Happy Halloween Everyone!

Enjoy yourselves, Everyone. But PLEASE be safe!

Thought For Today 10-31-2009

'Mediocrity always attacks excellence.'

Unknown

Book Review: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq

"Coppola writes the obvious but often overlooked: that modern warfare is conducted in urban settings.
Read the rest here (and order the book)
The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 10-30-2009

'Peace is when time doesn't matter as it passes by.'

Unknown

New York Post Cares About Employees

Back in the day the Los Angeles Times once cared about the employees at the newspaper. Unfortunately the policy of sending a company representative to funerals is non-existent, and don't hang a death notice anywhere in the pressroom at the LA Times, it will be removed by management as soon as it's spotted. Example: When I arrived to work early one Tuesday morning a death notice was posted on the entrance to the pressroom office regarding the passing of long time employee Willie Horton. Before I was able to retrieve a copy to share with my colleagues online the notice was removed.

I was moved by the caring of the New York Post for a long time paper handler that passed away, which was published on Wednesday in their newspaper. Way to go New York Post for showing some compassion for your employees.

Here's the story from the Post:

Post vet mourned
By LEONARD GREENE
Last Updated: 6:18 AM, October 28, 2009
Posted: 5:14 AM, October 28, 2009

Bruce Sharkey, a paper handler for the New York Post for more than 40 years, was laid to rest yesterday after a family service in Queens.

He was 66.

Sharkey died Friday after a sudden illness. He was a fixture in the paper's Bronx printing plant, and at The Post's South Street operation before that.


Sharkey, a Forest Hills resident, served for 12 years as president of Local No. 1 of the New York Paperhandlers Union.

He also served his country as a proud member of the Marine Corps.

Co-workers remembered Sharkey as an avid Yankee fan who enjoyed horse racing.


He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and several nieces and nephews.

He was interred at Maple Grove Cemetery in Kew Gardens

Truthdig Salon this Sunday - Please RSVP

TRUTHDIG SALON
Join us in celebrating
SEN. GEORGE MCGOVERN

On the publication of his latest book
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Sen. McGovern will speak on
"The American Presidency: From Lincoln to Obama"

Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009
1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
At the Los Angeles home of Truthdig publisher
Zuade Kaufman, on the city's Westside

Address and directions will be provided upon RSVP and receipt of donation.

Help support truthdig!
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Thursday Night in the Blogosphere

Gary Scott (at left) also known as Reporter G

• Editor as star - Jeff Jarvis
• The Post-Dispatch is hiring - Erica Smith
• Quieting the chatterers of doom - Gary Scott
• Editors see financial gains from cutting frequency - AP
• Joe Paterno and the Future - The Future of Newspapers
• LAT buys even more into celebrity 'news' - Kevin Roderick
• Canwest says National Post could close after Friday - Reuters
• Newspapers aren't doing as badly as you think - Newspaper Project
• Sam Zell: Tribune Co. will exit bankruptcy in early 2010 - Chicago Tribune
• Why are all the L.A. Times columnists using medical marijuana? - Sara Libby

Thought For Today 10-29-2009

Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.

Amy Bloom

Sam Zell to Tribune: So It Didn't Work Out

h/t Tina Dupuy

Los Angeles Times Still padding Circulation?

Los Angeles Times press operator Mike Carlson sent this over this morning and you might find it interesting.

Publishers

David Laventhol 1989-1994

Richard Schlosberg III 1994-1997

Mark H. Willes 1997-1999

Kathryn M. Downing 1999-2000

John P. Puerner 2000-2005

Jeffrey M. Johnson 2005-2006

David D. Hiller 2006-2008

Eddy W. Hartenstein 2008-



1990-#1 daily metropolitan newspaper in the country.

1,225,189 daily 1,514,096 Sunday



Circulation

1/1994-1,138,353 daily 1,521,197 Sunday

3/2002- 985,798 daily 1,394,544 Sunday

9/2003- 955,211 daily 1,379,258 Sunday

3/2004- 983,727 daily 1,392,672 Sunday*

9/2004- 902,164 daily 1,292,274 Sunday

9/2005- 869,819 daily 1,247,569 Sunday

9/2006- 775,766 daily 1,172,005 Sunday

3/2007- 815,723 daily 1,173,096 Sunday**

3/2008- 773,884 daily 1,101,981 Sunday

9/2008- 739,147 daily 1,055,076 Sunday

3/2009- 723,181 daily 1,019,388 Sunday

9/2009- 657,467 daily 983,702 Sunday***



*Tribune circulation scandal

Some of Tribune’s newspapers were found guilty of padding their circulation numbers and an audit was going to be taken on other newspapers. As you can see, the Los Angeles Times’ circulation dropped dramatically after that. We were told that “freebie’s” would no longer count as circulation.



**Times manipulating circulation numbers again

The Times is counting “freebies” again, this time with a twist. Paid customers who have partial subscriptions for the week are receiving “freebies” on other days.



***Note: 10/24/09 1st Sunday-Bulldog total printed was 949,762

Are we still padding the circulation numbers? A difference of 33,940!

Thought For Today 10-28-2009

To handle yourself, use your head.
To handle others, use your heart.

