February 24, 2011 NEWS

LA Observed reported this Tuesday:

[LA Weekly]'s new arts and culture editor will be Zachary Pincus-Roth. He starts March 7... The arts and culture beat… excludes film and music, which have their own editors.

Full post HERE.


More, older, from LA Observed:

LA Times metro writer Carla Hall is now an editorial writer. Memo and more HERE.

and

Anthea Raymond has been named editor of Echo Park Patch.

________

Thanks to Alexia Haidos for passing along this note from Crystal Meers at Daily Candy:

... I'm very excited to introduce you to Evelyn Crowley, DailyCandy's new Los Angeles editor... Please direct all L.A. matters her way. Feel free to e-mail me with stories that you see fit for our Everywhere edition (food, fashion, beauty, travel, services, arts, entertaining, culture, entertainment) and on the web or just really fun stuff that you think I need to know about that's happening around town. You know I love to know about everything.
Yours truly,
Crystal

Contact: 12200 W. Olympic Blvd. Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90064, 310-954-0278 x 185

Email @dailycandy.com is ecrowley


________

Got this auto-reply from LA Opinion's Entertainment Editor Victoria Enfante: Hi. I'm on maternity leave until the end of June. If you need assistance please contact Josep Parera.

… and this auto-reply from Phil Gallo: If you are contacting me regarding music coverage, I am now working for Billboard magazine. I can be reached at phil.gallo [billboard.com]


________

Thanks to Sarah Spitz for passing this along from Jade Chang:

As of January 18, 2011, I am no longer with Modern Luxury. I will still be covering many of the same topics that I covered at Angeleno and on ModLux.com-if you have a pitch or question you can contact me.

Her @sbcglobal.net address is jade.chang


________

Patt Diroll's party column and "Social Calendar" have been moved from Thursdays to Mondays in the Pasadena Star News.


________

San Gabriel Valley Tribune photo editor Bernardo Alps has been laid off, according to THIS story, which also has links to another about salary cuts and furloughs at the LA Newspaper Group (which also includes Daily News, Daily Breeze, etc.)

________

Media Bistro reports:

Jen Yamato has been named West Coast editor at Movieline. She had been a film critic at Movies.com

and

LA Times Pop Music critic Ann Powers is leaving the LA Times in early March to work for NPR Music. Memo HERE.


________

KPCC/NPR's Steve Julian is introducing a new venture, an I Support Theatre restaurant discount card that provides theatre companies a much needed fundraising boost. According the Steve, "It gives theatregoers an opportunity to save money at a neighborhood eatery. And it rewards restaurants that offer discounts by bringing in new customers."

If any publicists out there are interested in hooking up clients with this opportunity, get in touch with Steve via the "Contact" page on this site: www.isupporttheatre.net .

January 18, 2011 NEWS

EXCLUSIVE:
Pitching Zach Behrens, editor-in-chief at KCET.org's UpDaily

The ultra-affable Zach Behrens gave me some pitching insight for UpDaily (he's editor-in-chief) on KCET.org. UpDaily is the section of the web site featuring blogs, which currently number three: SoCal Focus, The Public Kitchen and Climate Oversight.

"We're looking to BE public media, and that means not just following everyone's news story of the day," he says. "We're exploring rich stories that are not being talked about, or we're adding the public media twist to things that are hot topics. We're not going to be the crime blotter, that's not our role."

Zach tells me that SoCal Focus is the main blog, meant over time to become a daily destination for news, arts and culture, policy and the people and places of Southern California. Unlike LA Observed, LAIst and Curbed, UpDaily is not just about Los Angeles but also covers the 10 counties in KCET's broadcast reach (up to San Luis Obispo and down to Imperial counties).

For example, he points to the piece did on an annual tradition in Solvang: a fire "where residents, and even some travelers from afar, haul their Christmas trees into a large pile. Large, as in some 500 trees." The story portrays what goes on in the community, where the tradition came from and how it developed as well as the effect it had on the environment.

He's also doing a lot of history, partnering with LA as Subject, a member archive based at USC. (Examples: Rose Parade history, Jerry Brown Then and Now.)

He usually ties his posts to a topic that's being talked about, but he's also focusing on news stories that are NOT being talked about. UpDaily was among the first to report on the controversy surrounding La Plaza, where "Human remains found at a downtown L.A. museum construction site have prompted a state commission to request the project be stopped while an investigation determines if they are of American Indian origin or not."

Another signature series is one that began recently that's taking people through Compton one day at a time, "looking at why there is so much negative coverage of the city when there's so much that's positive there."

As for The Public Kitchen, it's a blog about experiencing food, and every post has a recipe and a story. Zach calls it "Your living, breathing Southern California cookbook," A recent post spotlighted farmers who sell their produce at farmers markets and what they cook for themselves and their families at home.

