Thursday, August 30, 2007

August 31, 2007 News



LA Times fashion critic Booth Moore is named editor of the Image (fashion) section, replacing departing Rose Apodaca, who launched the section as consulting editor. Image goes weekly on Sundays beginning September 9. Here's their press release with additional contacts, some of which I'd reported previously. Don't see LA.com's Enid Portuguez on that list – I read elsewhere that she was joining the Image staff, but she still has an active voice mail line at LA.com, and the LA Times operator doesn't have her on their Image section phone roster.

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Frontiers and InLosAngeles magazines, both now owned by the same company, have consolidated offices at 5657 Wilshire Blvd., 5th Floor, LA 90036,
Frontiers' phone/fax numbers are: 323.930.3220, 323.857.0578 (editorial fax). In Los Angeles's phone/fax numbers are: 323.848.2200, 323.848.2058 (fax). Contact Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Kinser at Frontiers, and associate editors Christopher Cappiello and John Hobbs at In Los Angeles. Thanks to the fabulous Kenny Werther for this.

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The Wall Street Journal changes the name of Pursuits, its Saturday leisure section, to Weekend Journal, same as its Friday section. According to this New York Times story, Tom Weber continues as editor of the Saturday section, reporting to Michael W. Miller, a deputy managing editor. Eben Shapiro oversees Friday’s Weekend Journal, also reporting to Miller.


Friday, August 24, 2007

August 24, 2007 News



Hot off the LA Times' advertising department presses, courtesy of my awesome associate Libby Huebner, and I quote:
Beginning on October 18th, our weekly Thursday Calendar will print in two separate sections!

Section 1 will become a broadsheet, and continue to be SoCal's #1 source for movies and television.

Section 2 will remain a tab, called Calendar/The Guide, and give our readers a detailed look at the weekend ahead, including more coverage of concerts, theatres, clubs and art galleries! Help them decide what to do and where to go! Best of all, new zoning options will allow you to deliver your message to customers close to home.

Plus, Calendar/The Guide online joins the family beginning in January, 2008."
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Christine Richard joins Sunset Magazine as a senior editor covering travel, replacing Abigail Peterson. Amy Wolf is still Sunset's travel editor.

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Angeleno Assistant Editor Lyndsey Saul is the current contact for calendar submissions.

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LA.com Editor-in-Chief Jason Middleton comments at LA Observed about Leslie Balla's "RIP" post about his site.

Possibly responding to my request, Middleton had the page of editorial contacts for LA.com updated to delete names of folks no longer there (just about everyone except him), but strangely, Enid Portuguez is still listed. Reportedly, she has moved to the LA Times' Image section.

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Also now at the Times' Image section is Emili Vesilind, who was West Coast retail editor of Women’s Wear Daily and previously editor of Times-Mirror's defunct Distinction Magazine.

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New at Variety.com is Mike Jones, managing editor, film festivals, overseeing the web site's film festival coverage and maintaining the Fest Central blog.

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FishbowlLA has this about possible changes at The Hollywood Reporter.

We know for sure from LA Observed that The Hollywood Reporter, ESQ. has been folded into its online sister publication, THR.com, and several staffers were let go.

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LA Observed also got the memo announcing that Geoff Mohan is the LA Times' new environment editor, replacing Frank Clifford, who took the buyout.

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Thanks again to my ultra-esteemed colleague Libby Huebner for passing this tip along from KidsLA Magazine, whose premier issue arrives this winter. According to a press release,

"The winter edition focuses on the wonders of the winter season, and especially Holiday traditions. KidsLA Magazine is published quarterly, and is geared towards upper income families with children ages 4 – 12, living in the greater Los Angeles area. KidsLA Magazine wants to hear about any Winter/Holiday events and activities being held from December 2007 through February 2008. The magazine will also have a Social Scene section for kid’s events, and is looking for any photos from such events. Deadline: October 1, 2007. Please send announcements/photos highlighting event details to:
Jemma Gafford, Editor-In-Chief, jgafford@kidslamagazine.com."

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What the….? If you want to be depressed about ever-shrinking outlets for arts coverage – classical music in particular – read OC Register Classical Music Critic Tim Mangan's blog post from a week or so ago. Thanks to the incredible Rachelle Roe for bringing this to my attention.

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We'll end on an up note, though. Congratulations to erstwhile LA Times Kid's Page Editor Mary Ellen Walker, who is Descanso Gardens's new public relations manager, replacing the retired Avery Econome.


