March 30, 2009 News

Deborah Vankin kindly responds to my question about media contacts at the new Brand X with the following. All are latimes.com.

…please do include me in your PR blasts… Please also include Brand X editors Alie Ward and Alexandra Le Tellier. deborah.vankin, alexandra.letellier and alie.ward

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Good marketing work by the Getty. Check out this TV commercial, which Mike Boehm wrote about on the excellent LA Times CultureMonster blog.

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You've already heard the news, I'm sure, that City Beat LA's final issue was last Thursday. Good report by Diane Haithman in the aforementioned LAT CultureMonster blog, with the publisher's memo and comments from Alan Rich and Don Shirley.

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Easy come, easy go… from Cision Navigator's Media Updates last week:

Genetta Adams, who joined the Associated Press in September 2008 as the entertainment editor, has exited the news service.

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Christian Science Monitor goes online only as of last Friday, with a weekly print edition. Found their staff list here, but Cision specifically lists Clay Collins as editor of the print Weekend Edition, and Owen Thomas as the online edition features editor. Check it out with the paper to be really sure, though.

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LA Times blog LA Now reports on a plea for support from the Palisadian Post, and I quote Martha Graves' reporting:

The Post, known for its comprehensive coverage of the local scene, has not been exempt from the declines in advertising revenue afflicting other papers throughout the country. Owned by a small family-owned company in Illinois, the weekly has responded by cutting office hours to 35 from 40 per week to lower payroll costs. With advertising down, the Post also has gotten smaller: 18 or 20 pages, contrasted with the 22- or 24-page issues in better times.

What isn't mentioned in the editorial is that the paper has had to lay off two employees in its commercial printing office, or "back shop," and cut the pay of remaining staffers, says Libby Motika, senior editor.

"We know that Palisadians value this paper and would like to see it flourish for another 80 years," the [newpaper's] editorial says. "So here are a few ways you can help us outlast this economic tsunami." It goes on to urge readers to renew their subscriptions, encourage their neighbors to subscribe, buy gift subscriptions for their children away at college, advertise their businesses and bring in commercial printing jobs, including "the book you've always wanted to write."

Help if you can – my office has a subscription, and it's not expensive and always a good read.

March 26, 2009 News

VERY interesting news in a memo from John T. O'Loughlin, who has the lofty title of "EVP and CMO/Targeted Media and Marketing, Los Angeles Times Media Group." The memo was posted on the LAT Pressmens blog, and I'll just quote directly for parts. Take the link to read the rest.

First, Metromix will be phased-out of print distribution, and replaced with a more expansive, truly multimedia lifestyle product, called BRAND X (thisisbrandx.com). As part of this transition, the editorial content will move under the direction of the LAT newsroom, lead by Dean Kuipers. Brand X will build upon the strong readership base that embraced Metromix over the past year, and now reflect the market’s need for a broader and more interactive content offering. It will reach beyond just entertainment to curate next-generation ideas on culture, tech, food, events, social networking, volunteering, style, the outdoors and beyond. A key part of the company’s overall audience strategy, Brand X is designed to be conversational and geared toward the growing segment of influential young digital adults who are not regular consumers of the LA Times in print or online. And because Brand X is produced by the Los Angeles Times, this new property will draw from every newsdesk, and offer all the listings users expect from the staffs of Metromix.com and latimes.com.

In regards to our Hispanic media offerings, Hoy will move from daily to weekly distribution, debuting with a crisp, new design and content plan. As part of this change, Vivelohoy.com will join Hoy and reverse-publish content as branded entertainment pages in each week’s edition, as well as introduce new video content to the site in the process. We’ll also be adding local service guides for heath, beauty, entertainment and immigration, to mention just a few. Saturday’s Fin De Semana weekend product will introduce zoning for the first time in its 500,000 copy home-delivery footprint, allowing us to better compete for local retail advertising. [snip]

In regards to our TCN North titles (Glendale News Press, Burbank Leader, LaCanada Valley Sun and Crescenta Valley Sun), we are pleased to welcome Dan Evans as new Director of Editorial. [snip]

Finally, LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine is making two bold moves. First, we will take a more focused audience approach for the monthly flagship publication through a new targeted distribution model that will add it to single copy sales of the LA Times, but tighten the overall footprint to focus on select zip codes. This will take affect with the upcoming April 5th edition and should yield improved response for clients and increased efficiency for us. Plans are being finalized for introducing a themed weekly edition to run on alternate weeks, with debut as early as April 19th. Tentatively named LAetcetera, it will also have a controlled distribution model, is expected to run 16-24 pages with more great writers and columns, can now cover the social scene on a weekly basis and will provide magazine advertisers looking for greater frequency to reach their best prospects - currently not an option we offer them.

