May 29, 2007 News

Kate Sekules takes over June 11 as editor of Culture & Travel, which is described as covering travel from an arts perspective and emphasizes cultural destinations, festivals, architecture and the performing arts. The web site is devoid of magazine content, but you can see its April/May issue table of contents here to get an idea of what they do.


For those of you who don't already know, here's some depressing news from LA Times columnist Al Martinez:

Subject: buyout
To all: I dislike rumors and so I take these means to tell you all that I am a victim of the buyout/layoff frenzy. My final column for a newspaper I have worked for since 1972, in a business I have been a part of since 1952, winning more awards and honors than would ever fit on my wall, will be Friday, June 1st. I always thought that I would be the one to decide when it was time to walk away, when my prose faltered and my thinking blurred. But that's not the way it works anymore with the owners we have in the climate that exists. Too bad. I think I deserved a better way of ending such a long and honorable career.

If this disappoints you as much as it did me, send your thoughts to Publisher David Hiller and Editor James O'Shea. You'll get a "form letter" reply from each, but at least there will be some additional rumbling about the decision.


And in other distressing buyout-oriented news, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is eliminating most positions for arts critics and editors, including those now held by classical music critic Pierre Ruhe, book editor Teresa Weaver, and visual arts critic Catherine Fox. Film critic Eleanor Ringel was one of about 40 senior staffers who accepted a buyout offer. According to a Musical America story "Two cultural writers, theater critic Wendell Brock and food critic Meridith Ford, will keep their current gigs. Everyone else, including such workhouse types as pop music critic Nick Marino, was required to reapply for jobs which may – or may not – be similar to their present assignments."


I sent a few emails to Entertainment Tonight that came back because I had the outdated @paramount.com extension, and it's now cbsparamount.com, so check your lists in case you're as un-current as I was.


The weekly Westside Chronicle, covering community news in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and West L.A., has moved its offices from Santa Monica to 6406 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 750, Los Angeles, CA 90048. 323 653-4500 phone, 323 653-4507 fax.


Join KCSN FM Program Director Martin Perlich for a book signing The Art of the Interview and reception on Thursday, June 14, 7 to 9 p.m., at Samuel French Theatre and Film Bookshop, 11963 Ventura Blvd., Studio City.

May 21, 2007 News

KCSN Program Director (and all-around great guy) Martin Perlich conducts terrific in-person interviews at KCSN 88.5 FM weekday afternoons, 4 p.m., with a wide range of performers, authors and others of that ilk, but I didn't realize until a helpful tip that he also hosts a show called "The Audition Booth" which previews new releases of classical and roots music and welcomes composers or artists on the show to play and discuss their work. It airs weekdays at 2 p.m.

By the way, Martin's terrific book, The Art of the Interview, is available from Amazon.


You'll find New Angeles Monthly from Southland Publishing (LA CityBeat, Pasadena Weekly, etc. ) on the stands in June. It's described on its presumably to-be-expanded website as "devoted to the revival of intellectual and cultural life on Los Angeles'Eastside," and the contact is Editor Nikki Bazar.


Did you know that you can get emailed a list of New York Times staff members who have made their e-mail addresses public? It'll be sent to you automatically in response to your e-mail to staff@nytimes.com. The list changes frequently, so it's a good idea to re-send periodically.

O, The Oprah Magazine has named Celia Barbour a contributing food editor.

Sounds like RealTalk LA, which is spotlighted in my last post, might not be long for this world, if online rumors prove true. Keep an eye on LA Observed or updates.

Remember to send me your ideas for IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS! (See May 14 post)

May 14, 2007 News and Introducing New IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS Feature

Picked up a copy last week of Real Talk LA’s premiere issue (May), LA Weekly founder Jay Levin’s new monthly. His Founder’s Letter describes the magazine and its web site as having “a substantially different mission: to unmask an LA many of us don’t know about and to do so for an audience whose needs are largely neglected by existing media.” That translates in the editorial product to coverage of just about everything LA-oriented, including all the usual in a lifestyle magazine with some interesting twists, which you can see for yourself on the website. One column is “So LA” that it bears mentioning here, called “Works in Progress” which offers those who have a “new LA-based project or business you’d like to tell readers about” the ability to post it on the website, with some submissions appearing in the magazine. One that made it into the first issue is a love-themed poetry book seeking submissions; another is a documentary about six Hollywood master craftsmen looking for financing (the film, not the men). Real Talk LA’s Editor is Judita “Judi” Jordan, Datebook (an event/photo/sidebar-rich calendar) and Music Editor is Phat X. Chiem, and Food Editor is Steve Coulter (send restaurant suggestions to food@realtalkla.com), to name a few contacts. 1640 N. Spring Street, LA 90012. 323 221-5545.


