music editor Scott Sterling is also gone.

Kurt Streeter has segued from sports columnist to metro columnist, and he will, according to Cision, "focus on producing more long-form front page stories."

The aforementioned Ken Hively, photographer, has set up his own business. Reach him @gmail.com: kenhivelyphotography. He has a web site coming soon. I have a phone number, which I'll email directly if you let me know you want it. Thanks to the fabulous Nancy Hereford for the tip.


More from Cision:

Entertainment industry site TheWrap.com has nabbed recently laid off LA Weekly staff writer Steven Mikulan. His new column, L.A. Noir, will focus on the intersection of celebrities, crime, Los Angeles media and the entertainment industry. Also joining the site as deputy editor is Josh Dickey, who ends a decade of work with the Associated Press.

According to the person who answered the AP phone, long-time AP-er Steve Loeper is currently Deputy Entertainment Editor.


Also from Cision:

The Press-Enterprise in Southern California has made cuts in its newsroom and six staffers have been affected. Julia Glick, metro reporter; Sonja Bjelland, metro reporter; Sean Nealon, higher education reporter; Chris Richard, regional reporter; Melanie Johnson, education reporter; and Melissa Eiselein, community news reporter, have been laid off from the daily.

and

Sister stations KVEA-TV and KWHY-TV in Burbank, Calif. have each canceled one of their Spanish language newscasts. KVEA-TV's Buenos Dias, which aired on Mondays through Fridays from 6am to 7am, and KWHY-TV's Primero de la Tarde, which aired on Mondays through Fridays from 1pm through 2pm, have been canceled.

and

Unquiet Thoughts is a new music blog www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/alexross hosted on The New Yorker's Web site. It features notes on music by Alex Ross, who also serves as a music critic for The New Yorker. The blog, which Ross began on October 14, 2009, provides music commentary, continuations of his New Yorker pieces, audio excerpts from recommended new CDs, videos and more.

Tim Mangan's classical music blog on the OC Register site has a new "address" -- be sure to bookmark it!


Jason Middleton is now consulting for LA.com and is no longer the editor.


Jenny Peters announces on Facebook:

Jenny Peters is happy to announce that she is the new Editor in Chief of "Bel Air Magazine," a bimonthly luxury lifestyle print and web magazine scheduled to begin publishing [next spring]. Let the pitching begin! And if you would like to advertise to the residents of Bel Air, the Holmby Hills, and Beverly Hills, have we got a deal for you! All other outlets remain in place here, by the way. Here's to a profitable 2010!!

RIP Metropolitan Home magazine, as of the December issue. More from LA Observed here.


StyleSectionLA's Emili Vesilind reported about two weeks ago that Leila Baboi, West Coast market editor for Women’s Wear Daily, was laid off. More here.


Also from a few weeks back, Gawker says:

We're told the Los Angeles bureau [of Forbes] has been eliminated, along with LA-based staff writer Evan Hessel. We also hear Scott Woolley has been axed.

The full post with news of lots of other "brutal" Forbes layoffs is here.


LAIst reports that KPFK is beefing up its schedule with daily news programming. Details here.


And finally, thanks to the well-connected Flo Selfman for passing this along from Lynn Weiss

After 12 years, as hard as it is for me to believe, I am leaving Entertainment Weekly. (Sure, I was tempted to go for the baker’s dozen, but why be greedy?) However, I’m leaving for an exciting new opportunity: I will be heading up New York Magazine’s entertainment blog, Vulture.com. Starting next January, we’ll be expanding it into a national site, with a staff of breaking-news reporters, sharp bloggers, and savvy TV recappers, and unique new site features. I’m sure I’ll be working with you when I get over there (I start Tuesday, Nov. 17; my last day at EW is tomorrow), so please keep me on your mailing list and email alerts. My new contact info @nymag.com is Josh_Wolk.

P.S. Just a quick shout-out to the late ultra-publicist Frank Liberman, who's gone off to that great clipping service in the sky. I'm looking forward to the celebration of his life at a memorial service this weekend. I've known Frank since I was a little girl, and I'm sure many of you do too.

October 19, 2009 News

Thanks to the wonderful Lucy Pollak for passing along the latest arts contacts from the LA Times, with the caveat that “this is still all in flux for now.”