This guy's marketing-speak is so thick, it's hard to figure out what he's saying, but it sounds like the LA Times Magazine will be inserted only in issues distributed to "select zip codes." You can bet that won't be anywhere in east or south L.A. It's unclear to me whether this "Laetcetera" is part of the magazine or a separate piece, but either way, the fact that it will "cover the social scene on a weekly basis" sounds promising for those of us who rep non-profits. Unless by "social scene," he means bars, clubs and raves, which is highly possible.

According to LA Observed:

A critic emails that the editorial side was strongly against the name, citing its "unappealing and retro Gen X connotations." The email adds: "It's the brand that always loses to Tide," but the decision was made by the marketing side (the same marketing department that thought Metromix would be a hit in print.) A Times editor emails that the Brand X name is "terribly unpopular among the rank and file, especially, it seems, among the people who are going to be putting it out."

The Times' LA Now blog announced this earlier this week:

The Times is launching Westside Watch, the first of several neighborhood pages the paper will be rolling out this year. Westside Watch is devoted to covering communities of Los Angeles' Westside, including Westwood, Century City, Bel-Air, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, and the incorporated cities of Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

Nothing too exciting or original so far, just a compendium of existing online and newspaper coverage packaged into one page, although they add this in the above post:

Look for more features coming soon to Westside Watch, including… essays about Westside life and issues from contributors in the community.

They direct newstips to the @latimes.com email address of metrodesk.


Got this from the Jewish Journal's Dikla Kadosh, Calendar Editor/Contributing Writer:

Thanks for sending us notice of this event. However, there have been a few changes at The Jewish Journal recently that you should be aware of. We will no longer be publishing our Arts in LA quarterly, so if you could please only email us events that have a Jewish angle for the regular Journal Calendar, that would be helpful. Also, Danielle Berrin no longer assists me with the Calendar, so there is no need to include her in future emails.

Lucy Pollak sends this sad news about the passing of Gene Warech, who wrote for Random Lengths Newsmagazine in San Pedro and for Laguna Coastline News and had been an LADCC member, with the funeral service info posting requested by his wife, Lynn.

Gene Warech died on March 16. He fell in a store and went into a coma – Lynn thinks the fall might have been precipitated by some kind of a stroke, but she doesn't really know.

The service will take place on Sunday, April 5 at 1 pm:
Hillside Memorial
6001 West Centinela Ave
Los Angeles CA 90045

Lucy adds this today:

John Farrell will now be writing the Curtain Call column for Random Lengths: He asked me to give out his info to whomever is interested.

The hotmail address is johnfarrellbsi

Deepest condolences to the Warech family.


Omar Cunningham passes on this news, quoted from the publication's email:

Signature Magazine & LA.Direct have merged to form Signature LA Direct Magazine – Southern California’s new leading luxury lifestyle publication. The revamped publication will introduce readers to the newest authority focusing on exclusive celebrity covers and interviews, fashion, trends, arts, leisure, philanthropy, and more. The size will be 9” X 10.875" and the magazine will publish monthly, printing 12 issues per calendar year, and will be available at the southland’s busiest newsstands and stores for sale ($3.95) while also offering complementary copies at the finest hotels, boutiques, shopping districts and other hand selected locations from Santa Barbara to San Diego with its largest concentration in Los Angeles and Orange County. The new brand is a comprehensive approach that satisfies industry needs by offering print advertising, online advertising, access to our email databases, sponsorship opportunities, and successful platforms that create exposure to the world’s most influential reader. The brand is set to launch both the new publication and website (www.signatureladirect.com) on April 1st, 2009.

Please make note of new contact info:
14930 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
O. (818) 285-0360
F. (818) 386-0747
editorial@signatureladirect.com
www.signatureladirect.com

Hope their editors spell better than their marketers.


From Al Martinez a week or so ago:

Greetings out there. It has been several weeks since I departed the L.A. Times and I thought I'd bring you up to date on, well, things. If, however, you prefer not to be on this mailing list, just send an email and you're off.

Meanwhile, my daughter Cindy, whom I wrote about, is effectively fighting cancer and the prognosis is good after one round of chemo. More chemo coming up and then other treatments. I appreciate all the caring you have expressed.

I am keeping up with my blog more or less and will be doing more for this blog and another website, plus columns in the local Topanga Messenger, Grand Magazine and a book in progress.

Also, the writers workshop I conduct at my house on Saturdays is going great and I invite you to participate. It's for both pros and amateurs. About 75 participants have taken it and seem to have gained by doing so.

