Los Angeles Times Pressmens 20 Year Club: January 2008

Los Angeles Times Pressmens 20 Year Club

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Tina Kim Fundraiser This Saturday Feb. 2ND

TINA KIM LIVE, a special event fundraiser for

THE GEENA DAVIS INSTITUTE ON GENDER MEDIA.

SAT FEB 2nd, 2008 at 6:00 PM

Ice House Comedy Club --- 24 Mentor Ave - Pasadena, CA 91106

Tickets are $20.00 and all the proceeds go to the foundation. With each ticket, you get a fab bag of gifts worth over $50!

Tickets are also tax deductible when purchasing it online.

Please purchase your tickets by clicking the link below and then click where it says Geena Davis fundraiser with Comedienne Tina Kim http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org/home.php

There will be a two drink minimum inside the show room and it is 18 years and older.

Seating is very limited. PLEASE PURCHASE YOUR TICKETSASAP THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AND PLEASE SUPPORTTHE GEENA DAVIS INSTITUTE ON GENDER MEDIA.

Tickets will be on sale at the door on the night of the show if the tickets are not sold out.

There needs to be more programming geared towards girls :)

Also please go to this link to learn more about the GDIGM Conference 2008 http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org/schedule.php

Edward and Tina Kim

Retired Pressman in Recovery after Surgery

Harold Rios, a retired Los Angeles Times Pressmen, is in recovery from surgery this morning at Verdugo Hills Hospital. According to his son Dennis, Pop’s is doing well, and should be home in five to six days. At eighty years of age Harold has never been hospitalized, so this is a rather new experience for him. Let’s hope he’s back on his feet very soon.

Harold is father to Pressmen Dennis and Michael Rios, and an active member of our club.

In the picture from left to right Harold Rios, Wally Gatrix, and David Joe standing.

Verdugo Hills Hospital
1812 Verdugo Blvd.
Glendale, CA. 91208

818.790.7100

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: Pattern seen in killings of ethnic reporters

Since 1976, 11 of the 13 journalists slain in the United States in apparent retaliation for their reporting worked for the ethnic press, the Chron reports today, citing the Committee to Protect Journalists. Among those killed were three Bay Area Journalists:

Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey (pictured), who was gunned down last August as he was investigating infighting at Your Black Muslim Bakery. A member of the bakery is charged in his death.

Lam Trong Duong, a contributor to a Vietnamese newsletter supportive of the communist government of Vietnam, was shot in 1981 near his apartment Tenderloin apartment, and

Henry Liu, author of a Chinese-language book accusing Taiwanese officials of corruption, was killed in 1984 in his Daly City home by hit men hired by the Taiwanese government.

The common thread? "In 10 incidents, the reporters who were killed covered minority or immigrant communities for publications that tended to have an intense, intimate relationship with readers. Often they were the only ones writing about issues that the mainstream press failed to cover," writes Chron reporter Matthai Kuruvila.

Thursday Morning News

Russ Christian, Mark Crawford, Bob Russell, and Ray Chavez

Don't Let Them Tax Your Text Messages! - Mayor Sam
Sam Zell and the art of employee management - Info World
N.Y. Times December Revenue Declines - Associated Press
This Should Be Your Mantra: Be Everywhere - Editor & Publisher
Belo Details Strategic Direction for Belo Corp. - Belo Corporation
U.S. papers trim costs by sending work abroad - Charlotte Observer
Are Newspapers Totally Out of Touch with their Readers? - Marc Chamot
Irresponsible homeowners are irresponsible pet owners - Michelle Malkin
Belo CEO expects pace of newspapers' decline to slow - Dallas Morning News
Hudson Capital buys original Warner studio for $125 million - Los Angeles Times

Colorful Language in the Workplace

Last Saturday I shared my experience from using colorful language describing my pressroom manager, and the consequences of my actions. Two days later I came across an article on Romenesko regarding the use of colorful language in newsrooms across the country, seems pressmen are not alone when expressing their feelings with different forms of cussing.

Here are a few examples of the letters arriving in Jim Romenesko’s mail:

They use a different f-word in Utah

From ALAN CHOATE: I spent a couple of years at the Daily Herald in Provo, Utah, where most of the news staff was raised in the Mormon church. LDS folks keep their language so clean it's even a joke to them. I did needle a fellow employee enough once that she said, "Go to hell," which just made my day. The best, though, was one evening when the newsroom was tuned into a football game. The ref made a bad call, and one of the sports reporters -- a SPORTS REPORTER, for crying out loud -- jumped up and said, "What the fruit?"I did end up toning down my language there. I just saved it for the Utah drivers.

No love for the copy boy

From VINCE CARLIN: My first job in journalism was as a copy "boy", as they were then called, at Time Magazine. The supervisor was the production manager. Shortly after starting the job, I was sick for a couple of days and I had also requested two days off to get married. The supervisor, with the unlikely name of Love, stopped me in the hall after I came back from being sick. With cigarette dangling from his lips (the good/bad old days!) He said: "Kid, this f***ing magazine is coming out every f***ing week whether you are f***ing here or not. Now you want time to get f***ing married!" He shook his head and stalked away. Other then those two days for my wedding (including what passed for a one-day honeymoon) I never missed a day after that. I subsequently developed a great deal of respect(or was it fear) for Mr. Love.

Newswomen swear, too

From MARY SWEETEN: I think it's interesting that the vast majority of the comments you're getting about the glorious no-expletive-off-limits newsroom are from guys. Not that newswomen don't swear. But I think for us, being a pottymouth carries an extra cachet -- or burden -- and that makes women more sensitive to the notion that someone, somewhere, could be taking that f-bomb all wrong. Like the mayor walking by the copy desk on his way to the Editorial Board, which happened to me.

There are many more amusing stories on foul language, and if you would like to read more click here. The photograph displays how the pressmen at the Los Angeles Times cuss in a non-verbal manner, without the fear of hurting managements ears.

Warning about PPA

All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled. Stop taking anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorraghagic stroke (bleeding in brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of the medication. The FDA recommended that everyone (even children) seek an alternative medicine.

Read more by clicking on the title.

Hey raven...I checked first! You've trained me well:-)

Nubia

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Mid-Week News Sources

Machinist Paul and George

Los Angeles Times to Air ‘Super Bowl’ of Presidential Debates - CNN
JERSEY PAPER CUTS PRINTING CUSTOMERS LOOSE - NY Post
News Outlets are Giving up on Charging for Online Content - AJR
There are WARNing signs at The Seattle Times - Crosscut
African American Mag Ad Spending: $600 Million - Folio
Is Boston too snooty for the Herald? - The Phoenix
Big Media Rule, Progressives Drool - Daily Koz
Noose Jerks Get Fired - Electronic Village
New LAT editor today? - Kevin Roderick
The Fu*k Jar - Terry Heaton

Tom Peters Former Pressroom Supervisor

Mark Turckel sent this photograph in of John Fountain and Tom Peters with a message from John.

"Hi you guys:

I don't remember if I ever sent you a picture of Tom Peters or not. He is paralized on his left side because of a stroke and can hardly walk or dress hisself. Being left handed he has to eat etc. with his right hand. He quit smoking and drinking of course and has lost about 40 pounds. He is doing well and gets along as well as can be expected."

Tom lives here in San Dimas, and occasionally our paths crossed as we dropped our grandchildren off at school. If you would like to contact Tom, drop me a line and I'll supply his address. Ed

A little good news for a change!!!

The CEO of Red Lobster and Olive Garden

Another history moment for us and our children.

The Higher Education of the Nation's Top African-American Restaurateur.

Each week tens of thousands of diners eat at an Olive Garden or Red Lobster restaurant. Few of these diners know that the CEO heading these large restaurant chains is a black man.

Clarence Otis Jr. is the CEO of Darden Restaurants Inc., the largest casual dining operator in the nation. The firm operates nearly 1,400 company-owned restaurants coast to coast serving 300 million meals annually. Darden employs 150,000 workers and has annual revenues of $6 billion.

Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Otis moved to Los Angeles when he was 6 years old. His father was a high school dropout who worked as a janitor.

The family lived in Watts at the time of the 1965 riots. In the post-Watts period, Otis recalls being stopped and questioned by police several times a year because of the color of his skin.

A high school guidance counselor recommended him for a scholarship at Williams College, The highly selective liberal arts institution in Massachusetts. Otis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams and went on to earn a law degree at Stanford.

Otis landed on Wall Street as a merger and acquisitions attorney for J.P. Morgan Securities. He joined Darden Restaurants in 1995 as corporate treasurer. He became CEO in 2004.

How many of us knew this?

Submitted by Nubia

Newspaper Guild members ratify five-year contract

The Lexington Newspaper Guild wishes to thank you for your support during our recent contract dispute with the Lexington Herald-Leader. Our membership voted last night to approve a new five-year agreement. More details follow.

Jan. 29, 2008

For immediate release: Guild members ratify five-year contract

Members of the Lexington Newspaper Guild, CWA Local 33229, the union that represents the Lexington Herald-Leader's 100 newsroom workers, voted unanimously tonight to ratify a tentative five-year collective bargaining agreement.

The contract is retroactive to January 1, 2007, and will expire December 31, 2011. A tentative agreement was reached on Jan. 19 after Guild and management bargaining teams met for two days with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The major sticking points in negotiations were company proposals regarding paid time off and health insurance for part-time workers. Under the compromise agreed to by the Guild and Herald-Leader, part-time health insurance benefits will be protected for current employees until Jan. 1, 2010. After that date, the Herald-Leader may eliminate part-time health insurance so long as it provides the Guild with 90 days notice.

The Herald-Leader's current paid time off (PTO) plan will be preserved until Jan. 1, 2010. After that time, the Herald-Leader or Guild may renegotiate the PTO benefits. The company would have to reach agreement with the Guild or bargain to legal impasse to implement changes.

"While this is far from an ideal compromise, this is a compromise that we can live with," Lexington Newspaper Guild president Brandon Ortiz said. "We want to thank the Lexington community for its support, which we believe was instrumental in convincing the Herald-Leader to make significant movement from its two previous final proposals. We specifically want to thank the 30,000 members of the international Newspaper Guild, and its president, Linda K. Foley; the Communications Workers of America; CWA Local 3372 and its president, Mike Garkovich; the Bluegrass Central Labor Council; the Kentucky State AFL-CIO, and its president, Bill Londrigan; and state Rep. Kathy Stein."

The new contract contains several improvements for newsroom workers. It requires the Herald-Leader to pay half the premium for COBRA health insurance benefits for 60 days in the event of layoffs; increases the notice for layoffs to one month; raises pay for news assistants when they write stories; and increases shift differentials for night-time and supervisory work.

As part of the settlement, the Herald-Leader got several items that it said it needed for flexibility. It can now assign reporters to take pictures; will have more flexibility administering pensions and health benefits; and can create up to five salaried senior reporter positions.

-- The Lexington Newspaper Guild

Local 33229 of The Newspaper Guild (CWA-TNG, AFL-CIO, CLC)

www.lexguild.org

Former Los Angeles Times Electronics Techs Meet

Los Angeles Times Olympic Facility Electronics Tech, Dana Custer, sent in this group photo of a gathering, last weekend, of current and former Electronics Techs from the newspaper. Isn’t it something that so many former employees still get together, shows me the bonds that are formed among colleagues at the newspaper last a lifetime.

The writers at the newspaper have the Old Farts Club, Composing Room has the 25th Century Club, the Pressroom has the Pressmen’s Twenty Year Club, and the former Times truck drivers have a club without a name that gathers for breakfast monthly and annually.

The Blogging Pressmen feels like organizing a dinner, with all the different clubs merged into one, for a yearly dinner of all current and former Los Angeles Times Employees, I’m certain it would be fun for everyone.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Sam Zell to Visit the Los Angeles Times

We hear Sam Zell will be paying a visit to Times Mirror Square* (formerly Tribune West) on Thursday, February 7th. The purpose of his visit to the Los Angeles Times has not been revealed, so I’m assuming he will be there to rally the men and women that create the articles for the newspaper.

Many of my colleagues in Operations have expressed a desire to meet Sam, especially after seeing him tug on his ear lobe, as pressroom personal do. I was told Sam’s schedule is filled, so if we can’t meet him next Thursday, maybe the next time he comes through.

*Times Mirror Square has not been restored yet, its still called Tribune West.

George Carlins Rules for 2008

GEORGE CARLIN'S NEW RULES FOR 2008

New Rule:
No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's
for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff
you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the
white people's version of looting.

New Rule:
Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com ! There's a reason you
don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them!
Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days
--- mowing my lawn.

New Rule:
Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a
seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of
Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to
contain... Lobster?

New Rule:
Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers
are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: 'Lucky
bastards.'

New Rule:
If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you're a dope. If
you're a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols. If you're a grown man,
they're pictures of men.

New Rule:
Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your
eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Good, we're done.

New Rule:
There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap
at the supermarket. Water, but, without that watery taste. Sorry, but
flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch
over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

New Rule:
Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill
bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by
the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue.
Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.

New Rule:
The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you
walk into a Starbucks and order a 'decaf grandee, half-soy, half-low fat, iced
vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one
Sweet-n'-Low, and One NutraSweet, 'Ooooh, you're a huge asshole.