Kelly Scott - Theater
Sherry Stern - Dance and Music
Bret Israel - Art & Architecture

In other LA Times news, the magazine is taken back under the newsroom’s control and Editor Annie Gilbar is let go, with Nancie Clare, previously deputy editor, assuming Annie’s title. Read the press release here.

And according to Cision:

Martin Miller has been named TV editor at the Los Angeles Times. He most recently was an assistant arts and entertainment editor for the daily and before that, he was a television staff writer. He also has covered health and lifestyle and was a writer in the features department.

Thanks also to Larry Mayer, who passes this along…

KCSN dropped ALL classical music announcers and is now automated, at least from 6am -6pm weekdays.

Writer Steven Mikulan is gone from LA Weekly. Details here.

October 12, 2009 News

SO MUCH to catch up on… I’ve been super swamped without a second to post. Some of the info below is a little old, but in case you missed it, it’s all here. Thanks to everyone who wondered if I’d fallen off the edge of the earth!


DAMN! This last week from Cision:

Michelle Grabicki has departed The Hollywood Reporter, where she served as associate editor, features and oversaw the About Town page. No replacement has been named.

LA TIMES

1. GREAT NEWS from the Times for us PR types with fundraiser-party clients: Ellen Olivier is now covering same for the Image section! She writes:

"Scene & Heard"… will also be online, and feature additional photos.

Reach her @society-news.com (ellen.olivier)

2. DEPUTY ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR SHERRY STERN TAKES OVER THEATRE REVIEW AND FEATURE ASSIGNMENTS FROM LISA FUNG. Lisa’s promotion is described as follows:

The Los Angeles Times today announced Lisa Fung as Online Arts & Entertainment Editor. In her new role she will oversee round-the-clock multimedia coverage of all arts and entertainment, including Calendar, The Envelope and Company Town, as well as more than a dozen latimes.com blogs. In addition, Fung is charged with developing new online properties and services to enhance The Times' standing as the definitive source for news, information and analysis about pop culture, celebrity, movies, music, television, social media, video games, arts, culture, awards and the business of Hollywood.

Full story here.

Congratulations, Lisa!

3. SEAN GALLAGHER is the Times’ web site’s new managing editor replacing Meredith Artley who left to join CNN.com.

4. From Cision:

JIM NEWTON [stepped] down Sept. 28 as editorial page editor of the Los Angeles Times. He will become an editor at large of the section, and deputy editorial page editor Nicholas Goldberg will replace him as editor.

4. This, also from Cision, happened a while ago…

DONNA FRAZIER is no longer at the Los Angeles Times. She had served as the executive editor of the Image section… No replacement has been named, but relevant pitches can be directed to Image editor Booth Moore.


And of course you’ve all heard by now last week’s announcement of the demise of Gourmet Magazine, after the November issue, and three other Conde Nast publications: Cookie, Elegant Bride, and Modern Bride. Here’s the New York Times’ take on it.


Good to hear from the wonderful Michael Burr in early September. He writes:

Just wanted to let you know that I will be reporting for RadarOnline.com. Please keep me in mind for any interesting celebrity news, stories and items. Many thanks for your help and I look forward to working with you soon!!

Reach him via gmail.com -- michaelburrla


Frontiers Editor Aaron Drake writes to say:

I’ll be handling all the Theater Listings and Reviews for the magazine, please direct all Theater-related materials to me – Brian Padgett is no longer working at Frontiers.

The masthead lists Drake alongside the mag’s other Editor Stephan Horbelt.


Has anyone else used Cision’s Journalist Tweets? They have a free email alert function that I just signed up for to see how/if it works.


Be sure to check out writer Pauline Adamek‘s new site, www.ArtsBeatLA.com, which features “timely reviews and information about Los Angeles Theater, Concerts, Opera and Art, also Films and Books.”


The Daily Breeze’s Toni Sciacqua has been promoted from managing editor to editor. According to Cision, the ME post won’t be filled. Follow her here on Twitter. Congrats, Toni!


Congratulations are also in order for AP Music Editor Nekesa Moody, whose nuptials I read about in Sunday’s New York Times; this wonderful wedding section is one of the Times' weekend hightlights for me. The people-driven coverage of mostly ordinary folks and how they met/courted focuses on telling a good tale. For the random famous person covered (not that often), it’s the story rather than their celebrity that’s important -- case in point is the wedding of John Kerry’s daughter, also covered today. Wonder if the LA Times would EVER do anything like that?