I have worked out this message system with an expert and now it's supposed to be a blind send. I hope you're all happy, angry and involved in whatever you're doing. And don't drop your subscription to the Times because of me or for any other reason. It needs our support and we need newspapers. God help us all if we have to rely on TV news or the internet. I shudder to think.

Hey, check out my newest blog posting at http://almartinez.org/wordpress

March 23, 2009 News (*updated)

VERY distressing news that among the LA Times layoffs today (numbers vary between 40 and 50) is Deputy Arts Editor Craig Fisher. Craig is a great guy, and this is really a loss.

LA Observed reports that transportation writer Steve Hymon was laid off as well. Take the link for more details on Hymon, and stay tuned for more bad news.

*And more from LA Observed, although this isn't related to the layoffs:

Charlie Amter left The Guide at the LAT to be news editor at OK! magazine.

Reach him @okmagazine.com with charlie dot amter.


Check out former LA Times food writer Barbara Hansen's excellent Table Conversation web site.



LA Mag news, per LA Observed, a bit old, sorry for the delay:

Recent staff departures at cost-cutting Los Angeles Magazine, per sources: senior editors RJ Smith and Margot Dougherty, art director Joe Kimberling, Guide editor Michael Mullen. The Guide is being discontinued in print (will go online), except for a Coming Attractions section in the front of the book.

This is from Michael's farewell note; all addresses are @lamag.com:

Mary Melton (mmelton) is overseeing the [Guide] Web effort, and Shayna Rose Arnold (srarnold) will be working closely with her. I don't recommend that you immediately bombard them with submissions, but they're the point people for the Guide as it will appear online. Sara Wilson (sewilson) edits Coming Attractions in the magazine.

According to themediaisdying's Twitter post a week or so ago:

MOVIELINE'S HOLLYWOOD LIFE has ceased publication - website will be reinvented.

It's been a hectic few weeks... will catch up and have more news posted as soon as possible.

March 6, 2009 News

Good news from Evan Henerson, who announces:

Effective this week, I’ll be the new L.A. Stage Scene writer for Examiner.com, a news, culture and general interest website written by -- presumably -- insiders. If you haven’t heard of Examiner.com, prior to now -- and I hadn’t either before I answered their call for freelancers -- hop on the site, and look around. In fact, hop on and look around often and spread the word, since we writers (or Examiners, as we’re called) get paid by the page view.

I envision my work as kind of a mixture of my late theater blog, The City in Curtains, and the feature writing and reviewing I used to do for the Daily News. The content will be my own property, and I’ll be linking, repackaging and posting to other publications I’ve been freelancing for like Backstage West, CurtainUp and any other sites I can drum up.

His sbcglobal.net address is ehenerson.


Gary Scott reports layoffs at the Riverside Press Enterprise including:

Barbara Tarshes, executive news editor
Richard Fisher, assistant managing editor
Glenn Gullickson, city editor
Cindy Martinez Rhodes, reporter
Imran Vittachi, reporter
Greg Vojtko, photographer
Zeke Minaya, SB County reporter
Melanie Ladonga, news assistant
Jessican Logan, night cops reporter

The LA Times' Dodger Thoughts blog adds that Diamond Leung, Dodgers beat writer, also got the ax.


Former Daily News staffer Greg Hernandez debuts his Greg In Hollywood blog, described on its About page as offering:

…fly-on-the-wall accounts of Hollywood events to coverage of the independent film and local theater scene, brings you interviews with celebrities, newsmakers and creative types, and keeps you up to date on entertainment, LGBT, and political news.

From Cision's The Navigator:

AOL.com’s fashion and beauty Internet magazine, AOL StyleList.com, has welcomed a new editor to its team. Sarah Cristobal recently joined the site as senior fashion editor. She was most recently the senior editor of Harper's Bazaar's Web site.

February 26, 2009 News

Read this LA Times memo (courtesy of LA Observed) about the new structure for covering business and entertainment, which says in part

...we are establishing a new department that will be headed by Sallie Hofmeister, who is leaving her post as business editor for the masthead job of Assistant Managing Editor/Arts & Entertainment. She will report to Managing Editor Davan Maharaj.

Joining Sallie will be Craig Turner, who is leaving his position as weekend editor to become Arts & Entertainment Editor. Craig has spent the past seven years guiding our best enterprise efforts into our two biggest circulation days of the week, Saturday and Sunday. Sallie and Craig will oversee the merging of our entertainment reporting groups in Calendar and Business, and they will work closely with Richard Rushfield and Joseph Kapsch at latimes.com as we continue to expand our online entertainment news and information offerings.

Wonder if this means more CLEARLY NECESSARY front page stories on Britney Spears' father??