New Rule:
I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering My
PIN number, pressing 'Enter,' verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don't
want cash back, and pressing 'Enter' again, the kid who is supposed to be
ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.

New Rule:
Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you
Spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to 'beef with
broccoli.' The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God
you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

New Rule:
Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN
Recently televised the U.S Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those
athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next,
competitive farting? Oh wait, they're already doing that. It's called 'The Howard
Stern Show.'

New Rule:
When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to hear '27 months.' 'He's
two' will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the
first place.

New Rule:
If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than
minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available
piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, 'Do you want fries
with that?

I find this quite humorous, so save your 'George Carlin didn't write this, Check out Snopes.com' for someone who really cares.

Nubia

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: Examiner delivery method sparks legislation

The Examiner chain, which has papers in Washington and Baltimore, has apparently been ignoring residents who have asked the company to stop delivering papers to their driveways, according to an AP story. So the residents have taken their complaints to a state legislator, who has drafted a bill that would create a "Do No Deliver" list, similar to the federal "Do Not Call" list for telemarkers. Any newspaper delivering to a home on the list could be fined $100 per day. Examiner officials didn't return the AP's calls for comment, but printed their own story on the controversy in their East Coast editions that quoted a company executive as saying, "I hate it when we annoy readers, and keeping that annoyance to a minimum is among my highest priorities."

Mobile PressDisplay Demo

This is a demonstration of Mobile PressDisplay.com which runs on smart mobile devices and Blackberrys. Could this replace the hardcopy of a newspaper one day soon?

Tuesday Morning Hyperlinks

Pressmen Larry Washington and Bill Conover

Have you ever been scolded for swearing in the newsroom? - Romenesko
Robert Downey filming in Los Angeles Times Building - Kevin Roderick
Four Top California Editors Out -- More to Come? - Editor & Publisher
Unfair Labor Practices at the Los Angeles Times - Ronnie Pineta
Readers owe nothing to publishers - Online Journalism Review
L.A. Times Faces Critical Endorsement Decisions - Ken Reich
Maybe O'Shea isn't the canary in a coal mine - Times Union
James O’Shea: Serious Journalist - Dallas Morning News
Custom Publishing Gets a Makeover - Advertising Age
Writing for People that Don't Read - Basement Patter
Target Tells a Blogger to Go Away - New York Times
Metro Plans Paper Cuts - New York Post

Monday, January 28, 2008

Joseph Mailander Published in The Times

The Blogging Pressman meets many different writers through the Blogosphere, at picnics, parties, and media events. As I finally found the time to read my Monday Los Angeles Times tonight, I headed to my favorite two pages of the Times, the opinion pages, and to my delight spotted a familiar name, Joseph Mailander.

When I had a photograph taken with Joseph, he suggested I not publish our picture together, because the Times would fire me. Well I’m happy to say, I did indeed publish our picture, and I’m still employed by the newspaper, for the time being.

Joseph’s article (The 'S' stands for sham) can be read online, regarding a proposed phone tax by the City of Los Angeles.

“Let there be no mistake. The political power elite of the city of Los Angeles is so anxious for you to pass Proposition S that they're willing to ride to victory on bad-faith efforts. Nearly every element of Proposition S, which is on the ballot for the Feb. 5 election, is engineered to baffle a negligent voter. And you can start with the name.”

Joseph Mailander blogs at Mayor Sam's Sister City

Great job Joseph

Non Verbal Message from Sam Zell

Received a message from Sam Zell this morning that had me on the floor laughing my ass off, you have to love Sam’s sense of humor, just for acting like a normal guy. The message said nothing, but the picture said it all, as Sam used the pressmen’s new sign language for letting others know you’re not happy with them.

Thanks Sam

Pictured Sam Zell and Bill Pate

Photo Credit James Goeke

To understand what this ear pulling gesture is in regards to, click here.

Monday Morning News

Pressman Victor Banuelos with former pressman Robert Rios

Barack Obama Victory Speech in South Carolina - Electronic Village
Hedge Fund Wants NYT to Sell Some Assets - New York Times
Times-Union editor Yack leaving newspaper - Jacksonville.com
Can Obama Win On Super Tuesday? I Think So - Ken Reich
LA Observed reader Rick Fleishman writes: - LAObserved
Swan Songs and Business Models - HypheNation Times
The Written Word? It's So Totally Over - Advertising Age
Newsroom Cuts Hurt - The Stress-Telegram
Nanny companies - Dogtown Commons
Falling in love with L.A - Joz Joz Joz

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Dead at 49 Christian Brando

Marlon Brando's son, Christian Brando has died from complications of pneumonia.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times web site.

Photo credit Nick Ut / Associated Press

Flickr Navigation Made Easy

Several users have commented they are unable to locate certain pictures on my Flickr account, which has prompted my explanation on navigation within Flickr. I hope this brief walk through makes sense, if not, feel free to ask for additional help.

When you click on my Flickr account home page, the photographs on the left side, in two columns represent the latest photographs to be uploaded. The owner of the account organizes Flickr pictures, my account is divided into collections, and within my two collections are the thirteen sets. Think of the sets as folders that contain pictures that pertain to the name of each set, as an example the Pressmen Dinners set contains sixty-four pictures from our dinners. Once inside a particular set, click on a picture you enjoy to enlarge your view, and leave a comment if you so desire, or order prints as well.

To view my Flickr homepage click here. Use the back button to return here.

To view my collections, click here, and again, use the back button to return here.

To view the sets, click here.

When viewing the sets I have organized, the number of photographs within each set is displayed below the picture of the title. Some sets have as few as sixteen pictures, where others have as many as five hundred pictures in the set.

Once you locate a set you would like to view, click on the picture of that set, and a new window will open displaying the photos as thumbnails. What are thumbnails you ask? These are smaller versions of the pictures within the set, which makes scanning the many pictures much easier at a glance. Click on any of the thumbnails to enlarge the photograph, or click on slideshow to view the entire set.

Another feature I just discovered, and you may enjoy, is ordering prints of the pictures you want a hard copy of. The pictures can be retrieved within one hour at a Target Store near your home, which I found to be rather handy and cost effective.

You can also save any of the pictures from my Flickr account to your computer by moving your cursor to the picture you would like to save and clicking on the right button of your mouse. This causes a popup menu to appear, which prompts the user to select what action they would like to perform, select “Save Picture As” which saves the image to the folder you have selected as your storage area of images on your personal computer.

I hope this helps, if not, I repeat, feel free to contact me with your questions on using Flickr.

Colorful Language in the Pressroom

As the publisher of our newspaper played snippets from the Sam Zell video, some in the audience were shocked at Sam’s use of the F-word, and others just saw Sam as another colleague we would be able to talk to over a cigarette.

I mentioned to our human resources representative that Sam was a pressman in his first career, before deciding to become a billionaire, which caused her to remark, “I didn’t know that!” I quickly told her the truth that Sam Zell was never a pressman, he just spoke like a pressman.

Last week when yet another piece of equipment failed, out of frustration I asked our shift supervisor where the pressroom manager was, using Sam Zell’s colorful language to convey my description of the pressroom manager.

My use of colorful metaphors to describe my Tribune Boss were considered insubordination by the shift supervisor, and I was told I came very close to being sent home without pay, for my outburst. The Los Angeles Times Olympic Pressroom is a powder keg ready to explode, as the press operator’s are being singled out for the problems occurring daily on all the printing presses.

As a result of the high decibels generated by the printing presses, the staff on the pressroom floor has developed our own form of sign language over the years, which anyone that has worked in our environment understands.

Yesterday my colleagues created a new sign to show our displeasure when under duress with management, that cannot be taken as insubordinate, which pressroom employees already fully understand.

Below, Bill Conover is practicing our new sign language with the afternoon shift supervisor. And as you can see, the shift supervisor is still smiling; no one is offended by this friendly gesture, that allows my colleagues and myself to vent our fustrations.

Friday, January 25, 2008

TGIF Media News

Afrosphere Proves Potent Force in Story of Race - Electronic Village
NY Press Sex Columnist Quits After Just One Column - Fishbowl NY
The Atlantic is dropping its registration requirement - The Atlantic
Newspapers See More Online Users in '07 - Associated Press
Sun-Times stories end on the phone - Chicago Tribune
N&O to outsource ad work Overseas - News Observer
Bushee named SF Chronicle editor - Jim Romenesko
Wall Street to Daily Papers: 'Drop Dead' - The Nation
Phil Bronstein named editor-at-large - Mayrav Saar
Double Whammy - American Journalism Review

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Take Back the Times: Hiller Firing 2 Men Of Principle, Looks For A Fool

By Ken Reich

I'm in debt to blogger Mayrav Saar for having obtained a remarkable document in which L.A. Times "publisher," David Hiller tells what he is looking for in a new editor after firing two principled editors in just 14 months. The next one, apparently, will be a man he feels he can fire just as easily.

Hiller graduated from Harvard Law School, but not every Harvard grad is another Sen. Barack Obama. There are quite a few who are unskillful, unwise and greedy. Hiller has enlisted himself in this group. Plus, he is a nut case. He has advocated making the Chicago Tribune a tabloid, supported concentration camps for Haitian and Cuban refugees and is a buddy and admirer of Ken Starr and Donald Rumsfeld.

Hiller writes, notably, in his prospectus for an editor: "We need to communicate closely, Always tell me what you think, especially if you disagree. If we always agreed, we wouldn't need both of us. Don't be public when we disagree, unless we talk about it first, or unless it's your swan song."

Saar has added the word "ouch" as a comment to this.

You know the drill, click on the link below to continue reading.

Hiller Firing 2 Men Of Principle, Looks For A Fool

Janet Clayton as Editor of the Los Angeles Times

With David Hiller’s help wanted ad all over the Internet, I’m seeing three names in contention for the vacant editor’s job at the Los Angeles Times. But aren’t we doing things differently now, instead of selecting from the three men to replace the former editor, do something completely different and select a woman for the position.

Janet Clayton would make sense to this blogger, with over thirty years experience as a writer and assistant managing editor at the Los Angeles Times, she would bring a new insight to our newspaper.

When I met Ms. Clayton she impressed me as very business like, and highly intelligent, with web savvy to boot.

We have to look outside the box and do things differently if we are to survive as a newspaper in this ever increasingly competitive market.

New Tribune Employee Handbook Available

Several colleagues have complained, to me directly, that they would like to have a copy of the new Tribune Employee Handbook, but are unable to get a hard copy in their hands.

Click on the title of this post to be taken directly to the handbook, and once there, click on the icon of a printer, and 13 pages will be downloaded to your personal printer.

If this doesn’t work for you, I have a copy I will gladly duplicate for your needs.

Olympic Pressman Dennis Rios Promoted

Eighteen-year pressman Dennis Rios has been elevated to the position of Operations Trainer at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Production Facility. Dennis will aid the supervisory team in streamlining the make-ready process, as well as trouble shoot press problems, and work as an extra set of hands when the crews are struggling to produce the newspaper.

Dennis is the son of former pressman, Harold Rios, and brother to Michael Rios, a pressman at the Olympic Facility.

Its very refreshing to see a pressman, that actually has the knowledge to operate our massive printing presses, in this position.

Congratulations on your promotion Dennis.

Thursday Morning News

Pressroom shift supervisors Dan and Kal

There Is NO Rule #6 - Right-Thinking
Los Angeles Times Editor Forced Out - We Are SC
A pivotal year for the Times and its unions - Crosscut
David Hiller is Searching for a New Editor - Fishbowl L.A.
Tierney to Unions: “We Must Cut Costs by 10%” - PhillyMag
Sun-Times staffers get pink slips...by phone - Chicago Tribune
Denver Post Editor Warns Staff to Stop Gossiping - Westword
Our Tally of Time Spent at Top 30 Web Sites - Editor & Publisher
Why would anyone take the LAT editor's job at this point? - Romenesko
Giveaway bonanza as nationals renew circulation push - Press Gazette U.K.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Death Notification

Please join us in extending our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Jackie Taylor (Jackie worked in the San Fernando Facility in the Packaging Department) on the death of her sister, and to Myesha Pretlow )Myesha works presently in Newsprint/Packaging here at the Olympic Facility) on the death of her Aunt Carolyn Taylor.

Viewing:
Simpson’s Family Mortuary
3443 W. Manchester Blvd.
Inglewood, CA. 90305
(323) 752-5524
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Funeral Services:
Simpson’s Family Mortuary
Thursday, January 24, 2008
10:00 a.m.

Messages of sympathy and condolence can be sent to:
Jackie Taylor and Myesha Pretlow & Family
327 East 74th Street
Los Angeles, CA. 90003

David Hiller Posts The World's Longest "Help Wanted" Ad

By Mayrav Saar

On his internal blog (remember that?), LAT publisher David Hiller enumerates the various qualities he's looking for in a replacement editor-in-chief. (Our favorite part: "With me, as Sam says, no surprises. We need to communicate closely. Always tell me what you think, especially if you disagree. If we always agreed, we wouldn't need both of us. Don't be public when we disagree unless we talk about it first, or unless it's your swan song." Ouch.)