Thanks to the fabulous Lucy Pollak, who passed this along last month

Style Section L.A., a website dedicated to showcasing the talents and trends that shape style in Los Angeles, launches [September 9] at StyleSectionLA.com.

The site was co-founded by veteran L.A. fashion writers Emili Vesilind, Erin Weinger and Andrew Harmon, after they found themselves in the freelance pool following the major downsizing of style reporters at newspapers and magazines last year.

The mission? Marry evocative storytelling and gorgeous photography with modern-day speed and spunk, while cluing users in on the city's rich cultural landscape-from that ultra-happening bar in K-Town and the secret shopping spots of local style arbiters to the profound social implications of side ponytails.

Stories in the first month include a profile on L.A. designer Kimberly Ovitz, a video of American Idol's Jackie Tohn navigating L.A.'s jankiest thrift stores, a fashion shoot spotlighting L.A. fashion designers with "Fame" co-star Kay Panabaker and a feature story and portrait series that calls out some of L.A.'s (somewhat) unsung influentials, including dancer/choreographer Ryan Heffington and Wren designer Melissa Coker.

Emili Vesilind is a former Fashion Staff Writer for the Los Angeles Times and West Coast Retail Editor for WWD. Andrew Harmon is the former West Coast Editor of men's fashion bible DNR, and current Senior News Editor for The Advocate. Erin Weinger is a former Fashion Staff Writer for the Los Angeles Times.

They suggest using this email @stylesectionla.com: editors. But we know better. See specific contacts on their Contact page.


Ran into respected music writer Tim Mangan at the Hollywood Bowl in late August, which reminded me that I need to read his arts blog at the Orange County Register more often. You do too. Check it out here.

Same for Al Martinez's work. Check out his post on his 60th wedding anniversary.


From the New York Observer some weeks ago:

Jon Landman, the New York Times' deputy managing editor, is the paper's new culture editor.

More here.


Thanks to mannfolk PR's Omar Cunningham for passing along this info (some weeks ago) from Signature Magazine's publishers:

Hellin Kay has been appointed the Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director of Signature Magazine. She joins us with over a decade of experience in every facet of the fashion industry and publications in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently she was West Coast Fashion Editor for WWD in Los Angeles . Hellin has been staff Fashion Director and photographer for Russian Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle and Spoon Paris as well as a freelance contributor to L'Uomo Vogue, British Vogue, i-D, Elle, Nylon, French, Blackbook, Celeste, and Preen. Her personal photography work and short films have been published in books and exhibited in New York, London and Moscow .

Kay's email address at signatureladirect.com is hkay@.

The magazine’s full masthead is here.


This (from the New York Post) is also from a while ago, so I don’t know if there have been any updates, but if it’s true, it's very sad:

After failing to sell their guidebook empire for $200 million, Upper West Siders Tim and Nina Zagat are not only putting off their retirement plans, they're struggling to keep it afloat.

Over the last three decades, the pioneering Zagats -- he's 69 and she's 67 -- have turned a hobby that started in a Manhattan apartment kitchen into a brand that sells millions of books, reviewing eateries, hotels and leisure spots in 104 countries. But it is losing substantial ground to online rivals, including Chowhound and Yelp, said a source familiar with the matter.

Yelp? PLEASE. I can't begin to count the number of incredibly annoying phone calls I've gotten from their seemingly endless sales reps wanting to help a client "enhance" their presence on Yelp – for a few bucks, of course.


Read about how "KTLA-TV’s Leila Feinstein will now create and produce a daily healthcare initiative" in this LA Observed post.


Per an auto-reply email last month, Aimee Machado no longer works at KPCC.


Johan Graham, who runs a benefit auction firm, was (in August) looking for a PR specialist "to help me get my name out. If you are interested please contact me at 760-954-9964 and feel free to check my web-site at www.auctioneerist.com."


OK… that’s it for now!

August 24, 2009 News

New-ish editor for Valley Life Magazine is Deborah Shadovitz.


Gawker reports layoffs at Salon.com, including Culture Editor Joy Press.