Add new Pasadena Weekly Calendar Editor John Sollenberger to your email list, but keep erstwhile Calendar Editor Carl Kozlowski on your list because he plays that role for Senior Life Magazine, now called Life After 50 and run by the same folks who publish Pasadena Weekly, Arroyo Monthly, Ventana (Ventura) and more.

Unfortunately, LA Observed reports this morning that the LA Times’ School Me blog is “going into hibernation” and that blog writer Janine Kahn is leaving for a post as editor of the OC Weekly web site.

This happened a few months back, but I just got the update (and this blog is only a few weeks old, so…). The Glendale News Press no longer includes La Canada in its coverage (closing down the Foothill Leader),deferring that area to the La Canada Valley Sun. GNP focuses on Glendale, La Crescenta and Montrose, and its sister publication, the Burbank Leader, looks inward (to Burbank, that is). Joyce Rudolph remains features editor of both. We all already know that all three papers are part of the Los Angeles Times/Tribune empire.

NEW FEATURE: IT'S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS

I’m supposed to be on vacation this week, so I’ll end here, but not before introducing a new feature on this blog titled IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS that only a publicist will appreciate. This occasional section offers us the opportunity to vent about the most infuriating, idiotic, ignorant or otherwise lame comment someone has made about a publicist’s work. Item one (and the idea for this feature) came when I congratulated a good friend for the press coverage she’d generated on a new project. In her response, she thanked me profusely for noticing, remarking that all she usually hears is, “Did you know about this?” She adds, “Ugh – what do they think I do?”

I look forward to reading anything you want to contribute to IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS, and it will all be posted anonymously (unless for some reason you ask me to put your name in my blog’s “lights.” Submit away to laura.stegman@hotmail.com

May 8, 2007 News

Alfred Lee starts May 14 as the new Calendar Editor at L.A. City Beat, taking the place of Rebecca Epstein who was promoted to Arts Editor.


In June, Karl Vick takes over as Washington Post L.A. Bureau Chief. William Booth is still the local correspondent who writes for the Style section and covers the arts.

KKJZ is now KJAZZ, with a freshly redesigned web site.

MartiniRepublic.com is no more, and there's a juicy-dishy interview with its founder at laist.com

Matthew Breen is the new arts/entertainment editor for Out Magazine and Out.com, working from the New York office. He's interested in knowing about upcoming films, TV, music, books, theater, dance, performance, and art. In April, they were working on the July issue.

Matthew Breen, Associate Editor
Out Magazine
245 West 17th Street, Suite 1200
New York, NY 10011
212.209.5307 phone
212.242.8364 fax
matthew.breen@planetoutinc.com

Jeffrey Epstein (formerly Out's West Coast Editor) joined Us Weekly (Los Angeles office) in April as Entertainment Editor responsible for celebrity, television, film, theater and music coverage.

May 2, 2007 News

Everyone in the world has likely read about LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner's transformation into Christine Daniels, but I recommend checking out the ongoing chronicle of the adventure on her Times blog:
http://latimesblogs.typepad.com/womaninprogress/

The Times has another blog that's a terrific PR pitch opportunity for classroom/education-related web-site (only) stories:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/schoolme/school_snaps/index.html

Contact Education Blogger Janine Kahn (janine.kahn@latimes.com), and if she's interested, she'll visit the school to take pix and post a story to this section or the Gallery, where she recently covered a client of mine:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/schoolme/2007/04/the_gallery_sym.html

May 1, 2007 News

Here's what's new from the last week or so...

Cerise Valenzuela, Daily Breeze's assistant features editor, has departed, and I'm told all feature and entertainment pitches go to Features Editor Leo Smith, leo.smith@dailybreeze.com. Jim Farber's still on board as classical, art and theater writer.

Rebecca Epstein is the new arts editor at City Beat, promoted from calendar editor and replacing Natalie Nichols, who leaves to "do more writing," as she put it on her blog (http://hipspinster.blogspot.com/2007/05/free-girl-now.html). Reach Rebecca at Rebeccae@lacitybeat.com

P.J. Ochlan, in addition to doing his "Arts Report" pieces at KMZT Classical Radio, is now handling interviews at jazz station KKJZ FM. pochlan@mountwilsoninc.com

The excellent new arts site FineArtsLA.com has an easy-to-post-to calendar for arts events: http://www.fineartsla.com/

Keep me posted on any news you uncover!

Welcome!

Welcome to my Los Angeles Media Moves blog, an information tool for PR folks in Southern California (of which I am one) with updates about changes in contacts at (mainly) Los Angeles-area media outlets. It's intended not as a media directory but instead as a "who's gone where now" resource.

I'll post news as I get it in my own research, and I'd be happy to post tips you'd like to pass on.

Feel free to email me at laura.stegman@hotmail.com