Hey, we hear N. Christian Anderson is available.

We are in the thick of actively considering candidates to be our next editor. In recent days there has been considerable ink spilled over what it means for a publisher and editor to be aligned. I thought it might be useful to get some of my thoughts down in writing, and share it. Almost all of this applies to all of us in all parts of our business, so you if want, where you read "newsroom" just put in "the company."

Let me hear from you, what you think, what you would add, how you would change this for your areas. Consider this a "for discussion" document.

What we're looking for:

To learn what David Hiller is looking for in an editor, follow this link to the complete article on Fishbowl Los Angeles, or click on the title of this post to be redirected to the article.

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: Bronstein to step down as Chronicle editor

The Chronicle announced tonight that Phil Bronstein is stepping down as executive editor and that a new editor with "deep roots in the Bay Area" will be announced in the next couple of days. Bronstein, 57, has been Hearst's top editor in San Francisco for 17 years, first for nine years when the company owned the Examiner and eight more when it bought the Chronicle. Bronstein told an afternoon staff meeting that he will remain executive vice president of The Chronicle and will take on the title of editor-at-large for the paper and the Hearst newspaper division, working on strategic issues and investigative projects, he said in an afternoon meeting with the staff.

Barack Obama at the Los Angeles Times

Yesterday I got to shake Obama's hand and record this video. He was in a meeting with the editorial staff at the Los Angeles Times, and the rumor spread of his appearance. A big crowd met him downstairs on his way out of the building through the Globe Lobby. He's very charismatic and I trusted him immediately.

BIGresearch Releases 11th Simultaneous Media Survey

BIGresearch Releases 11th Simultaneous Media Survey: More People Multitasking Media than Ever

Videos on Cell Phones Fastest Growing New Media, Web Radio Grows, TV’s Influence to Purchase Declines

COLUMBUS, OH – (MARKET WIRE) – 1/22/08 - How much media can any one person consume? According to BIGresearch’s (http://www.bigresearch.com) latest Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 11), in which 15,727 people participated, the only way for people to keep up with the deluge of media options is to multitask with other media. The level of simultaneous media usage in SIMM 11 increased over SIMM 10 for all major forms of media.

“Technology is creating new media options faster than most people can assimilate and is causing more multitasking,” said Gary Drenik, President of BIGresearch. “Unfortunately for marketers faced with the challenges of an uncertain economy and the need to increase marketing ROI, new media options are impacting how consumers use traditional media. Specifically, TV’s influence on consumers to purchase products declined, whereas new media options such as web radio, satellite radio, instant messaging and blogging all increased. Consumers seem to be seeking information from digital platforms while TV has traditionally been viewed as a brand building medium, which isn’t providing the requisite information,” said Drenik.

This does not mean all traditional media are declining in influence. Media that can target, be timely, and deliver value to consumers, such as coupons/direct mail, radio, yellow pages, newspapers and newspaper inserts all increased in influence to purchase as consumers are looking to stretch budgets in a slowing economy.

Other Key Findings from SIMM 11 include:

Regular simultaneous media consumption for online, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and direct mail is up from 1% to 35%, depending on the medium.
Channel surfing remains the #1 regular activity engaged in during TV commercials with 41.2% doing so followed by:
33.5% talk with others in the room or by phone
30.2% mentally tune out
5.5% regularly fully attend to commercials
In SIMM 11, eating continues to be the #1 activity people engage in while using media followed by doing housework, doing laundry, cooking and talking on phone.
Top simultaneous media used when reading a newspaper are: watch TV, listen to the radio and go online.
For people listening to radio, other media simultaneously used are (top 3): engage in other activities, go online and read the newspaper.
Web radio usage is up in all dayparts.
Cable is where most TV viewing takes place.
Dayparts which had highest number of media types increase usage over SIMM 10 – 1:00 am to 6:00 am, Noon to 4:30 pm, 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm, 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm and 10:00 am to Noon.
Top 3 In-Store Promotions for influence of purchasing a product: Product Samples, Shelf Coupons and Special Displays
Top 3 Media for triggering an online search: Magazines, Reading an article on the product and TV.
Blogging increases in all dayparts.

To receive a recap of the key findings, click http://info.bigresearch.com/.

About BIGresearch

BIGresearch is a consumer intelligence firm providing solution-based insights of consumer behavior, present and future, in areas of products and services, retail, financial services, automotive and media. BIGresearch conducts the Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM) bi-annually and the Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) monthly. More information is available at http://www.bigresearch.com.

Mid-Week News Links

SAM ZELL ORDERS ALL INTERNET FILTERS REMOVED - ERS News
Freedom Interactive announces a redesign for Web sites - Freedom Co.
METRO NEWSPAPERS SEND 2 PUBLISHERS PACKING - NY Post
Fired L.A. Times Editor Rips Tribune's Priorities - Washington Post
NY Times Stock Hits 52 Week Low, is it a buy? - Meta Printer
Might Google Buy the New York Times? - Real Clear Markets
LAT sort-of explains its endorsement plans - Kevin Roderick
New publisher at Daily Breeze — again - Kevin Roderick
Zell The Manager - Columbia Journalism Review
Shake-up planned at Metro Boston - Boston.com

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Sierra Madre Blogger Passes Away

Centinel at the FC Blog noted the passing of Jim Snider, the publisher of the Sierra Madre Cumquat.

Snider's blog is no longer working, so we're pulling it from our local blog list.

Adieu, Jim, sorry to see you go.

SOURCE: Claremont Insider

Editors Comment: Aaron Proctor called tonight and said he had never met Jim Snider in person, but they exchanged email and linked one another, as many of us bloggers do for one another, and he had a feel for Jim's personality. Aaron was saddened, as all local bloggers are, to learn of his passing and requested I post something in his memory. So be it Aaron. Read Aaron's farewell to our friend Jim Snider.

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: Papers give hints about candidates they like

With 10 months before the general election, signs are emerging as to which candidates Bay Area papers will be endorsing. Chron editorial page editor John Diaz (right) came away from a meeting with Barack Obama impressed. "His look-you-in-the-eye directness was evident ... " Diaz wrote. "The other striking quality of the Obama meeting was his willingness to listen to and engage in the questions that were asked — rather than regarding any question as a launching pad for the campaign's talking points, a practice that has become epidemic in modern American politics. He demonstrated depth on an assortment of issues."

Examiner owner Phil Anschutz and wife Nancy are backing Mitt Romney, giving him money and holding fundraisers on his behalf.

Over at MediaNews, chief executive Dean Singleton was a Bush supporter in the past two presidential elections, much to the consternation of partner Dean Scudder, who has supported Democrats. This time around, Singleton gave $1,000 to Democrat New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Richardson dropped out of the pack a few weeks ago. (Photo credit: Andrew S. Ross, Chronicle.)

Sam Zell: No censoring of the Web

From: Talk to Sam
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:03 AM
Subject: Censorship, the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate

Everyone,

I learned on the first leg of our tour of Tribune's business units that some of them were filtering Internet content. I do not see how a member of the Fourth Estate, dedicated to protecting the First Amendment, can censor what its own employees and partners can see. I have instructed that all content filters be removed. You are now exposed to the dangers of You Tube and Facebook. Please use your best judgment. Let's focus on what is important, and go for greatness.

Sam

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

Take Back the Times: Negative Outside Reaction To Hiller Purge

By Ken Reich

I love what normally restrained outsiders are saying about David Hiller's purge of James O'Shea, the third Los Angeles Times editor to lose his job in the last 30 months to the cost cutters and enemies of California who run the Tribune Co. They are waking up to what a loser this man is.

Kevin Roderick shed some of his customary inhibitions in expressing in LA Observed his understanding of the disaster that has befallen the Times since Hiller was sent here from Chicago to replace the fired publisher Jeff Johnson and can the distinguished editor who had had so much to do with winning multiple Pulitzer Prizes at the Times, Dean Baquet.

"If you add it up, as I did, the Los Angeles Times in less than a year has lost in abrupt fashion its editor, managing editor, Opinion editor, Metro editor, lead designer, top political columnist - Ron Brownstein, top science writer in Robert Lee Hotz, top black columnist in J.A. Adande, and its two most attractive bloggers in Bob Sipchen and Bob Salladay, plus much more. And that was sujpposed to be the hyear when the paper returned to making news for its journalism, not its dama."

Click on link below to continue reading Ken Reich

Negative Outside Reaction To Hiller Purge

LA Cowboy: What Really Happened At The LA Times! He Just Wasn't That Into You!

By Brady Westwater

After reading dozens of stories both on and off-line on the sudden mutual parting/firing/resignation of now former Los Angeles Times Editor James O'Shea due to proposed staff reductions/no staff reductions/refused staff reductions plus proposed budget cuts/budgets not being increased/budgets not really being cut, but still effectively reduced - it finally appears that each of the stories/spins/rationalizations have some degree of reality/non-reality.

But the bottom line appears to be pretty much what was first said by Publisher David Hiller:

"While Mr. O'Shea insists that he was fired, Mr. Hiller said it was a mutual decision, but he said that "at some point it is more semantic. The fact is we didn't see eye-to-eye." Mr. Hiller said even before their disagreements he had expected Mr. O'Shea to be a transitional editor at the paper, serving only a year or two. "It was a question of whether we do it now or six months from now," he said, adding that he expects to soon make additional changes at the paper".

While I met Jim O'Shea a number of times, I never really got to know him as I've gotten to know other people at the Times. Nor did any of the people I talk to most at the Times ever really get to know him, which could have been part of his problem.

But, more likely - it was a generational barrier. Print is dying and the web is the future. Increasingly news aggregation is going to be as much of the future as news gathering and a somewhat new set of editorial skills will be needed to separate the wheat from the chaff, and the bloom from the bluster, to mix a metaphor.

Even more importantly, though, will be the necessary ability to customize what news each individual reader can receive, the ability to create a greater interactivity and integration of the Times into each reader's daily life - and the hunger to want to take advantage of all those new realities and challenges.

Tuesday Media News Links

Times Mirror Square

More confusion on LAT firing - Mark Lacter
Don't Let the Door Hit You - Claremont Insider
Los Angeles Times In 90 Seconds - Mayrav Saar
LAT Editor Creates New Kind of VooDoo - Gawker
Editor Fires Parting Shot at His Chain - New York Times
Media shares plunge amid recession fears - Market Watch
O'Shea knew for two weeks he was gone - Kevin Roderick
L.A. Times Editor Fires Parting Shot at Tribune - Deal Book
Changes coming to The Orange County Register - OC Register
LA Times Scorecard and Why O'Shea Was Dropped - Kate Coe
Stanton to Replace O'Shea at 'L.A. Times'? - Editor & Publisher
Let's Hear It for Print! Well, Glossy Print Anyway - Advertising Age
Why Los Angeles Times Can't Keep an Editor - Wall Street Journal
LA Times Publisher, Former Editor Dispute Departure - Paid Content

Changes to Comment Practice

Just three weeks into allowing anonymous comments here, it’s beginning to take its toll, with personal attacks and mud slinging aimed at one another. Kanani and Nubia have urged me to disable anonymous comments, which I will take into consideration, but in the mean time I will give you fair warning to chill out and disagree in a civil manner with one another.

Not one comment has been censored, but this practice stops today, with Nubia and Kanani acting as moderators to all comments. Neither Kanani nor Nubia works for the newspaper, which will give them an un-biased foundation for moderating your comments.

Thank you for understanding,
Edward

Restore Times Mirror Square

While many changes are coming to the Los Angeles Times, why not make another change, which would not cost much? Restore the name of the Times building to Times Mirror Square, and dump the name Tribune West.

As the title of Ken Reich’s Blog states, Take Back the Times, this action would not cost the New Tribune Company a severance payout, and would be a name the employees of the newspaper would much rather hear, and be proud to be associated with.

Send a message to Sam Zell and David Hiller regarding your opinion, because one voice like mind will not make a difference, let’s take back the Times.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Martin Luther King Day

The Manic Monday word for today is Date. Today's date is significant because it is Martin Luther King Day Bill. The official holiday, on the third Monday of January, began in 1986. It was the first new American holiday since 1948, when Memorial Day was created as a "prayer for peace" day. Also it was only the second national holiday in the twentieth century (the other was Veterans Day, created as Armistice Day in 1926 to honor those who died in World War I). King is the only American besides George Washington to have a national holiday designated for his birthday (those of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee and others are celebrated in some states but not nationwide).

Internationally, King is one of the few social leaders of any country to be honored with a holiday (Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is observed in India).

In honor of this date ... Martin Luther King Day ... we have the text of his speech I have a Dream here.

Jim O'Shea - David Hiller memo 01.21.08

Folks,

Good morning. You’ve no doubt read or heard reports that editor Jim O’Shea will be leaving The Times.

Jim came out here a little more than a year ago at my request to help lead the newsroom through some challenging times. We have benefited much from Jim’s strong values, judgment, and directness in telling me what he thinks. We also knew the duty was temporary, as Jim managed life across two cities. After we got the Sam deal done, we focused attention on finalizing our strategies and plans for attacking the future. It is clear there’s going to be a lot of change and hard work in the months ahead, making it critical that we are in alignment for leadership, speed and growth in this new era. In that vein, we will be making several significant organizational changes in the coming days, and naming a successor to Jim will be among them.