Thanks to LA Observed for the tip that former LA Weekly music writer John Payne debuted a new music website, bluefat, recently. From the home page:

Welcome to bluefat, a magazine for music, film and visual art devotees with open minds and a fondness for the diverse. Updated weekly, bluefat is a deep plunge into works spanning wide formal regions, from rock, pop, jazz and folk to international traditional music, contemporary classical music and new-/non-genre sounds, as well as commentary on groundbreaking new filmmakers. In-depth conversations with artists forging paths outside the boundaries of popular taste visit realms where pure expression is the name of the game.

CAN YOU HELP?

Writer Debra Levine sends this along…

Save Film at LACMA, a three-week-old grassroots movement founded to convince the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to reverse its decision in cutting a valued forty-year-running classic film program, is looking for a pro-bono partner in the area of public relations.

In three short weeks, we have attracted a significant following in our online petition online that presently has more than 2,500 signatures.

The effort is sponsored by a blog. It has an affiliated facebook group – 3,500 fans -- and twitter feed.

We have had significant coverage in the Los Angeles Times, on TIME.com, and a major article in the New York Times is anticipated this week. We need to keep our interactive online campaign fresh and add to our print coverage. We anticipate the need to reach out to television to cover our upcoming celebrity-filled “Popcorn” summit with LACMA on September 1.

Please reach out by email or phone 323 662 0261 to Debra Levine (debra@levineonline.com) at Save Film at LACMA. We’re already rocking; we want to keep rolling! We need your help. Many thanks!

August 10, 2009 News

 The contact for Local News Service, the new pool news crew for KNBC, KTLA and FOX, is Ellen Winston at KNBC. Her @nbcuni.com address is ellen.winston.


Thanks to the intrepid Lucy Pollak for passing this on from Alexis Johnson, late of Angeleno:

I hope this finds everyone well. Just wanted to let you know that today [August 6] is my last day at Angeleno--after three phenomenal years, I've decided to go back to USC to get a master's in public art studies. I will still be frequently freelancing for the magazine, covering beauty and culture, but am also helping launch a new, LA-based style website on September 1st with a few former LA Times Image section writers (details to come).

For future fashion and party coverage pitches, contact Jade Chang (jchang). For all calendar requests, send press releases to eventsla.
[addresses are @modernluxury.com]

Alexis's @gmail.com address is alexismarissajohnson, and her web site is here.


And thanks to Mannfolk PR's Omar Cunningham for this tip:

Eryka Clayton, Ed/Chf of Signature LA Direct Magazine, just shot out a "moving on" email stating that she is leaving the magazine to move onto her next project, which she will let us know of in the very near future.

Ex-LA Times writer Robin Rauzi, now of The Journalism Shop (see post below), passes on the news that "UCLA Live will likely be in the market for an interim publicist asap, and that interested parties should contact the marketing director Phil Rosenthal."


This is a quick shout out to the lovely Harriette Smith and her film/theatre blog. Take a look here.

 

August 3, 2009 News

Very interesting "mea culpa" from the New York Times with regard to a large number of errors in a story on the passing of Walter Cronkite.


Lynne Heffley, one of my favorite former LA Times writers, and a bunch of colleagues have debuted a web site where you can find

"highly skilled newspaper veterans interested in taking on freelance assignments. All members are former Los Angeles Times staffers offering a wide range of skills and interests, from investigative reporters to book reviewers, page designers to project managers. If you are looking for help with a complete editorial project, email us and we'll get you in touch with the right people."

Check it out here!


Speaking of former LA Times writers, veteran music critic Robert Hilburn has a book about his career coming out in the fall, Corn Flakes with John Lennon (couldn't he think of a better title? No matter, his writing is worth it whatever it's called) and a web site with blog. Take a look.


LA Times.com Entertainment Editor Richard Rushfield departs for Gawker.com as its west coast editor. Details from LA Observed here.


Perhaps connected to the above, the Times has also announced Scott Sandell's appointment as "morning entertainment editor, Calendar," with a memo, which begins:

We are pleased to name Scott Sandell as the morning entertainment editor for the Calendar and Company Town operations. In this newly created position, Scott will give us an earlier jump on the news each day and improve coordination among Calendar, Company Town, the Web, the photo and graphics departments and the rest of the paper. Working a 7 a.m.-to-3:30 p.m. shift, Scott will scour the wires, papers and the blogosphere to put together our early morning coverage. He will be responsible for an internal memo that will be distributed to senior editors at 7:30 a.m. that gives a heads-up on stories moving to the Web and enterprise on deck for the day.

Read the rest of it here.