When asked "who is your audience?" he responded, "Definitely people who are interested Southern California as a place, a broad range of people and a diverse group. Meaning not just diversity of geography but also but diversity of culture."

Pitch him BY CATEGORY at these @kcet.org email addresses:

arts/culture:
culturedesk@

food/restaurants:
fooddesk@

everything else:
newsdesk@


***

From LA Observed:

Sean Smith is leaving as Los Angeles bureau chief of Entertainment Weekly to serve overseas in the Peace Corps - for two years.

More HERE.


and

Michael Schneider, TV editor for Variety, is leaving to be Los Angeles bureau chief for TV Guide.

More HERE.


***

From the Beverly Hills Courier:

The Beverly Hills Courier is pleased to announce reporter Marla Schevker has joined its staff. Schevker joins The Courier after her tenure at the Beverly Hills Weekly, where she covered issues such as the Westside Subway Extension and Measure 2P.

***

Thanks to the intrepid Libby Huebner for passing this change along for email addresses at Frontiers magazine: it's now @frontiersweb.com (formerly frontierspublishing.com).

January 4, 2011 NEWS

Happy new year! A few tidbits to start off 2011...


From the December 31 Beverly Hills Courier:

Today The Courier is wishing a fond farewell to Assistant Editor Amanda Peabody who joins L.A.-based Advanced Star as a managing editor of its B2B magazine.

As of Friday, they hadn't yet hired a replacement.

***

LA Observed reported on December 10 that Dana Harris left Variety to join IndieWire as editor-in-chief. On December 27, it posted that Daily News writer Troy Anderson, who covered the county Hall of Administration, has left the paper; more details HERE.

***

From (former) LA Weekly Art Critic Doug Harvey's Facebook page on December 20:

It looks like I won't be writing for the LA WEEKLY anymore. After 13 years I was unceremoniously dumped - they're not even printing the last piece I completed under Tom Christie's watch. Well now at least I'll have time to finish my screenplay. I'll just open this golden parachute... what the ... Spam?!! Aieeeeeeeeeeee!

LA Observed noted yesterday that Harvey "announced that he will begin writing for The Nation." LA Times has MORE.

And, in case you hadn't heard previously, Tom Christie, who was LA Weekly features editor, has been gone for some time.

December 3, 2010 NEWS

New ME at Westways is Rachel Ng.


***

Charlie Amter starts Lead Editor duties Monday (12/6) for "Play," the nightlife and events portion of NBCLA's The Feast web site. Charlie also continues to freelance for the Los Angeles Times' Calendar section on nightlife as well as blogging bi-weekly on nightlife and music for Blackbook magazine's blackbookmag.com. Pitch him via gmail.com: charlie.amter@, and check out his new web site.

December 1, 2010 NEWS

Got this auto-reply Monday from Shayna Nys Dambrot...

Hello dear friend of the Flavor and/or friend of SND.

Well, the rumors are true. Issue #404 will be my last as Managing Editor of Flavorpill LA. I'll be transitioning to the role of Editor-at-Large, and focusing my attention on my new role as Arts Editor at LA Canvas, as well as my work with Whitehot and Huffington Post -- all posts where I'll be focusing on visual art and book culture.

The lovely and talented Tanja M Laden will be assuming the Editor mantle at Flavorpill, so beginning immediately, please direct all your inquiries to her @flavorpill.com [la_events] and she'll see what she can do!

I'll be keeping my Flavorpill email address, probably forever, so feel free to hit me up on your art and book related awesomeness.

Cheers! It's been a sincere pleasure.

SND

***

Some recent LA Times news...

... about Calendar columnist Patrick Goldstein's expanding beat:

Patrick Goldstein, Calendar's outspoken and contrarian columnist and blogger, is expanding his mission under The Big Picture banner. In the new year, Patrick will broaden his focus beyond movies to take on the larger popular culture, connecting the dots as only Patrick can across a landscape that includes not only film, but music, television, advertising, publishing, the Internet and their intersections with sports and politics. The column will move to Sunday Calendar, becoming a signature of the section every week with provocative, insightful commentary. Patrick also will write timely columns off the news when warranted for daily Calendar. Patrick's new mandate will not affect our critics, although it will require some additional coordination by him and his editor, Julie Makinen.

More of the memo HERE.

Note to self: "contrarian"? To what????


... and this about the Image section and magazine, including the opportunity for subscribers to opt-in for magazine delivery. According to a press release:

Beginning in January, each will unveil design upgrades and increased online features...