On we go.

David

SOURCE: TimesLink

Sam Zell on James O'Shea Departure

From: Talk to Sam
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 10:04 AM
Subject: Jim O'Shea's departure

Everyone,

With all of the media coverage and speculation Jim O’Shea’s departure is generating, I wanted to take the opportunity to reiterate what I’ve been saying since becoming chairman.

I’ve said loud and clear that I am returning control of our businesses to the people who run them. That means David Hiller has my full support. He carries direct responsibility for the staffing and financial success of the LA Times.

I understand that David and Jim together came to the conclusion that Jim’s departure was the best decision for the direction and future of the LA Times. I’d like to thank Jim for is contributions over the years, and I wish him the best of luck.

Sam

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

O'Shea's Remarks to Newsroom

From: OShea, James
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 10:53 AM
To: yyeditall
Subject:

I made these farewell remarks in the newsroom today and I wanted to share them with everyone in case they took off the holiday and were unable to attend. I wish all of you the best and thank you for all of the help you've given me over the last 14 months.

By now I am sure you have all heard I am leaving the Los Angeles Times after 14 months as editor of the paper. I will never forget the day that I walked into this newsroom, which was furious about the firing of my predecessor, Dean Baquet. As I entered the Globe Lobby, the security guard handed me a pass. It was good for one day. I remember thinking this was going to be one of the toughest days of my life. Actually, today is probably a little tougher. I am leaving here after making many great friends and before I got a chance to do everything that I wanted. But that’s life and I accept it.

I know there’s a lot of talk about why I am leaving so let me set the record straight. In discussions about the current and future budgets, it became clear that Publisher David Hiller and I didn’t share a common vision for the future of the Los Angeles Times. In fact, we were far apart. So David decided he wanted a new editor. As I’ve said on numerous occasions over the past 14 months, I intended to stay here and lead this newspaper to the greatness it deserves. But David decided he wanted to terminate my employment and get another editor. I wish the new editor the best.

Although I didn’t really accomplish all of the goals that I set when I arrived, I know that this newsroom today is better off than when I walked into the door, and I am proud of all that we did together. We’ve accomplished a lot in just 14 months. When I came to this newsroom, I pledged to maintain the quality of the LA Times, and I did, even though I had to cut budgets and shrink the staff.

Despite those cutbacks, we successfully transformed this place into a true interactive newsroom with a web site that is far more successful than when I came. In fact, traffic on LA Times.com was up by a staggering 187 million page views over December 2006, an extraordinary achievement and one that should generate pride in our ranks. Our coverage of the fires that’s truly worthy of a Pulitzer Prize is just one example of why record numbers of print and online readers depend on this newsroom. During my tenure, we also turned around a Sunday magazine that was drowning in red ink when I arrived; it’s now rebounding and is in the black. With a modest investment in new resources, we created a new fashion section that generates millions in new print and online ad revenues and a successful new Calendar weekend section. The formula for success? A small investment in new resources more than pays for itself with added revenues. We also created a new multi-media Guide section and web site; we redesigned Travel; we stopped the bleeding in circulation by being one of four papers in the country whose daily circulation was up in the last reporting period; and we broke news, the heartbeat of a newsroom, lots of it. The Sheriff Corona story; the diversion of U.S. anti-terrorism aid in Pakistan; I could go on and on. The quality of the paper under my time as editor didn’t decline. I am proud of that given the financial pressures we faced. And most important, there’s a talented stable management team in place that cares about the news that flows out to the public under the name of the Los Angeles Times.

This is an incredibly talented newsroom and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know many of you. I think Steve Lopez is the best daily newspaper columnist in the nation, one of a few that I would compare favorably to Mike Royko. And that’s saying a lot for someone from Chicago. There are lots of others who I could name but I don’t have the time. I didn’t get the time or opportunity to get to know some of you better and I regret that. One criticism I accept is that I spent too much time in my office and not enough time in the trenches, where I belong. So I apologize if I seemed a bit remote. As anyone who knows me well will tell you, that is not like me. I didn’t make enough time to do what I’m really good at: rolling up my sleeves and editing a story.

This is a tough time in the company and the industry. I understand that. I spent much of my career covering business and economics. I understand the realities of the bottom line. I am not some naïve, starry-eyed journalist who can’t accept economic reality. I know you have to cut back in hard times. I’ve done that more often than I care to mention. I also know this is a time of transition with change sweeping throughout the industry. But when you don’t agree with the future course of the newspaper it’s best to simply move on. There are plenty of other challenges out there for me and I don’t intend to sit around idle. There are bike rides to be had, books to write and hopefully another opportunity or two to make a difference. I am not a quitter.

One thing I want put on the record, though, is that I disagree completely with the way that this company allocates resources to its newsrooms, not just here but at Tribune newspapers all around the country. That system is at the core of my disagreements with David. I think the current system relies too heavily on voodoo economics and not enough on the creativity and resourcefulness of journalists. We journalists have our faults, but we also have a lot to offer. Too often we’ve been dismissed as budgetary adolescents who can’t be trusted to conserve our resources. That is wrong. Journalists and not accountants should seize responsibility for the financial health of our newspapers so journalists can make decisions about the size of our staffs and how much news remains in our papers and web sites.

The biggest challenge we face -- journalists and dedicated newspaper folks alike – is to overcome this pervasive culture of defeat, the psychology of surrender that accepts decline as inevitable. This mindset plagues our business and threatens our newspapers and livelihoods. I believe that when Sam Zell understands how asinine the current budgetary system is, he will change it for the better, because he is a smart businessman and he understands the value of wise investment. A dollar’s worth of smart investment is worth far more than a barrel of budget cuts.

This company, indeed, this industry, must invest more in solid, relevant journalism. We must integrate the speed and agility of the Internet with the news judgment and editorial values of the newsroom, values that are more important than ever as the hunger for news continues to surge and gossip pollutes the information atmosphere. Even in hard times, wise investment -- not retraction – is the long-term answer to the industry’s troubles. We must build on our core strength, which is good, accurate reporting, the backbone of solid journalism, the public service that helps people make the right decisions about their increasingly complex lives. We must tell people what they want to know and – even more important -- what they might not want to know, about war, politics, economics, schools, corruption and the thoughts and deeds of those who lead us. We need to tell readers more about Barack Obama and less about Britney Spears. We must give a voice to those who can’t afford a megaphone. And we must become more than a marketing slogan. I know I can rely on this newsroom to do this.

Lastly I want to make it clear that I didn’t quit. Anyone in a top newsroom management job during tough times always wrestles with a crucial question: Where is the line? At what point do you go from “I can deal with this” to “this is simply wrong. ” When I was Managing Editor of the Chicago Tribune, I always thought my line was 600 newsroom employees. If the publisher demanded cuts that would take the newsroom below that level, I would leave because I felt staffing would slip to a level that would not allow me to sustain the quality newspaper that the community deserved. The Trib had 610 people in the newsroom when I left.

So when I got here, I wondered anew: Where’s my line: Would it be a newsroom of 800 people? 700? But then I realized the folly of that kind of thinking. I’d been around the accountants and their “metrics” too long. The line you draw is this: Do I believe in the course we’ve set for the future? If the answer is Yes, if I thought the LA Times could resolve its problems by getting smaller and smaller, by being gradually diminished, then I would stay. If not, (and I don’t) then I told myself to take a stand and say enough is enough. If you have to consider closing foreign bureaus and cutting back in other parts of the paper to free up the money needed to cover the Olympics and the most historic political campaign in modern times, well to me that’s no plan for the future, that is not serving the interest of readers. It is simply stupid. Even though we face tough and demanding times and I sympathize with those who face daunting revenue challenges, I don’t believe that we will succeed long term by giving up; by taking steps that I think will gradually diminish newspapers. I decided to take my stand and say: Change the way we do things. I made that decision and I will live with the consequences. And when I walk through the Globe Lobby for the last time, I can guarantee you that I won’t regret taking that stand. I believe history will prove me right. When this industry stops relying so much on cuts and starts investing in Journalism, it will prosper because it will be serving the best interests of our readers. That’s when we will prosper. I wish you all the best and with that its time to say of my tenure here:

Dash 30 Dash.

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

Monday Morning Media News

Sorting out O'Shea firing - Mark Lacter
Keeping the lid on O'Shea - Mark Lacter
Another One Bites the Dust - PostBourgie
3rd L.A. Times editor fired - Chicago Tribune
Editor Jim O'Shea Out at LA Times - Kate Coe
Monday Hotsheet at 3 a.m. - Joseph Mailander
Cubs sale doesnt appear imminent - Score Boards
Some backstory on O'Shea dismissal - Kevin Roderick
No One Should Become Editor Until Hiller Goes - Ken Reich
Times M.E. says disputed cuts not that bad - Kevin Roderick
Dismantling of the Fourth Estate escalates - Arthur Magazine
Alternative Independent Sources for our News - End Injustice Now
Chicago Cubs looking at Wrigley Field name change - Marathon Pundit
Former Fishwrap of Record Screws Yet Another Pooch - Joseph Mailander
The Problem with Handbooks? All those Damn Rules! - Current Employment

What is the Truth About James O'Shea?

Often I hear you cannot believe what you read on blogs, which makes me say the same about newspapers this morning.

In the frenzy of articles yesterday, regarding the departure of James O’Shea, it was reported that the Publisher of the Los Angeles Times, David Hiller, fired Mr. O’Shea. Yet David Hiller claims he did not terminate James O’Shea, so what really happened?

David Hiller and James O’Shea replaced former publisher Jeff Johnson and former editor Dean Baquet because of their refusal to terminate reporters and editors, when told to do so by Dennis FitzSimons. The two men worked together as publisher and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, before coming to the Los Angeles Times some fourteen months ago, so they are colleagues and possible friends.

According to Ken Reich, James O’Shea spent one day per week in Los Angeles, before returning home to Chicago, usually on the day he arrived. How can you run a newspaper from the other side of the country? At least David Hiller rents a nice place in Santa Monica, and is present at the newspaper most days of the week.

This blogger feels the spin doctor’s are at work, attempting to make the editors departure seem noble, when in fact he could care less about the editorial department at the Times.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Take Back the Times: Hiller Fires O'Shea, 3rd Editor To Go In 30 Months

By Ken Reich

BULLETIN -- James O'Shea today became the third editor in two and a half years to be forced out at the Los Angeles Times after reportedly resisting cutbacks at the paper. The person doing the firing was that dirty stinker, David Hiller, the dishonorable publisher. A friend of mine this afternoon with much experience at the Times described Hiller as "a pain in the ass," and "fatuous." I told him these terms did not catch the full depravity of the man.

The firing of O'Shea came after he resisted Hiller's demand that he cut both the news hole and $4 million from the editorial budget. Hiller reportedly felt the Times coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign was too extensive, (or at least his friend Ken Starr may have.)

Ironically, the firing came soon after the issuing of a new company employees' handbook in which the new Tribune Co. CEO called for employees to speak out on management issues.

O'Shea declined comment Sunday evening, saying he wished to consult his attorney first.

But one expense that Hiller may well find justified would be the erection of a guillotine in the city room. In the future, that would save time.

Hiller Fires O'Shea, 3rd Editor To Go In 30 Months

Sunday Night Breaking News

Tribune West should be restored to Times Mirror Square

Fired & Forced Out: LA Times Editor, Jim O'Shea - LAist
Los Angeles Times Editor Is Fired After 14 Months - Jour M02
L.A. Times editor O'Shea fired - report - Market Watch
Los Angeles Times editor James O'Shea has been fired - BJ Retirees
'Los Angeles Times' Editor O'Shea Fired - Editor & Publisher
Los Angeles Times Editor Forced Out - New York Times
L.A. Times editor O'Shea dismissed - Los Angeles Times
LA Times Editor Fired in Dispute - Associated Press
2007: Those wacky Times - Kevin Roderick
Times editor O'Shea fired - Kevin Roderick

Los Angeles Times Editor Is Fired After 14 Months on Job

Los Angeles Times editor James O'Shea was fired just 14 months after he assumed the post, over a budgetary disagreement with publisher David Hiller, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Mr. O'Shea's exit comes little more than a month after the Times' parent company Tribune Co. was taken private in a $8.2 billion buyout. Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell won effective control in the buyout and became chairman and CEO of Tribune. The Chicago-based company owns several newspapers, including the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune and Newsday, as well as a chain of TV stations. A Tribune spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Mr. O'Shea, who had been editor of the LA Times since November 2006, is the third successive editor of the paper to leave over budgetary issues. His predecessor, Dean Baquet, was ousted rather than make cuts requested by Tribune's then management. In July 2005, John Carroll had quit under similar circumstances.

Before joining the LA Times, Mr. O'Shea was a managing editor of the Chicago Tribune. [WSJ]

L.A. Times editor is forced out

L.A. Times editor O'Shea dismissed for declining to carry out budget cuts

2007: Those wacky Times

SOURCE: Saul Daniels

L.A. Times editor O'Shea fired - report

They do move fast here!

