LAT kills off the local section. Yes, you read that right.

...but you didn't read it in the actual paper, nor did you read that they jacked the cover price up as well.

Wow.

http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/01/los_angeles_times_kills.php

 

Hypernational.

 

For the journalists, this is another big hit. They already work under the constant threat of layoffs — department heads have reportedly readied their lists, awaiting the final count from Hartenstein — and there's not much confidence that things will ever get better. Morale totally blows, especially in Metro, the department most hurt by losing the section. Hartenstein also has people kind of freaked out, I hear — but only unofficially since he has tried to ban employees from talking to me. "We have a vindictive publisher," an editor told me, asking to stay unnamed. An afternoon email to Editor Russ Stanton seeking context to the California section axing went unanswered.

Funny how publishers and editors just love and encourage whistle-blowers and employees willing to go on the record about workplace issues -- until it's their employees and their workplace.

 

This day is a fucked-up-business milestone.

Between South Bend and Belo and this, it's simply unbelievable.

No local section -- in the Los Angeles Times.

And this publisher clown, who came in with all those positive words. What a crock of shit he has turned out to be. At least he's maintaining recent tradition.

I am completely embarrassed that I ever said a single word that perhaps the likes of an outsider like Sam Zell taking over a media company might be a good thing.

 

This will not be hyper-national. The national and foreign sections will be watered down and downplayed, too, in the effort to "enhance" the local section. I think that means that whatever California stuff The Times does have will be positioned in front of the national/foreign news within the same A-1 section.

I'm right there with you, SF Express.

These idiots from the radio/TV/music/"multimedia" businesses are going to be the death of the LA Times.

Newspapers need to train their real journalists to fill whatever multimedia needs they have.

And these jerks who they/we stupidly thought might ever be able to help? They need to be escorted the heck out of the building, just like all the other employees who have been let go in recent years.

I feel sick. I really do.

 

I find it funny (well, not really) that with all the problems that newspapers are having, that publishers still threaten employees with punishment if they talk to an outside news source. That's like Captain Smith getting upset with a passenger because they spilled a drink on the Titanic.

 

All I know is that my daily visit to the Journalism Only thread has turned into my daily dose of depression. Fuck.

 

Apparently, the backlash has already begun. Check out the comments section under this blog item discussing the change of location for local news.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/01/hollywood-paper.html

 

They's pissed

 

OK, how long before we get: "Our readers spoke ... and WE listened. The California section will re-debut on Monday."

 

I can't help but wonder if Shelby Grad isn't going to buy some trouble with this blog post, but geezus, if they react badly, they might not have a staff left by next Friday.

 

Still a shitty chickenshit publisher who spiked the story on the rate increase