June 25, 2007 News

The LA Times' Lynell George is moving back to Calendar from her most recent position as senior editor at the paper's West magazine. She'll now be an Arts staff writer, reporting to Lisa Fung. LA Observed has the memo with more details.

Al Martinez's column returns to the LA Times on Mondays in the California section beginning July 2.

Stacie Gottsegen, variously with Dateline and E!, joins the Larry King Live team as a freelance senior producer. You can reach her directly at 323 993- 5107.

CityBeat Deputy Editor Dean Kuipers is leaving for a web job at the Times' Weekend Calendar section. He's not yet been replaced as of this morning, so pitch Steve Appleford in the meanwhile.

In the "at least someone's not downsizing" department, Bloomberg, the privately owned news and information company, plans to add at least 240 more reporters in 2007. They've hired 180 new writers this year and will add at least another 60 in addition to the 2,300 employed at the end of last year. According to a Financial Times story, this move sheds "light on Bloomberg's strategy for maintaining an edge over rivals Reuters and Thomson, which have agreed an $18 billion merger."

FishBowl LA reports on the OC Register's features section changes following the departure of editor Cathy Lawhon. Andre Mouchard, previously health editor, now oversees the section, including "Morning Reads." Lawhon, now apparently one of us, is Director of Media Relations for UC Irvine.

June 19, 2007 News

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Justin Davidson is New York Magazine’s just-hired classical music and architecture critic, arriving on board in September to write reviews and features on both subjects. He is the magazine’s first staff architecture critic since 2004. Davidson comes from Newsday, where he has worked as classical music critic since 1996 and architecture critic since 2002, the year he won a Pulitzer for criticism. He has written about both music and architecture for The New Yorker, and has also contributed to the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Salon, and Opera News. Davidson succeeds the recently axed Peter G. Davis.

June 18, 2007 News

Mia Sulpor has replaced Jill Tiernan as editor of Variety's V Page starting last week.


The L.A. Times' editorial staff directory on its web site claims to have been updated on June 6. Guess they forgot a few of the recently announced changes, most notably that sportswriter Mike Penner, listed in his old job as Morning Briefing writer, is now Christine Daniels. Features writer Kurt Streeter, just memo'd, per LA Observed, by Sports Editor Randy Harvey as joining his team, remains placed under the California section. And Lennie LaGuire, who took the buyout and is apparently consulting on the latest re-creation of West Magazine, is credited as being the senior calendar editor. Still, ahem, it's a generally useful resource for us PR types.


CORRECTION FROM PASADENA WEEKLY:
Since Julie Riggott left, Joe Piasecki is filling in as temporary A&E editor, and John Sollenberger remains calendar editor, not new entertainment editor as I was originally told.


A friend passes along a note from Pat McGuire, who reports that her co-editor, Chris Martins, is leaving Filter, Filter Mini/Filter Good Music Guide, and filter-mag.com "to pursue his writing and other artistic/creative endeavors." Pat will be taking on the new title of Editor-In-Chief.
Pat McGuire, Editor-In-Chief
FILTER Magazine-FILTER Good Music Guide
5908 Barton Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038
323-464-4170


I recently updated my Daily News list, and will pass along these names in case your list isn't current. Nancy Dillon is lifestyle editor. Barbara Jones, in addition to being assigned to "reinvent journalism," (source: LA Observed) is still city editor, at least from what I was able to wring out of the oh-so-helpful (NOT) person who was taking city desk calls.


New morning host at KUSC 105.1 FM Classical Radio, Dennis Bartel, is actually broadcasting live (unlike other KUSC hosts – no complaint, just an observation). He gives weather and traffic reports, among other things.


Although Life Magazine stopped publishing in April, a Life web site will be launched by Time Inc. later this year.


LA Observed reported last week that Al Martinez's column returns to the LA Times on Mondays in the California section. No start date announced yet.

June 11, 2007 News

Andy Epstein, KCBS/KCAL TV News entertainment producer, has moved to TMZ.com as of today. KCBS/KCAL assignment desk says to pitch entertainment stories to Planning Editor Elaine Ledesma for now.