Friday, January 18, 2008

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: Publisher given protection after threat

Oakland police have placed Oakland Post Publisher Paul Cobb (seen here) and another man under protection after the second man said he was offered $3,000 to lure Cobb to a place where he could be killed, according to a report by Thomas Peele of the Contra Costa Times. The second man said the offer came from two men he knew to be once associated with Your Black Muslim Bakery. A bakery associate, Devaughndre Broussard, has been charged in the fatal shooting of Post editor Chauncey Bailey on Aug. 2 in downtown Oakland.

According to Peele's report, Cobb made a series of phone calls to city officials and police Chief Wayne Tucker on Wednesday night, asking for protection for him and for the second man. "I am worried for my safety and for my wife's safety," Cobb said.

(Photo credit: D. Ross Cameron, The Oakland Tribune, Aug. 1, 2007)

Presidential Debate - Kim McCleary LaFrance memo

In less than two weeks, The Times, along with CNN and Politico.com, will be sponsoring the last two presidential debates before the California primary. The Republican debate will be on Wednesday, January 30 and the Democratic debate will take place on Thursday the 31st. Both debates will be televised live on CNN and streamed live at latimes.com and on our partners' websites at CNN.com and Politico.com.

Due to the small venue for the Republican debate, we will not be able to open up any seats for employees. However, I’m pleased to tell you we will be hosting a lottery for staff to attend the Democratic debate at Kodak Theater.

Here’s all the info:

¨ Lottery is for one seat only, no guests.
¨ All Los Angeles Times Media Group full and part-time employees in good standing (i.e not on leave, disciplinary action) are eligible to apply.
¨ One entry per employee.
¨ Incomplete forms are automatically disqualified.
¨ Application deadline is January 21 at 5 p.m.
¨ Winners will be selected on January 22 and notified no later than January 25.
¨ Final list of winners will be available on Jan. 30.
¨ Winners are responsible for taking appropriate time off (i.e. vacation day) if selected.

The live broadcast will run from 5:00 p.m. to approximately 7:00 p.m. All audience guests should plan to arrive by 2:00 p.m. in order to allow enough time to park and register for the debate. The doors at Kodak Theatre will open at 2:30 p.m. and be closed at 4:00 p.m. and no one will be admitted after that time. Due to security measures, we will require the name, date of birth, contact phone number, and email address for each attendee.

The public affairs staff will notify and confirm winners. List of winners will be provided to our debate partner, CNN, who will send parking and other details regarding attendance to your e-mail address. You will need to bring your attendance confirmation and government photo identification (i.e. driver’s license) with you to registration as attendees must be pre-registered.

If you’d like to apply, please fill out the form below and drop it off at the Company Store (Mon-Fri from 12:30 to 3 p.m.) or fax it to Public Affairs, ext. 75164.

Your name: ____________________________________________

Department/Company name: _______________________________

Times ID (employee payroll #): ______________________________

Times phone number (area code + seven digit number): _____________

Times or personal email address: ___________________________

Date of Birth: __________________________________________

Good luck,
Kim

SOURCE: TimesLink

Sam Zell Communicates with Everyone

As a blogger I probably receive just a few more emails than the average user, if 100 to 150 emails per day is average? To insure I do not overlook any messages, that I consider high priority, I have created categories for emails arriving from my children, family, bloggers, and my Tribune Boss’, which allows me to view messages from each category at a glance.

Currently I have over 200 messages unopened, and the messages are not spam, that will be read and responded to as time permits.

Can you imagine my surprise when I received a message from Sam Zell a few minutes ago, WOW; I’m impressed he has the time to reply to the massive volume of email that arrives at his talktosam address daily from Tribunites like myself.

I may skip lunch this afternoon and see what’s being said on Sam’s blog, may be interesting.

Here’s my email to Sam and his response:

From: EDWARD PADGETT [mailto:edpadgett1@verizon.net]
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2007 5:13 PM
To: Talk to Sam
Subject: Welcome to the Los Angeles Times

Dear Sam,

Just wanted to welcome you to the Tribune Company, and I look forward to meeting you one day soon.

All Operations Employees are excited about the upcoming changes, and I hope we can also add to the value of the company with cost saving ideas.

Cheers,
Edward the Pressman Blogger
http://www.edpadgett.com/blog/blog.html

Sam's reply:

"Edward – Cost savings are great, if they don’t erode the quality of our products. But, revenue generation is even better. Thanks for writing. Sam"

This photo speaks volumes

This is Beautiful, I don't care who you like for President.

Everyone, I realize that some folks are supporting Hillary Clinton and if you are, you still need to read this.

To me this photo is a picture of a strong man who, in the face of a setback, is cherishing a moment with the support of a strong woman who is 100% behind him. Together they are making history. This is the America I want to live in. This is what our families should be like and can be like.

If this photo moved you the way it moved me, forward it, especially to those in South Carolina and remind them that Hillary is not Bill and to vote for Obama in the South Carolina primaries and on Super Tuesday.

Submitted by Nubia

Another Week Comes to an End

Rosanna Noon and Eddie Santos twenty years ago

Time Out Chicago cuts its staff - Michael Miner
Trio of beat moves at the Times - Kevin Roderick
Golfweek replaces editor over noose - Associated Press
Countrywide sets execs retention bonuses - Business Week
The AP Has Written Britney Spears' Obituary - US Magazine
You Will Be Fired, And if you haven’t been yet, you will be - Folio
Infrequent and indifferent: Youth and news online - Readership Institute
Publishers Pounded as Wal-Mart Ousts 1,000 Magazines - New York Post
The Ongoing Battle to Curb Speeders in Monrovia - The Foothill Cities Blog
Too Many People have been Spending Beyond their Means - Michelle Malkin

Advertising Migrating to the Internet

Yesterday’s news that the Chicago Tribune will be moving their help wanted advertising to the Internet, with no printed copy, sent chills through the Los Angeles Times Olympic pressroom. As every newspaper in the new Tribune Company seek ways to trim costs and increase cash flow, the Chicago Tribune will no longer print the classified help wanted ad’s Monday through Friday, and move the advertising to Career Builder.

The help wanted ads will continue to be printed on Saturday and Sunday’s, but how deep will this trend go with the other sections of each newspaper?

Wondering if this trend would reach the West Coast I asked a manager if the Times would follow suit, he said “At the Los Angeles Times we are weighing each section of the newspaper for costs compared to profits, and said we are looking at this but had no firm answers on which sections would disappear from the hardcopy newspaper to the Internet at this time”.

Many changes will be taking place at newspapers across the country, and we would enjoy hearing from other newspaper workers on the changes taking place at your company.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

A Form of Censorship

Tuesday afternoon a tipster from Tribune West (formerly Times Mirror Square) called to inform me that Barack Obama would be visiting the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, and the tipster also mentioned Obama’s opponent would be following his footsteps to the Times on Thursday.

I created a post, with a nice family picture of the Obama Family, but chose not to give any recognition to Hillary Clinton or mention her visit to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, my subtle message I'm not voting for her.

As I read Kevin Roderick’s LAObserved tonight, he noted the lack of coverage on the Times Blogs regarding Hillary’s visit, could the Times be sending a message that they are not endorsing this candidate?

This reveals the dangers of allowing media cross-ownership in major markets, when both candidates are almost completely ignored because of party affiliation.

My Son's New Car Found

Talk about a dream come true tonight, I was pleased when a colleague brought this advertisement, in Friday’s Los Angeles Times, to my attention. As you may know I’m in the market for a used car, and had planned to spend between $1,500 and $2,500 for my teenaged son Nathan's first car. Little does Nathan know, he will be getting a brand new car now, because I will be camping out at this dealership tonight to be first in line, with only one car available at this price, this is too good to be true.

Take Back the Times: A California Soldier Killed In Iraq Comes Home

By Ken Reich
New Tribune Employee Handbook

The estimable Molly Selvin writes a most interesting article in the Times' Business section about the new employee handbook at the Times distributed for the Tribune Co.'s new owner, Sam Zell, It uses just 3,663 words to say in a simpler, good-humored way what was said in 11,519 words in the old pre-Zell handbook, and was written by one of Zell's assistants, Randy Michaels.

According to Selvin, some lawyers think the new handbook is too simple, opening the company to lawsuits. But that remains to be seen. I like the new handbook much better than the old, in part because there is not so much legalese in it. Anyone who doesn't let lawyers command their lives is, in my view, to be lauded and not vilified. I've known good lawyers, but not too many. Most of them are nit-picking grinds, devoted to making life more miserable for themselves and everybody else.

I'm on the lookout these days for signs of how Zell intends to run the company. This is a good sign. His number one point makes eminent good sense: "Use your best judgment." The most important thing, though, is that, unlike past employee handbooks, this one is likely to be actually read by employees.

As Selvin writes, "In place of words like 'pursuant to,' 'required minimums,' and 'appropriate documentation,' the Zell model uses plain language -- and jokes."

But, as usual, a San Francisco attorney, Mark Schickman, tosses a wet blanket over everything. Selvin quotes Schickman as observing, "In an effort to be brief and funny, they've made a lot of mistakes."

Schickman is one of these attorneys who ought to be dumped in the Bay -- with the current running out under the Golden Gate.

Ken Reich worked for the L.A. Times for 39 years, retiring in 2004.

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: Times building to be sold, redeveloped

The home of the San Mateo County Times for the past 43 years is about to be sold to a developer who wants to replace it with townhouses, the San Mateo Daily News reported today.

Last June the Times moved out of the 40,000-square-foot building at 1080 S. Amphlett Blvd. and into a newer, smaller space at 477 Ninth St. MediaNews has been looking to sell the building for more than a year as the company has consolidated its newspaper holdings on the Peninsula. The amount of money MediaNews will get for the building wasn't disclosed in the Daily News story. The Daily News is owned by MediaNews.

Sam Zell Wants to Buy the Daily News

Two days ago Joseph Mailander, from Mayor Sam’s Sister City, wrote: “A rumor we heard: Sam Zell wants to buy the Daily News. Every single person's response: "Oh, no!" “.

It is true Sam Zell and Dean Singleton have met, but from what I have been told, Dean Singleton is considering outsourcing his production from his Valencia Plant to the Los Angeles Times. The Valencia Plant produces the San Fernando Valley Daily News, and all the editions of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

With the extremely large debt the Tribune Company has to pay down, I cannot see Sam Zell buying any other properties at this time, but printing additional newspapers is an option that makes sense to increase cash flow in this competitive market.

Thursday Morning Headlines

Olympic Pressman Jim Hathaway

Sam Zell's rules for Tribune - Kevin Roderick
No legalese in this handbook - Los Angeles Times
Nikki Finke to Return on January 22nd - Nikki Finke
Anschutz not bidding for E. Coast dailies - Biz Journals
Tribune Employee Handbook --Must Read! - Kate Coe
After Job Cuts in 2007 -- What's Ahead? - Editor & Publisher
Sam Zell's Awesome Handbook for Tribune Employees - Gawker
Chicago Tribune Ceasing Weekday Print Classifieds - Paid Content
Major Media Company Statements about Workplace Values - Kottke
Solicitors Impersonate Firefighters To Scam Donors - Brian Humphrey

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Sam Zell on Tribune Employee Handbook

From: Talk to Sam
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2008 10:17 AM
Subject: Employee Handbook
Importance: High

Dear Partner,

I continue to hear your ideas and comments, and I’m pleased to see so many of you engaged. One common denominator running through your feedback is that you’d like to eliminate the red tape and speed up decision-making. I couldn’t agree more.

To reflect our new culture, we’ve put together a new version of the Tribune Employee Handbook—one that is shorter and more direct than its predecessor.

More specifically, it denotes trust — in your judgment, and in each other. And it reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously, and to have fun. Our company’s new core values are outlined in this handbook, and they define a performance-oriented culture. I encourage you to read them, and consider them in how you work going forward.

You can connect to the new handbook through this link: HANDBOOK

Best regards,

Sam

Motivational Word of the Month of January

RESPECT

Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

Mutual respect inspires a peak performance from all.

Media and Other News

Former Los Angeles Times driver Ray Houston, now with Ryder Trucking

Sam Zell makes first visit to Newsday - Newsday
Impressed by Tribune's 'New Sheriff ' - Bob Davis
Bakersfield Californian outsources jobs - Jim Romenesko
Improvements in your local newspaper - Pasadena Star-News
A new voice emerges at the Contra Costa Times - Sara Steffens
FDNY Threatens Manpower Cuts Over Sick Days - Firehouse.com
Anschutz not bidding for E. Coast dailies - Denver Business Journal
New Services Help BloggersBring in Ad Revenue - Wall Street Journal
Tribune to overhaul print help-wanted ads - Leah McBride Mensching
Dramatic Losses Force Union-Tribune to Lay Off Employees - Voice of San Diego

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Used Car Needed

I’m seeking out a used car for my son Nathan, if any of my Los Angeles Times colleagues have a car they would love to part with, my cell number can be found in the company directory. The price range I’m considering is between $1,500 and $2,500 for a four-cylinder vehicle.