Wednesday, August 15, 2007

August 15, 2007 News



Elisa Jacobs leaves her job as music and arts editor at the LA.com web site on Friday to move to Channelone.com as a features writer. She'll also be doing free-lance music writing (concert previews, concert reviews, CD reviews, interviews) for Spin.com, flavorpill LA, artistdirect.com, and more. Contact her here: jacobs.elisa@gmail.com. Thanks to my highly esteemed colleague and great pal Rachelle Roe for the tip!

Eater LA Editor Leslie Balla, who helped launch LA.com, calls it "a good site gone bad" in a post today.

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Another valued colleague (how many synonyms are there for "esteemed"?), Jenine Baines, passed on word that Robert Sandla is SYMPHONY Magazine's new editor in chief, succeeding Rebecca Winzenried.

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Hollywood Reporter film reporter Tatiana Siegel heads up Wilshire a bit to join Variety.


Thursday, August 9, 2007

August 10, 2007 News



Entertainment/calendar writer Lea Lion leaves the Downtown News to cover entertainment for LATimes.com. No replacement for her as of yesterday.

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LA Observed reports that the copy desk for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News and Whittier Daily News is going to the San Bernardino offices where its staff will be combined with the desk that puts out the San Bernardino Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

"This means, of course, that a big swath of the news in Los Angeles County will be handled by editors sitting in another county. At least it's not India," notes L.A. Observed editor Kevin Roderick, referring to headlines made by PasadenaNow.com, which staged a brilliant publicity coup by announcing its search in India for reporters to handle local (here) coverage.

One more thing. Every writer I've talked to from the LA Newspaper Group urges any and all of us frustrated by the one-size-fits-all coverage in the new LA.com features section to make some noise about it. After all, the comics fans got some changes made. Editor Ron Kaye's email is ron.kaye@dailynews.com.

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Which reminds me… I got an email from PasadenaNow editor James Macpherson a few weeks back suggesting that in light of the limited local coverage resulting from the LA Newspaper Group's consolidations we PR types could "pitch Pasadena Now and be assured that your Pasadena-area, arts and culture pr will be published. True, we are 100% online -- but also true, we have 50% of the Star-News' readership online (growing dramatically), our Events calendar is second to none (for Pasadena events), and we issue a weekly e!Pasadena e-newsletter which goes to 13,650 locals. So, please check us out. Updated daily 7 days a week. In our 3rd year. 63,000 uniques monthly. Editor, James Macpherson, editor@pasadenanow.com. Arts & Entertainment editor, Candice Merrill."

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Nikki Finke says that Broadcasting & Cable layoffs include editor Max Robins and Los Angeles co-bureau chief Jim Benson. Here's the official announcement with some details.

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At the LA Times, new Film Editor Tim Swanson arrives in September, and Business section Deputy Editor/Entertainment James Bates changes teams in a few weeks when he'll join Sitrick and Company.

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Check out Dana Goodyear's new-ish Postcard from Los Angeles blog on the New Yorker's web site.


Thursday, August 2, 2007

August 3, 2007 News



Variety staffer Laura Repstad replaces style editor Monica Corcoran, who joins the LA Times as Image section editor. Repstad continues to handle the "Get A Life" and "Pushy Questions For…" columns as well as taking over Corcoran's "Stylephile" duties.

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Beginning Monday, KNX Newsradio discontinues its three-hour "Money 101" show, and the new daytime news/anchor lineup is:

Dave Williams and Vicky Moore 5 – 9 a.m.
Tom Haule and Linda Nunez 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
KNX Business Hour with Frank Mottek 1 – 2 p.m.
Tom Haule 2 – 3 p.m.
Jim Thornton and Diane Thompson 3 – 7 p.m.
Larry Van Nuys 7 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Jack Salvatore 12 – 5 a.m.

According to a memo from Programming VP David Hall, "Bob will do morning drive business reporting plus the Money 101 features. We will be integrating these features with web programming even more."

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Reporter Kathleen Nye Flynn, who left the Downtown News to get her master's at Columbia, is replaced by former LA Independent reporter Anna Scott.

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Congratulations to Elizabeth Guider, named Hollywood Reporter's new editor earlier this week. She had been at Variety for 18 years, most recently as editor at large. Here's the story.

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On a sadder note, this blog post details the elimination of Daily News "zone coverage" of Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita. Still in flux is who's who and where in these bureaus.

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C Magazine moves uptown about four blocks, to 1433 6th Street in Santa Monica (zip code remains 90401, and phone number is still 310.393.3800).

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LA Times hires Tim Swanson as film editor starting in September, reporting to Entertainment Editor Betsey Sharkey. He's been variously with Portfolio, Premiere and Variety.

Also, the Times updated its staff list again on July 31. That makes twice in one month, a possibly historic and unprecedented occurrence!