Add food section writer Amy Scattergood to the list of LA Times layoffs.

And finally, the Times has just named John Corrigan to replace Hofmeister as business editor and Mary Braswell to replace Turner as weekend editor.


Liz Smith is not exactly Helen Thomas in the overall scheme of things, but surely she is too – well, I don't know what, but SOMETHING – for this to happen (from Fishbowl LA):

Gossip columnist Liz Smith has been dropped by the New York Post after 33 years. Col Allan, Editor-in-Chief of The Post, decided against renewing Smith's contract. Smith's column had already been cut from six days a week to three…

… She will also be posting on the site wowowow.com, of which she is a co-founder.

Got a tip that LA Stage Magazine is going online only for the time being, per Editor Lee Melville.


KCRW's Sarah Spitz passes this on:

On March 16th, 2009 public radio station KCRW-Santa Monica (89.9 FM and KCRW.com) welcomes veteran entertainment industry reporter KIM MASTERS to the helm of the station’s award-winning weekly program about the business of entertainment, THE BUSINESS (Mondays at 2:30 pm Pacific time on radio; streamed live, available on-demand and as a podcast @ www.KCRW.com).

Producers are Matt Holzman and Darby Maloney – first name dot last name at kcrw.org.

New Angeles Monthly is now publishing quarterly, with the next issue probably coming out in April. Josh Lurie is still editor.

February 24, 2009 News

LA Times layoffs include Image section writer Monica Corcoran, per LA Observed.


Daily News layoffs include TV critic David Kronke, per Gary Scott's blog. LA Observed reports late Monday that remaining entertainment writer Greg Hernandez is laid off as well.


Leticia Buckley draws our attention to free-lance arts writer Debra Levine's arts Arts Meme blog.


Don't know any details about this, but apparently Alan Rich has replaced Donna Perlmutter as City Beat's classical music writer.


Publication of Vergudo Monthly magazine "has been suspended" as of the February issue. Arroyo Monthly, with editor Irene Lacher, is still in place. Both are owned by the company that publishes City Beat and Pasadena Weekly.


"Reader-friendly" and "relevant" do not, apparently, mean what they used to. The Daily News ran this note to readers on Monday.

You will notice changes in the Daily News beginning with today's edition. For starters, we have redesigned the newspaper to make it more reader-friendly. To save on newsprint costs and adjust to the current adverse economic climate, we are making the following changes to our format:

On Mondays and Tuesdays, you will find the comics, puzzles, TV grid and advice columns in the front section. Dilbert appears on A2 on Mondays. There will be no dedicated Business or Opinion page on Mondays, but both will return on Tuesday.
Wednesday through Sunday, the L.A. LIFE section returns with comics, TV and advice columns and other features. Dining coverage continues on Wednesday and health coverage moves to Thursday.

We thank you for your loyal support as we confront this troubled economy. We are committed to producing a relevant local news report that is focused on the San Fernando Valley.

Just to be an equal-opportunity grumbler, I'll mention that I'm no longer a devoted reader of the LA Times' shell-of-its-former-self LA Now blog.

On the other hand, I will say that I actually read most of what was in the February LA Times Magazine and found it pretty well done.

February 13, 2009 News

Writer John Morell announces:

LosAngelesonthecheap.com, which is a site/blog dedicated to finding inexpensive tours, tickets, hotels, restaurants, etc. that would be of interest to Southern California visitors. It's part of the CitiesontheCheap.com network, which includes several other U.S. destinations and so far we also have Montreal and Auckland, New Zealand as part of the network.

I just wanted to get the word out to the PR community that I'm looking for great deals in this area that I can publish. You can roam through the site, we did a piece on cheap CityPass tickets, great rental car deals outside of the major companies, doing Beverly Hills inexpensively, staying along the So Cal coast for under $100, that sort of thing.

John, check your in box for something from me this morning.


Masthead with updated contacts for FineArtsLA is here.


This may be old news, but here's Entertainment Today's current address and other contact info:

12021 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 398
Los Angeles, CA 90025
@entertainmenttoday.net, send to editor
213-387-2060 ext 1 phone
213-341-2225 fax


Sorry to hear about LA Stage Alliance's Director of Operations Sara Adelman and Communications Manager Darren Schroader being laid off. Here's the blog post recapping the organization's "downsizing."


Details moves into the just-shuttered Domino's New York offices. Info here.


Change in editorship at Glendale News Press and Burbank leader as

Danette Goulet, editor of the Glendale News-Press and Burbank Leader for four years, announced plans [last week] to step down, citing plans to move her family to Boston and raise her 7-month-old son.

Full story here.