Thanks, Ed

Los Angeles Times Investigative Sports Writer Wanted

From: Denley, Susan
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 2:37 PM
Subject: Projects reporter--Sports

Projects Reporter--Sports

Sports is looking from within the newsroom for an investigative/projects reporter.

Modern sports news has expanded far beyond games and how they were won or lost. The sports department has at various times assembled teams of reporters to uncover these stories outside the lines. Now, we are hoping to assemble such a team again.

The job doesn't require in depth knowledge of sports, though some would be useful. But experience in investigative reporting is preferred.

Interested candidates please contact sports editor Randy Harvey or deputy sports editors Mike James and Steve Clow.

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

Barack Obama to Visit the Los Angeles Times

Barack Obama will be visiting Los Angeles tomorrow, with an economic roundtable in Van Nuys his first stop, then he will visit the Los Angeles Times at 4:00 p.m., before finishing his day in Pacific Palisades for a fund raiser.

I have my fingers crossed I will be allowed to leave our production facility to have a few pictures taken with our next president tomorrow?

Web Conversion - Russ Newton memo 01.14.08

Tomorrow we begin a year-long process to slightly narrow the width of our paper. The total reduction is a half-inch, taking each page from the current 11½ inches to 11, which will bring The Times in line with industry standards. The page depth will be unchanged. For most readers, the change is likely to be unnoticeable.

If you have any questions on the conversion, please let me know.

Russ

Tuesday Afternoon News

I’m rooting for the employees of Tribune Co.’s newspapers - David Warsh
Memo to Bakersfield Californian employees - Poynter Online
KRON 4 for sale; Fox, NBC likely bidders - SFP Press Club
Metro puts US papers up for sale - Boston.com
Daily Press announces job cuts - Daily Press

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: George Riggs steps down at MediaNews

George Riggs, former publisher of the Mercury News and Contra Costa Times, announced today he is stepping down from his post as top executive of California Newspapers Partnership, the three-company group controlled by MediaNews that owns most of the Bay Area's daily papers.

According to a report in the Merc, Riggs, 61, said he left of his own accord from the position he had held for 18 months. Riggs' resignation comes 11 days after Merc editor Carole Leigh Hutton resigned and was replaced by MediaNews vice president David Butler. She too said she left on her own -- less after a month when she proposed reducing the Merc to a three-section paper.

Media News chief executive Dean Singleton said that Riggs' responsibilities will be assumed by Steve Rossi, MediaNews executive vice president and chief operating officer. Rossi is familiar with the Merc and CC Times from his days as head of Knight Ridder's newspaper division, which owned those papers for many years. Rossi was long seen as the heir apparent to Knight Ridder chairman Tony Ridder.

The California Newspapers Partnership includes 33 daily newspapers with a combined circulation of more than 1.2 million and generate about $1 billion in annual revenue, according to MediaNews. The papers include the Merc, CC Times, Oakland Tribune, Marin Independent Journal and many in the Los Angeles area. MediaNews owns 54.2 percent of the partnership while the rest is held by Gannett Co. and S.F. Holding Corp., formerly known as the Stephens Media Group.

Camels and Fashion Mishaps

"There are dromedaries and bactrians, even-toed ungulates that bring visions of nomads in flowing gowns crossing the Sahara, of a young TE Lawrence in revolts against Turks, of modern day tourists having photos taken on top of one in front of pyramids, and sharing the road from Delhi to Agra with rickshaws, putt-putts, cars and camels pulling carts. Yes, camels are in our collective psyche as something exotic, belonging to some other, chaotic world. However, here in the west, their good name has been besmirched by the world of fashion by some creative slang to describe when a woman's pants are simply too tight. It would seem, the noble transport of Lawrence of Arabia has taken an unfortunate wardrobe detour to Lorraine of Suburbia."
Read the rest here:
Get Lost With Easy-Writer: Camels and Fashion Mishaps

Monday, January 14, 2008

Garth Brooks Tickets - Employee Lottery - Kim McClearyLaFrance memo

When tickets went on sale for the Garth Brooks concert benefiting the McCormick Tribune Foundation’s Southern California Fire Relief Campaign, Garth broke all Staples Center records and sold out five shows in an hour. Needless to say, these tickets are good as gold. Lucky for you, I’m here with a golden opportunity.

As a sponsor of the campaign, The Times has purchased tickets in the arena’s premier section for each of the five concerts. A block of tickets will made available to Times employees and a lottery will decide the lucky winners.

Employees can apply for two tickets each and winners will receive seats to one of the five concerts (January 25 at 6pm and 10pm or January 26 at 1pm, 5pm and 9pm). Unfortunately, we cannot grant requests for a specific day or time.

If you’re interested (and who wouldn’t be!), please fill out the form below and drop it off at the Company Store (Mon-Fri from 12:30 to 3 p.m.) or fax it to Public Affairs, ext. 75164. All entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. on January 16 and winners will be notified no later than January 21.

Remember, not only is this a great night of entertainment, but the McCormick Tribune Foundation will match the first $2 million raised from ticket sales at 50 cents on the dollar (up to $1 million dollars).

Good luck, Kim

Your name: ___________________________________________________

Department name: _____________________________________________

Times ID (employee payroll #): ___________________________________

Times extension: ______________________________________________

Times email address: ___________________________________________

* Eligibility guidelines: Full-time employees in good standing with Los Angeles Times payroll numbers are eligible to apply. Winners will be selected randomly to receive tickets to one of the five concerts and eligibility decisions made by the company are final. Application deadline is 5 p.m. on Jan. 16. Winners will be selected on Jan. 17 and notified no later than Jan. 21. Winners must pick up tickets at Public Affairs department on Jan. 22. Tickets not picked by Jan. 23 will be awarded to alternate winners. Final list of winners will be available on Jan. 25. Winners are responsible for taking appropriate time off (i.e. vacation day) if selected.

Martin Luther King Day

Monday Morning News

Edward and Joseph Mailander

No to Home Depot - Mayor Sam's Sister City
Illegal Aliens Kill Unionization Drive - Matthew Saroff
Buying papers with a smart card in Britain - Herald Tribune U.K.
This just in from the bargaining committee: - The Stress-Telegram
The Tribune started RedEye to kill the Sun-Times - Chicago Reader
Tribune Media Services Launches E-commerce Website - Industry News
Belo Will Create Separate Television and Newspaper Businesses - Belo Corp.
Can newspapers survive in a digital world? - Stephanie Antonian Rutherford

A Word on Commenting

Friday night I posted a message from Ronnie Pineta, that some misread, as a possible call for a work slowdown at the newspaper. This was not Ronnie’s message; his message is requesting everyone in the pressroom wear their black shirts on Friday’s to show unity and nothing more.

I sat on several comments for three days and decided to publish what was said on Saturday morning, and hope in the future names will be omitted, especially if the commenter is angry.

In Memory of Bryan Padgett

On Friday January 11th, Bryan's family gathered at his grave to celebrate his birthday. And there was not a dry eye in the group as we all shared stories about Bryan with one another.

Needless to say, I did not feel like blogging all weekend.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Take Back the Times: Many Small Papers Are Tanking As Year Begins

By Ken Reich

The way things are going in the newspaper business, it may not be too long before the big papers will be just about the only ones left. Two longtime newspapers have closed since the end of 2007, and many others have undertaken layoffs and other cost-saving measures. In recent years, hundreds of afternoon dailies have vanished, or become morning papers.

Here in Southern California, the papers owned by Dean Singleton have virtually all laid off numerous employees. At the Orange County Register, the story has been told about the unfortunate newsman summoned in on his day off to a meeting, only to be told when he got there he was fired.

Singleton is trying to follow in the footsteps of the Tribune Co.'s inept former CEO Dennis FitzSimons, who was laid off himself when Sam Zell became the Tribune owner. But unlike FitzSimons, it is doubtful that Singleton could leave with a multi-million severance. His papers probably do not have that kind of nest egg. The Singleton story is one of a squalid little man buying a bunch of squalid little newspapers, and then running them further into the ground. He may end up like the squirrel, living off nuts in the park.

The Cincinnati Post, its circulation having dropped by 75%, went out of business after 127 years of publication Dec. 31, and the Kent County Journal of Kent, Washington, a Seattle suburb, will close down Jan. 21. It has been Washington state's 8th largest paper.

In California, the story is almost as bad. The San Jose Mercury News is a shadow of its former self. Two big layoffs in recent months have pared the staff by 17%. One wonders whether a Silicon Valley edition of the Los Angeles Times wouldn't be more of a success.

[SNIP]

What are the causes? Ads are way down, and certain categories of ads, like classified, are approaching the vanishing point. Owners are unwilling to invest, fearing further reverses. There is a general ecnomic downturn, the whole housing industry has tanked. And more people are getting their news from the Internet rather than the daily press.

Click on the blue link below for the entire article.

Many Small Papers Are Tanking As Year Begins

Friday, January 11, 2008

A note on commenting

Recently, I was going through the comments that have to be moderated.

Ed & I have the option of publishing or rejecting them. For the most part, I've never rejected a single one. All of them have been published. Even when they've been dismissive of someone.
I'm uncertain as to what to do with one that has been submitted, and I'll let Ed figure it out.
But I personally don't like it when someone signs in under a fake name and makes a direct threat to another person. I know things over there are awful, but this threat was very real and has to be taken seriously.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Thursday Night News

Pressmen Tony Hill and Richard Fromel

Changes at Tribune's Morning Call - Jim Romenesko
Another Lie on the way out the door! - Ronnie Pineta
Unions, Politics and the Middle Class - Stress-Telegram
What Really Happened on New Hampshire - Rock the Truth
Tribune Company Does not Hire Illegal Aliens - Michael Miner
'E&P' Podcast: Part II of 'Secrets of Web Traffic Counting' - E&P
Newsroom layoffs begin at Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago Tribune
David Simon talks about his career in journalism - Chicago Tribune
CBS News and Writers End Dispute After 2 Years - New York Times
K&L Gates Represents ESOP Trustee on Tribune Going Private - JLNS

ESCORTS

This post is probably not exactly what you would expect according to its' title. But it is nevertheless appropriate.

My Sisters and I have had the pleasure of our Mother's company for the last month. This morning, we saw her off to her return home. Mother is 80 years old and not as spry as she used to be so we arranged for assistance at the airport.

As we were checking her in, we were informed by the Skycap that we could obtain "Escort" passes. This would allow us to accompany her to her gate! We only had to present her boarding pass and ID to an airline representative, along with our own ID. This was a breath of fresh air for us, as we were dreading the moment that we would have to leave her in the hands of a stranger.

We proceeded through security and to her gate with no problem and stayed with her until boarding time. We were under the assumption that a rep would take her to the plane, but (much to our surprise) we were allowed to actually escort her to her seat on the flight! We were ecstatic and so was she. She had her hatbox as one of her carryon pieces, and is quite reluctant to let anyone handle it, so she was happy that we were there to get it situated in the overhead storage.

We secured her seatbelt, gave hugs and kisses and was on our way. The really good thing is that not one of us shed tears. I think it was all because we were so grateful to have been escorts.

This gives a whole NEW meaning to the word!

San Francisco Peninsula Press Club: 3 papers once covered Mtn. View, now just 1

Here's a snapshot of the impact media consolidation is having in towns such as Mountain View, a city of about 70,000 between San Jose and San Francisco. A few years ago, three separate newspapers were covering Mountain View — the Knight Ridder's San Jose Mercury News, the Palo Alto Daily News (then independently owned), and the Mountain View Voice, a weekly owned by the Palo Alto Weekly. In 2005, the Daily News was acquired by Knight Ridder. In 2006, KR's papers were sold to MediaNews. According to this story by the Mountain View Voice, the Merc and Daily News have all but quit covering Mountain View. Even the city manager, Kevin Duggan, is lamenting the lack of news coverage:

"We seemed to get a lot more calls from the Daily a few years ago," Duggan told the Voice, adding that the city "used to have a dedicated Mercury News reporter -- we don't at this point to my knowledge. ... If it wasn't for the Voice, the public would really lose a lot in keeping track of what's going on in the city."

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

The Passing of Johnny Grant - 84

KFI radio has just announced the passing of Johnny Grant a moment ago. Mr. Grant was the honorary mayor of Hollywood for many years, and was always present for the unveiling of stars for the walk of fame.

Johnny Grant’s biography can be viewed here.

LATMG Valassis Press Release

LOS ANGELES TIMES MEDIA GROUP AND VALASSISENHANCE JOINT ADVERTISING INSERT DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

Nation’s Largest Preprint Program Improves Targeted OptionsWith Integration of Spanish-Language Hoy Fin de Semana Late Week Home Delivery

LOS ANGELES, CA and LIVONIA, MI, January 8, 2008 – The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) and Valassis (NYSE: VCI), the nation’s leading marketing services company, have strengthened their innovative joint preprint insert distribution program, which currently reaches approximately 5 million households throughout the Los Angeles DMA via shared mail, and carrier delivery to Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG) subscribers. For the first time, the program will expand to include a Spanish-language publication, offering targeted reach of select Southern California Latino households. Also, the in-home delivery date will strategically shift from Thursday/Friday to Friday/Saturday to better respond to consumer interests and advertiser needs.