The LA Times' West Magazine will publish monthly rather than weekly beginning June 17 with an eye to exploring "health, fitness and beauty in Southern California." LA Observed has all the gory details.


New York Magazine Classical Music Critic Peter Davis has been fired from New York magazine. According to a Musical America story, Davis, described as among the most highly regarded music journalists in the business, "was informed of the decision last Thursday in a telephone call from a staff member he neither knew nor had ever worked with. He had been a staff critic for the magazine for 26 years. Asked if he would be replaced, New York spokeswoman Serena Torrey declined to comment, other than to say, 'We will continue to cover classical music in a robust way.' In recent years, and especially since Adam Moss has been the editor, the magazine’s classical music coverage has dwindled considerably. This marks the third major classical music critic to lose his job in the last month. Reorganization and/or cutbacks at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have seen the position of classical music critic disappear. At this time, neither Pierre Ruhe at the former nor Michael Anthony at the latter is clear on what they will be doing at the paper, only that their positions have been eliminated."


More on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution situation is at New Yorker Classical Music Critic Alex Ross's blog, The Rest Is Noise.


Saul Levine's KMZT 1260 AM, which adopted a classical music format when its former location on 105.1 FM went country, is no longer all classical with the introduction of "The Great American Songbook" 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays hosted by Jerry Sharell. According to the Los Angeles Times, this returns the pop standards format to the station (at least for a 3 hour period), featuring the likes of Michael Bublé, Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand.


BizBash Magazine moved recently to 8721 Sunset Blvd., PH 7, Los Angeles 90069, 310 659-9510.


Not sure when this happened, but "IN Los Angeles" moved to 5657 Wilshire Blvd., 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA, 90036, (323) 848-2200 phone, (323) 848-2058 fax.

June 4, 2007 News

Julie Riggott has left her post as Pasadena Weekly entertainment editor and Arroyo Monthly editor to edit a new publication that will be launched this September (more info coming on that soon). In the meantime, new Arroyo Monthly Editor is Jaye Scholl, and new Pasadena Weekly Entertainment Editor is John Sollenberger, who also continues as Calendar Editor.


Tom Hatten was unceremoniously disengaged as KNX Newsradio's entertainment reporter at the end of last week. In response to my "Who's your entertainment reporter now?" question this morning, the KNX news desk says "We don't have one anymore," suggesting that all info be sent to knxnews@cbsradio.com. Keep Tom's mailing address on your list (if you have it). He's a great guy and will still be a player in the entertainment news world.


In LA Times news...

Mary MacVean is the new morning assignment editor on the LA Times city desk.

Mary Ellen Walker, editor of the LA Times' Kids' Reading Room over the last eight years, writes to a colleague that "Sadly, Thursday was my last day at the newspaper. For now, the best way to communicate with the newspaper about your stories is to use kidsreadingroom@latimes.com."

LA Observed has excerpts from company-wide emails sent by buyout-departing LA Times staffers here.

Pasadena Star News/San Gabriel Valley Tribune Classical Music Critic Bob Thomas' blog is now located here. (new URL) His print columns don't always make it onto the paper's site, so this is a good resource for reading those as well as the other info he posts.


Phillip Zonkel is handling classical music listings for the Long Beach Press Telegram. Send press releases via e-mail or snail mail:
Phillip Zonkel
Long Beach Press Telegram
300 Ocean Gate
Long Beach, CA 90844


From LA Observed comes the announcement of a new website, InstandRiverside.com devoted to coverage of the Inland Empire. Contact at info@instantriverside.com or 951-684-9054.


Brooks Barnes leaves the Wall Street Journal to join the New York Times' Business Day, covering the entertainment industry from the L.A. bureau. According to the Times' memo, "Brooks, who will work closely with Times culture desk reporters based in Los Angeles, will cover the business of Hollywood in all of its fascinating iterations - the players, the studios, the financiers. Included in his Bizday portfolio will be Walt Disney Co., and its sprawling parts."