Image, dedicated to Southern California's distinct perspective on fashion and style, will get a bright visual boost with a more photo-intensive layout and increased reporting on trends in the making, new products and sales. In addition, beginning January 2nd , Image content will be featured in the glossy pages of LA the first Sunday of each month, while remaining a Sunday Times stand-alone section for the month's subsequent weeks.

LA...[debuts in early 2011] ...a new LA-centric e-newsletter highlighting the magazine's columns, feature stories and expanded digital content.

Full announcement HERE.

November 11, 2010 News

Contact info passed on by former LAIst Editor Zach Behrens in his new gig as KCET's " editor-in-chief for the station's new blogging operation," all kcet.org:

arts press releases:
culturedesk@

food/restaurant press releases:
fooddesk@

everything else:
newsdesk@

KCET's press release announcing his appointment is HERE.

***


At LAIst, Zach is replaced as editor by previous Assistant Editor Lindsay William-Ross, and Lisa Brenner takes Lindsay's former title. More info HERE.

***


An email excerpt from Sara Wilson, who departed Los Angeles Magazine on Wednesday:

... I’m leaving to edit the Huffington Post’s new divorce section... In future, please direct all submissions for the Coming Attractions section or the online Guide to Shayna Rose Arnold (lamag.com address is srarnold@)... If you want to reach me with divorce-related pitches (or just to say hello!) I’ll still be in L.A. (huffingtonpost.com address is sara.wilson@).


Congrats to everyone!

***


OLDER NEWS...

Goodbye to a good guy... Leo Wolinsky left Variety, per THIS New York Times story.

And as a result, new staff assignments at Variety are detailed HERE.

***


From a Citysearch's Facebook post:

TO OUR THOUSANDS OF FACEBOOK FRIENDS: Yes, it's true. Citysearch is changing its editorial operations. As such, LA editors Mar Yvette & Kelly Wardle will no longer be keeping up this page, but you can find them on Twitter: @marpop + @kellywardle. Citysearch will maintain its social media presence on a national level, so... you can get the latest company updates. Thank you & good night.

NEWS: October 18, 2010

Former Brand X Editor Alexandra Letellier heads over to the LA Times Opinion section, replaced by new Editor Krista Simmons.

***

Thanks to Kenny Werther for passing this along....

The Hollywood Reporter is pleased to announce that Todd McCarthy will be joining the staff as chief film critic.

He was most recently a film critic and columnist for IndieWire and for many years was chief film critic for Variety and Daily Variety.

***

More Hollywood Reporter news from The Wrap:

Elizabeth Guider is stepping down as editor from the Hollywood Reporter, the trade announced on Monday. Guider had been considered a lame duck following the appointment of Us Weekly veteran Janice Min as editorial director in May...Online Editor Andrew Wallenstein is also leaving the Reporter, TheWrap has learned.)

Details HERE and HERE.


HERE is a link to the masthead on the newly launched Hollywood Reporter web site.

***

From writer Elina Shatkin, former LA Times writer:

It's official! On Monday, Oct. 18, I start my new gig as the 2nd restaurant critic for the LA Weekly. You may have heard of the first guy, Jonathan Gold.

***

ATTENTION PR PROS, especially free-lancers and indie firm owners:

Two LA-area publicists are looking for a few more individuals to share a Vocus subscription in order to reduce costs. Email Carol [AT] eisnerpr dot com or call (310) 839-1400.

***

KPCC's Morning Edition host Steve Julian, who's also a devoted theater supporter and blogs at his own site and at LA Stage, is taking center stage himself as Martin Vanderhof (Grandpa) in You Can’t Take It With You at the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont, an Inland Valley Repertory Theatre production, playing October 20 and 27 and November 3. Read all about it HERE, and go see it!

And here’s an update on former Los Angeles Times arts staffer Diane Haithman:

While she continues to contribute to Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood website and other news outlets, Haithman also a contributor to a new literary anthology. An excerpt from her novel “Dark Lady of Hollywood” -- a finalist in the William Faulkner Creative Writing Awards competition (novel-in-progress category) -- will be included in A Voice from the Planet, Harvard Square Editions' second volume of “living fiction,” (published Oct, 1, 2010), edited by Harvard alumni. The short fiction anthology features work by award-winning and new authors from Congo to Hollywood, with stories and novel excerpts set in a wide range of arenas including the jungles of Peru, the American rebellion of the 1960s, fire dancing in the mountains of Bulgaria and high finance on 9/11. Readers can take part in the dialogue by emailing the authors and chatting on the web atwww.harvardsquareeditions.org. Net proceeds from the sale of this book (now available on Amazon) go to the Nobel Prize-winning charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

More details available at Haithman’s Amazon authors’ page HERE.

BREAK A LEG, Steve, and CONGRATULATIONS, Diane!!