Beginning February 1, 2008, LATMG’s Hoy Fin de Semana (FDS) will be integrated into the late-week preprint program. Approximately 500,000 of the shared mail shopLocal/RedPlum (previously known as ShopWise®) wrap and preprint packages will be inserted into FDS and converted to Saturday home doorstep delivery aimed at Latino communities. FDS’s current 350,000 distribution base will increase to 500,000 accordingly and the move will provide advertisers with an unprecedented opportunity to have great impact with an unduplicated buy, selectable at the sub-zip (ATZ) level. In addition, Hoy Fin de Semana’s reputation as the trusted editorial voice for Spanish-dominant households ensures the finely targeted audience will receive the preprint package via a publication on which they already rely for lifestyle, entertainment and shopping information.

“Joining the engaging content and targeted audience reach of Hoy Fin de Semana with the breadth of the successful Valassis/Los Angeles Times/LANG network will be a great thing for consumers and advertisers,” said The Times’ publisher David D. Hiller.

In addition, Los Angeles Newspaper Group’s (LANG) Daily Breeze will join the program, serving the beach city communities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, among others.

“Our commitment to the strengthening of this innovative, joint preprint insert distribution program is a logical step in the penetration of this critical arena in the marketing landscape,” said William Blackmer, Valassis Senior Vice President, Strategic Sourcing. “We are very pleased to continue building our relationships with the Los Angeles Times and MediaNews Group in this important growth market.”

shopLocal/RedPlum, combining inserts from leading retailers across the region into a package with rich content and consumer appeal will be sold independently by each organization. The late week delivery date conversion will now better align with the needs of both advertisers and readers. In addition, sophisticated analysis and methodology provide unduplicated distribution reach amongst Los Angeles Times subscribers, LANG households, FDS readers and mail channels.

Larry Jordan M.I.A.

Retired Pressman Larry Jordan has missed the last two dinners, and this is not like Larry at all. I just called the number John Garay supplied a few moments ago, and it’s been disconnected, so maybe he has moved away from Covina? If anyone has Larry’s number would you give him a call, and let me know if he’s all right or has just moved?

Peace Be With You

We had a very unusual experience in the pressroom this afternoon; many of us were given an apology. After speaking with several colleagues, they revealed they had also received an apology, and all of us were stunned by this action.

To the person giving the apologies, thank you and apology accepted by all concerned.

Writer Impossible: Revealed

"As the writer crafts a story, a good portion of his experience is poured into it. From setting to characters, they come from places he's been, people he's met. But as he writes, increasingly he becomes uncomfortable and is confronted with the age old question: how much of myself do I reveal?"

Read the rest here on
Get Lost With Easy-Writer

Thomas Farber's latest book.

Mid Week Media News

Older LA Times truck involved in an accident

How Big Corporations Choose 'Your' Candidates - Sitfu
Sun-Times wrestles with new reality - Chicago Tribune
Sun-Times debuts smaller paper size - Chicago Business
Job Cuts at McGraw-Hill Will Eliminate 3% of Staff - New York Times
More Layoffs at the Orange County Register! - Orange County Weekly
Miami 'Herald' To Outsource Copy And Layout To Indian Company - E&P
Sun-Times Media Group's Job Cuts Move To 'Burbs - Editor & Publisher
Greg Magnus Discusses Abrupt Lay-Off From OC Register - Mayrav Saar
Black Cartoonists Plan Feb. 10 Comics-Page Action - Editor & Publisher
Bad blood behind Lincoln newspaper chain’s demise? - Charleston Gazette
'The Seattle Times' Plans Job Cuts, Paper Size Reduction - Editor & Publisher

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Five Months Ago Today - Bryan Padgett R.I.P.

Five months ago today we had that terrible visit from the Los Angeles Coroner, with the news Bryan was killed in an auto accident. Feels like it was just yesterday, and also feels like it’s been many years at the same time, my daughter Lauren expresses it best for our family “I HATE IT.” Yes, Bryan’s family misses him deeply and dislikes the fact he’s no longer with us physically, yet his spirit will be with us all for the remainder of our years.

Last month I was unable to say a word regarding Bryan, and took three days off from blogging. Sometimes I can speak freely about Bryan, and other times I cannot.

Christmas was almost like a hurdle that has quickly passed, we changed our tradition of celebrating Christmas on the eve and moved it to Christmas Day, not at my home but Bryan’s sisters home Lauren. And this Friday we will start a new family tradition, celebrating Bryan’s birthday together.

This Friday at 11:00 a.m. the family will gather at Bryan’s grave to celebrate not his death, but his life. Afterwards the family will move the celebration to the ShoGun Restaurant in La Verne.

Blogosphere Comments on Dennis FitzSimons

The reaction to the excessive payout to former CEO of the Tribune Company is rather one sided, that is unless you’re a Tribune Boss at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Production Facility. This blogger feels the former CEO should have received one year’s salary as a severance, not a twenty-year severance package. Below are the softer comments from the Internet regarding this grand golden parachute.

"Yeah, this is the kind of greed/excess/stupidity that gives capitalism a bad name, unfortunately."

----

"Actually, this sort of thing isn’t capitalism. Capitalism relies on the principle of supply and demand. This is nothing more than legal theft."

----

"CEOs, (like all employees) ARE a commodity that is responsive to supply and demand forces. Companies hire CEOs (or promote them) and offer such deals because they don’t want said individual to work elsewhere. We can argue whether FitSimmons’ performance with the company merited this payola, but it was probably negotiated when he started or during peak performance evaluations by the board. To sum up… yeah, this was capitalism as excessive or as it seems.

You’re right, and the problem is that way too often a CEO’s salary and bonus structure isn’t tied to performance at all, OR it’s solely tied to the bottom line, which doesn’t take into consideration how you get there or what the future repercussions are of any shortsighted actions.

I’ve got an MBA, and two of the first things you learn in graduate business school is that 1) employees always make up the biggest portion of your expenses, and 2) you only get a tiny percentage of increased revenue (depending on your profit margin), but 100% of a decrease in expenses goes straight to the bottom line.

So in other words, if you cut employees, your profit is going to go way up, WAY moreso than if you work to increase sales and revenue.

The truth is that a large percentage of these CEOs who make these millions and millions of dollars were hired for the very purpose of axing people. This is especially true for today’s newspaper industry which has consolidated into huge corporations that have shareholders who want to match the 10 and 11 percent gains they were used to getting.

So we have a lot of newspapers who are now eating themselves alive in a desperate attempt to keep shareholders satisfied. The CEOs who are proven good eaters will continue to make millions until there is nothing left to digest.

Independent newspapers, those few that remain, are a heck of a lot healthier (and better places to work, I’m sure), than those that sold out."

----

"You also may have learned, or observed, that companies as they grow gain many folks that aren’t very productive (deadwood). Middle managers are often pointy-haired Dilbert manager types that think more employees = more important and promotion, so they often encourage it to the detriment of the company. That being said CEOs’ salaries often seem to border on the obscene, as do professional athletes’ … so what is fair, good, just and true … who do you appoint to determine these things? There should be market forces at work for these positions and salaries. Ideally in a capitalist system the errors where worth is overrated (as this may be) should be corrected over time. Sometimes it comes too late, but even so that is, in a macro-economic sense, still a market correction."

----

"Dennis probably cost Tribune Co as much as Conrad stole from Hollinger International, he just did it with his boards approval. Good Bye & Good Riddance!"

----

"Lord Black also had the approval of his board, but Fitzgerald decided that he should still be incarcerated, and was able to convince a jury likewise. "

----

"For years, Tribune management has done little to improve the company's bottom line beyond cutting costs and eliminating jobs. If Sam Zell really means to grow Tribune, rather than sell off its most profitable parts, getting rid of existing management, no matter what the cost, would be a good first step. FitzSimons doesn't deserve this payment after the poor job he has done, but what failed corporate executive does? It may be hard for some to see the difference between Black’s and FitzSimons’ thievery, but this is the way of the world."

Tuesday Morning News

Orange County Presswomen Robin

Los Angeles Times Blog 'Top of the Ticket' catches on - Kevin Roderick
Tribune company CEO receives $41 million buyout - Daily Cartoonist
Shrinking Union-Tribune: 'Doing Less With Less' - Voice of San Diego
Times and CNBC to Share Material on Web Sites - New York Times
Official 65th Golden Globes: Big Show Cancelled - Nikki Finke
Lots of complaints about Bhutto cover - Kevin Roderick
Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Tuesday - Michael Higby
Print is dead: long live print - Times Online U.K.
Courier Makeover - Claremont Insider
It's Obama and McCain - Mark Lacter

Sam Zell the Billionaire the Blogger

From: Talk to Sam
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 10:18 AM
Subject: Bad Language

Partners,

I am personally reading the messages you’ve been sending to talktoSam@tribune.com, and I am energized by your enthusiasm for the future of our company. We need to make sure that nothing gets in the way of our enormous potential for success.

So, I want to share my thoughts about some disturbing language I’ve heard used by Tribune employees internally. While I’m not opposed to using colorful language to make a point, there are a few words by which I won’t abide. One of them is the “C” word. I’ll bet you know the word I mean, and I’ll bet it bothers you too. The word is “can’t.”

To keep reading, go to my blog:

http://sam.trb

Editors note: Sam Zell's blog can only be accessed from within the Tribune Company Intranet.

Hat Tip: Russ Newton

Los Angeles Times Width Reduction on Track

The team from Goss retooling the mighty printing presses at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Production Facility is on track to have the presses ready for the forty-eight inch width newsprint. The scheduled debut of the narrower newspaper was changed, which made a lot of sense, due too all the different sizes of newsprint we currently consume. It would have been a logistic nightmare attempting to deliver the smaller width newsprint to certain presses and not others.

One can only hope the font size is not reduced any further with the size reduction, since our target readers are an older group, which has trouble reading small print.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

So Much For Roadtrips....

Tourists Quit Mexico After Violent Assaults & Corruption --Tourism at an all time low.

"Surfers and kayakers are frightened to hit the waters of the northern stretch of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, long popular as a weekend destination for U.S. tourists. Weddings have been canceled. Lobster joints a few steps from the Pacific were almost empty on the usually busy New Year's weekend. "

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Rolling Lessons

Crystal Cove, CA

A friend has had the life of her design. But her only child had a mental breakdown last autumn and spent weeks in a psychiatric hospital, then more time going to therapy every day, and then... well, there's always more. So she calls me.
I ask about her child, and she gives me the sanitized dope. Finally she gets to the real reason she called.
"How have you coped all these years?" she asks.

Read the rest here at
Get Lost With Easy-Writer: Rolling Lessons

Saturday Morning Media News

The Pressman Blogger's grandfather Nick Lucas

Dennis FitzSimons will receive a payout of around $3 million - Chicago Tribune
How I Learned to Love the Blog: Goodbye Dead Trees! - All Things Digital
Parent proposes cutting 40 Sun-Times newsroom jobs - Chicago Business
Zuma Dogg is the undisputed master of the comment genre - Joel Stein
Yakima 'Herald-Republic' Announces Job Cuts - Editor & Publisher
No Raises at the Star-Ledger this Year - Editor & Publisher
Iowa Victory Speech * Barack Obama - Electronic Village
'Gilroy Dispatch' Drops Frequency - Editor & Publisher
You Can't Outsource Local Quality - Stress-Telegram
Cheerleader-in-chief back in town - Kevin Roderick
How do CEOs earn fat bonuses? - GO San Angelo

Friday, January 04, 2008

Poor Dennis FitzSimons Grabs another $3 Million

Dennis FitzSimons meets the Pressman Blogger

Yes folks it’s true, the former Tribune Company CEO Dennis FitzSimons, pocketed another $3,000,000 from our company. In addition, Dennis was given $4,000,000 to help offset the taxes incurred with his massive golden parachute. I wonder how many Tribune Company employees, that have taken the numerous buyouts through the years, were helped with their tax burdens?

It’s reported that $23,800,000 of his golden parachute is from the stocks he has earned through his twenty-five year career with the Tribune. On February 14th, 2007 he awarded himself 135,000 shares of Tribune stock, which earned him a tidy $4,590,000. When Dennis resigned on December 20, 2007 he was given a very nice gift of 25,000 shares of Tribune, worth a paltry $850,000. Not bad for bringing a large corporation to it’s knees.

About four years ago the Tribune executives had yet another bright idea, grant stock options instead of a raise, to the twenty some thousand employees across the country. I’m happy to report our stock options are worthless pieces of paper.

This brings to mind the opinion one of my Tribune Boss’ shared with me after the auction of the Otis Chandler automobile collection, he said “Otis Chandler was a stingy man, he could have shared all his money with his employees instead of all those expensive cars”

I’m still waiting for my Christmas bonus from Dennis FitzSimons, because he’s not like Otis Chandler, stingy, is he?

Otis Chandler will be remembered as a great newspaper man, what will Dennis FitzSimons be remembered for?

Operations Left in the Dark at the Los Angeles Times

One of my pet peeves at the Los Angeles Times is the lack of communication with the Operations Departments, which has prompted many colleagues to tell me to forget it and move on. Well, after one year of attempting to be granted an email account at the newspaper, I have thrown in the towel and will call it quits now.

