Los Angeles Times cutting 74 positions

Incredibly sad and sadly predictable. Been a brutal couple of decades and we all know it'll continue.

Very classy farewells, including from a couple of friends.

My last job change, I was absolutely ready unleash both barrels on ownership and a couple of shitheels in power, both privately and publicly. Thankfully I thought better of it, in part to save my professionalism. And because it was useless, other than for fleeting satisfaction that would quickly fade.

But mostly I stopped myself because for a long, long time I truly loved that job I was doing and the institution I worked for. And I was moving on to much better situation.

 

From Meg James' story, "The Washington bureau and the photography and sports departments saw dramatic cuts, including several award-winning photographers."
L.A. Times to lay off at least 115 people in the newsroom - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

 

Dodgers, Angels, Clippers, Kings, LAFC, Galaxy writers all got the axe, no?

 

That's what I told my young colleagues in my last newsroom the day I was tapped on the shoulder. Told my editor that I said that to them when I needed to go back a week later to turn in some paperwork. He nodded his approval.

 

I believe Kevin Baxter is The Times soccer writer but doesn't write too many gamers on Los Angeles' pro teams. There were no dedicated LAFC, Galaxy and Angel City FC beat writers in 2023.

The only person who writes hockey for The Times is columnist Helene Elliott, who will occasionally cover a game.

 

I was a mail subscriber in my teens. It my dream destination in my 20s. Kinda fell out of favor in the early 90s (wildfires, earthquakes, riots, etc.) and because Fort Lauderdale was treating me so well.

But I still thumb through this often, and wistfully. My all-time favorite headline (It's Champagne With a Twist of Lemon) is across the bottom of the cover.

 

In the early 80s I would devour their two-page agate spread ("The Day in Sports"), and saw a bit of genius then that I STILL incorporate today:
How to make final-round golf scores --- with money --- fit in a narrow one column.

Even though the papers were much wider in those days, the LAT agate page was 8 columns, so that made them about as wide as a typical column today.

Instead of . . . Rory McIlroy, $1,800,000.........68-66-68-66---268 (-20)
Xander Schauffele, $875,000....68-67-68-66---269 (-19)
Hideki Matsuyama, $635,050...70-66-68-66---270 (-18)
Tony Finau, $635,050...............70-66-69-65---270 (-18)
Brian Harman, $635,050..........69-66-69-66---270 (-18)
Scottie Scheffler, $427,000.......68-69-68-66---271 (-17)

They did this:
$1,800,000 (268, -20)
Rory McIlroy...............68-66-68-66
$875,000 (269, -19)
Xander Schauffele.......68-67-68-66
$635,050 (270, -18)
Hideki Matsuyama......70-66-68-66
Tony Finau..................70-66-69-65
Brian Harman.............69-66-69-66
$427,000 (271, -17)
Scottie Scheffler..........68-69-68-66

 

Rams and Chargers?