The main reason I subscribe to LAObserved is for information on my employer, seems someone supplies Kevin Roderick with all company emails from the movers and shakers at the company. I also grab email messages regarding the Tribune Company from Mark Lacter, of LA Biz Observed, and Media Bistro, and not one of these Bloggers work for the Tribune Company or the Los Angeles Times.

Last year Kate Coe found my story regarding the lack of an email account at the Los Angeles Times, and she too found it odd that we are left in the dark and work at the newspaper.

I will give David Hiller credit for the addition of the suggestion box, and for allowing certain emails to be posted on the Times internal Intranet, this is a move in the right direction.

Before I go any further, do you recall the story about the The Emperor's New Clothes?

Many years ago, there lived an emperor who was quite an average fairy tale ruler, with one exception: he cared much about his clothes. One day he heard from two swindlers that they could make the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they said, also had the special capability that it was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position.

Being a bit nervous about whether he himself would be able to see the cloth, the emperor first sent two of his trusted men to see it. Of course, neither would admit that they could not see the cloth and so praised it. All the townspeople had also heard of the cloth and were interested to learn how stupid their neighbors were.

The emperor then allowed himself to be dressed in the clothes for a procession through town, never admitting that he was too unfit and stupid to see what he was wearing. He was afraid that the other people would think that he was stupid.

Of course, all the townspeople wildly praised the magnificent clothes of the emperor, afraid to admit that they could not see them, until a small child said:

"But he has nothing on!"

This was whispered from person to person until everyone in the crowd was shouting that the emperor had nothing on. The emperor heard it and felt that they were correct, but held his head high and finished the procession.

Just as the townspeople did not dare disagree with their emperor, most will not disagree with David Hiller at the newspaper, which I feel gives him the wrong message.

As I scanned David’s internal blog I ran across a posting that was less than flattering regarding Kevin Roderick. I naturally came to Kevin’s defense, and explained why I felt LAObserved was a valuable communications tool for the employees without email access.

This prompted a visit by Russ Newton to explain why we do not have email accounts, Russ has tried in earnest to explain to me, and I still don’t understand, why we do not have email accounts in the pressroom. But like I said, I’m letting this go and moving on.

Below is pictured where Operation Employees are to receive their messages from Sam Zell, and David Hiller.

Another Trying Day at the Newspaper

It was another trying day on the second shift at Olympic yesterday, we prepared our presses in a timely manner and had our press crews return early from lunch, as per our instructions from the pressroom manager.

Unfortunately, things do not always workout as we hope in the pressroom, and we were impacted yesterday with a computer crash, that affected all Tribune Company newspapers.

From what I have been told a corrupt image file caused the system, which transmits the data for our negatives crashed, which in turn delivered our printing plates one hour behind schedule.

The second shift has four presses to run 660,000 copies on Thursday’s, the third shift uses six presses to produce the same amount of newspapers, yet, we have managers wondering why our shift can not produce the same amount of newspapers as quickly as the third shift.

Let’s hope we have very few obstacles thrown our way this afternoon, and walk out of the plant knowing we did our best with what we have to work with.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

David Hiller Speaks to Everyone But Operations

From: Hiller, David
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 10:43 AM
Subject: Going for it in 2008

Good morning and happy new year.

I hope all of you had a happy holiday with family and friends. I was back in the wintry Midwest for the closing of the deal with Sam, and to spend a few days with my mom and other family there (thermometer didn't get much over 20 degrees!).

I hope you feel as good about Sam coming aboard as I do. He's a force of nature, and an injection of his kind of energy and confidence is agreat thing.

It was Sam's idea to put up the banners that say "You Own This Place Now." And that has been his steady theme. His point is that our future is in our hands. It's not about the past, not about Chicago or the Chandlers or anybody else. It's about US in the Los Angeles Times Media Group family, and what we make of our mission and businesses in this amazing part of the world that is Southern California.

I don't go too much for the usual New Year's resolutions practice, but this year I think it would be good to take to heart what Sam said in his first note to us on December 20 about how we act moving forward:

We will take intelligent risks and reward innovation.
We will tear down bureaucracy and reward entrepreneurialspirit.
We will compete fiercely, but with integrity.
We will work hard and have fun.

These are good resolutions to live by. A number of you sent me emails over the holidays with suggestions and questions. There is also a Suggestion Box on TimesLink that many of you use. I welcome all these ideas, and will always answer an email and talk about some of the suggestions on my blog. And remember Sam has an email box too: talktoSam@Tribune.com.

I was glad to see many of you at our Town Hall meetings before the holidays. Our strategies and priorities we discussed are the ones we are telling Sam about. Near-term actions we will be talking more about in the next few weeks:

1. Completing 2007 year-end results

2. Finalizing budgets and action plans for 2008

3. Communicating 2008 compensation and benefit plans

We will also be planning our Employee Recognition Week activities later in February to fully recognize and celebrate accomplishments and contributions in the eventful year just passed.

I am looking forward to our coming year together.

David

Special thanks to Kevin Roderick for communicating what our publisher should be sending to ALL employees. My plant manager directed me to a bulletin board next to human resources for messages from David Hiller or Sam Zell, not exactly what I wanted to hear and a waste of paper.

The Sam Zell Videos

The thirty-seven minute video of Sam Zell can be viewed by clicking here, if you have enabled your pop up blocker, you will need to allow streamlogics.com to your allowed list because it plays in a pop up window.

The Sam Zell press conference can be viewed here as well.

No word from David Hiller for a copy of the Sam Zell speech, I requested, at the Los Angeles Times yet.

News Blips for Thursday

Number one USC fan Press Operator David Joe

Sam Zell and Dean Singleton's Domestic Partnership - Ken Doctor via FB
Why Did The Afternoon Cincinnati Post Go Out Of Business? - Meta Printer
Newspaper Production Union Seeks to Revive Contract Talks - W. Post
L.A. Times Obsessed With Britney Spears' Lesbian Kiss - Mayrav Saar
Homicide Blog Changing Hands and Getting Scaled Back - Patterico
Leovy To Move On At LAT From Homicide Report - Ken Reich
Is the Wall Street Journal Worth It? - Investor Daily News
Leno Sounds Like He Broke Strike Rules - Nikki Finke
Mayor Sam's Hotsheet for Thursday - Mayor Sam
DotDotDash: Different Drums - Blog Downtown

Producing the Los Angeles Times - It Isn't Easy

Yesterday as our pressroom supervisors held a very peaceful and productive meeting with the six press operators, the demeanor of the meeting quickly changed to a hostile environment as one of our Tribune managers entered the room, and our meeting became very unproductive.

This particular Tribune Boss can be pleasant at times, but he has lost touch with reality with his demands upon the press operators, we cannot be in more than one place at a time. I highly recommend all of our Tribune Boss’, at the Times Olympic Facility, don a uniform and work with the press operators for one week to fully understand what it entails to run a crew and a massive printing press.

What angers the rank and file the most are the subtle messages that we are at fault for production slipping by 3,000 papers per hour, compared to last year, on the second shift. One needs to look no further than the machinery; we are experiencing breakdowns at an alarming rate, with no replacement parts available.

Just this week my crew has experienced ten web breaks, which eight were caused by half roll breakage, I realize maybe two or three of the web breaks will appear on next weeks production reports, as we boast having the best rolls per web break for the company.

On New Years Day the press I was attempting to run lost a motor that pumps the ink to the ink rail, which left one side of the page blank, time lost, over one hour. The crew across from me lost their dampener solution to one unit, which caused down time as the spray-bar was replaced. Our crew at the far end of the pressroom had a gear break, again causing additional down time and brought the papers per hour down for the shift.

These events are not isolated occurrences, this is a daily experience for the men and women working in the pressroom at Olympic, yet our managers take a blind eye to what is really happening.

One of my Tribune Boss’ said it best “If we could only have a little of the bonus money the Tribune executives are taking with them, we could get the equipment back to running order”.

Is it any wonder after thirty-nine years of attempting to organize the Los Angeles Times, the union was able to get into the Times again? If anyone has an award for best union organizing at a newspaper, I would like to nominate our Tribune Company Boss’ at Olympic for their efforts in bringing in the union.

late night...

At 11:07, I was getting ready for bed, when I heard a crash. My son was having a seizure. We called the paramedics and he's at St. Jude. I just got home. Thankfully, some neighbors came to stay with my daughter. My son is being admitted for a neurology consult. They did a CT scan and showed no brain abnormalities. I'm going to straighten up, then go to bed, as my daughter is sick too.
When it rains it pours.

and by the way, I know my comments about healthcare upset Russ, and I'm sorry they did. But I can write volumes about health care contracting, plans, how the money you spend is divvied up, and also the history of HMO's. I don't think HMO's are bad, just understand that they are the most expensive plan you can have because they are all inclusive. I can tell you about running a small and struggling against the odds solo practice and also how much rents, wages, and supplies (for example: sutures have risen almost 60% in two years, even a vial of lidocaine with epinephrine has risen 50%) cost, and how suppliers are merging to create larger companies. All of this effects the bottom line. I can also tell you that most patients I encounter do not understand their health plan because it's such a maze. I have worked in healthcare for 20 years in addition to doing everything else that I do. I've spoken with professionals and also congressmen and senators. And believe me --your elected people do not know how this thing works, hence, they come up with big ideas but don't quite have the over all picture. Will Universal healthcare like the model in Canada and UK work here? No, it won't. But not for the reasons given. It's a lot deeper than even Michael Moore can grasp.

We have a long road to go. Unfortunately, high premiums are hitting everyone for a myriad of reasons. It's not a Tribune fault, it's just the health care industry, and the Trib and other companies are at the mercy of an industry whose motivation is profit, whereas the Trib's motivation is to keep employees healthy --not always the same thing.

xxx me

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Tribune Company: Health Insurance or Food

Another Retiree from the Los Angeles Times called tonight regarding his Tribune Company health insurance premiums, and I was astounded by what he shared.

Seems his Tribune medical, through Cigna has taken a steep jump to $4,400.00 per quarter, which is for coverage of his two teenagers, his wife, and himself. He stated the Tribune Company failed to reveal the costs to him or the other workers taking advantage of the company buyout.

He warns all Tribune Employees to take a hard look at any future buyouts before biting the carrot they dangle in front of you.

Editors Message:
During the purge of employees two years ago when the Chatsworth Production Facility was shuttered, I did notice the Cobra rates were included in the package sent to my home.

Bloggers in the News

The pressroom utility crew December 1976

From the left, Kasasi Ramasis, George Dunn, John Cooper, Jim Bernansconi, Bill Sperry, Elliot Collins, sitting down in the middle, David Joe, and resting on the street, Woody Johnson

Santa Barbara paper illegally fired union backers - Los Angeles Times
Malkin’s year-in-review: 2007 photo album - Michelle Malkin
Leovy winding down at 'Homicide Report' - Kevin Roderick
Nikki Finke outfoxed the big boys - New York Observer
Will Big Movie Scribes Settle WGA Strike? - Nikki Finke
Los Angeles Times In 90 Seconds - Mayrav Saar
FBLA 20 Questions: Edward Padgett - Kate Coe
Blogger Detained in Saudi - Associated Press
2007: Those wacky Times - Kevin Roderick

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Tribune Co. Retirees New Years Gift

A former Los Angeles Times employee, that is using the Tribune medical for himself and his wife, contacted me this afternoon regarding a sharp increase in medical premiums that went into effect today.

The former employee mentioned he had been paying $1,300 every three months for medical insurance, but today his premiums were increased by $400, bringing his total payment for three months coverage to $1,700.

For retirees on a fixed income this means they will have to adjust their spending habits or even forgo enjoying peace of mind with health insurance down the road.

The Dark Side of Foraging

Every so often I happen upon a really talented person who blogs about their passion.

Chef Kevin McKenzie lives in verdant Napa Valley. From reading his blog, I've learned how to roast the perfect chicken, what it's like to run a restaurant, and happened upon this interesting fact: he's the grandson of Fred Astaire.
Recently, he wrote about foraging for mushrooms in northern California:

"Naturally I figured I might just spend a bit more time looking around. That is when the trouble began."
Read the rest right here on The Dark Side of Foraging.

The only downside with his blog is that you have to sign up for Allbusiness.com's service to comment. Let's hope he moves over to blogger or wordpress soon.

Eight Things That Are Right

It is windy and overcast. The perfect day to be out walking the dog. While doing so, it dawned on me that I needed to make a post on New Year's Day. Since I blasted off about what was wrong to end the 2007 blogging year, I thought I'd spout off about what's right.

Of special interest, see #5

Get Lost With Easy-Writer: Eight Things That Are Right

Eight Things That Are Wrong

I thought I'd end the year with a list of things that are all wrong. Now it's always best to square things going eye-to-eye with a year, so after doing indulging in this rant, I'm sure I'll be ready to start the new year with a swig of whiskey and the good-heartedness of a small bunch of neighbors having a party around the corner. After reading this, you can go to your blog and name 8 things that are all wrong in your corner of the universe.

Read more here:
Get Lost With Easy-Writer: Eight Things That Are Wrong

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