David Lazarus on a conflict of interest

Los Angeles Times Business writer David Lazarus

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

Orange County Pressroom foreman Ken Templeton; another Los Angeles Times
employee let go last week

• The Pressman Called It - Pandora
• Local papers see circulations drop - Gary Scott
• US newspaper circulation slide accelerates - Google
• Surveying the Wreckage - Newspaper Death Watch
• 2009 total: 14,169+ newspaper jobs lost - Erica Smith
• The End of Local TV News As We Know It? - Franklin Ave.
• Sun-Times sale to Tyree group complete - Chicago Sun-Times
• Guild, 'N.Y. Times' Agree on Buyout Terms - Editor & Publisher
• Northwest Arkansas newspapers will merge Nov. 1 - NWA News
• Tribune Co. bankruptcy: Bondholder group says company hid fees - CT

Thought For Today 10-27-2009

Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!

Thought For Today 10-26-2009

Sometimes we are so caught up in who's right and who's wrong that we forget what's right and what's wrong.

New Circulation Numbers for the Los Angeles Times

Circulation figures for the Los Angeles Times have been published, and again the Blogging Pressman gave out the true numbers, even though I was given hell for doing so. Editor and Publisher has the lowdown here. The story below was published on June 8th, 2009.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
My career at the Los Angeles Times began on August 3, 1972, and the Sunday circulation of our newspaper always surpassed the million mark my entire career. This unfortunately changed on Sunday June 7, 2009 when circulation eased below one million copies.

Here’s a headline from the Los Angeles Times Media Center:
1961 Sunday circulation breaks the one-million mark several times during the year.

Eddy Hartenstein was brought on board as publisher of the Los Angeles Times on August 18th, 2008 to stem the bleeding at the newspaper. Just like his three Tribune Company predecessors, the blood flow has not stopped or even slowed.

With circulation and advertising descending on a daily basis at the Los Angeles Times will our publisher resort to cutting expenses by reducing the size of the workforce to increase revenue, one more time?

On Sunday June 7th, 2009 the Los Angeles Times distributed 584,310 West edition newspapers, 404,352 East Edition newspapers, for a total distribution of 988,662 Sunday newspapers.

Charitable Volunteering Policy

From: Tribune Communications [mailto:TribuneCommunications@Tribune.com]
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 8:32 AM
Subject: Charitable Volunteering Policy



The new charitable volunteering policy is now available on the homepage of our intranet site, Triblink, along with a list of frequently asked questions and an HR form to be used for tracking your time. You can find everything at http://triblink.trb.

If you have any other questions, contact human resources at your local business unit.

Gary Weitman

SVP/Corporate Relations

Click on title for complete details

Thought For Today 10-25-2009

If you want your dreams to come true, you mustn't oversleep.

Dancing with the Albatross

Los Angeles Times Travel writer Chris Reynolds gets a backstage look at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and winds up on the roof, doing a mating dance with an enthusiastic albatross.

Thought For Today 10-23-2009

A sharp tongue can cut your own throat.

Gathering of Pressmen 11.16.09

Due to financial problems the Pressmen’s Twenty Year Club will be unable to host a dinner, but we will gather on Monday, November 16th 2009 at Weiland Brewery from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

400 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-680-2881

Invitations will be mailed next Monday

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

Here's another former employee that will disagree with Eddy Hartenstein on 2009 being an incredible year! David Craddock electro-tech laid off Tuesday at the Times OC Facility

• A Great Investment - Advice Goddess
• LAPD's iWatch is Watching You - Tina Dupuy
• Harvey Levin stands for a principle - Los Angeles Times
• All the News That's Fit to Subsidize - Wall Street Journal
• Layoffs and buyouts at U.S. newspapers in 2009 - Paper Cuts
• 44 Taser-Related Deaths in the United States - Electronic Village
• There Are Two Types: Creators And Aggregators - Newspaper Project
• 'Star Tribune' Dropping Saturday Single-Copy Edition - Editor & Publisher
• Detroit Free Press Shifting Revenue from Advertisers to Readers - Poynter
• Would you pay $13 a month for LA Times online subscription? - LA Metblogs

Chicago News Cooperative - James O'Shea

David Lazarus on Smart Choices

Los Angeles Times Business columnist David Lazarus

L.A. Press Club Statement on Harvey Levin & L.A. County Sheriff's Dept.

The Los Angeles Press Club

STATEMENT

Thursday, October 22, 2009
For Immediate Release
Edward Headington, Publicist
818.720.7181, edward@lapressclub.org

Press Club Condemns L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. Over 1st Amendment Violations of TMZ's Harvey Levin

Hollywood, CA. The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Press Club condemns the actions of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in violating a reporter's right under state law to maintain confidential sources in the case involving website TMZ's Harvey Levin. The department obtained a search warrant to examine Levin's private telephone records thereby identifying the reporter's confidential sources, a direct assault on freedom of the press.
Harvey Levin is the founder and editor of TMZ.com, a Hollywood celebrity website. According to records examined by the Los Angeles Times, a now identified Sheriff's deputy, who believed he was acting as a confidential source and a whistleblower, leaked the story behind actor Mel Gibson's drunk-driving arrest in 2006.

Levin says the department is seeking "revenge" for his publishing the story that charged the arresting deputy was ordered by superiors to suppress the details of Gibson's abusive language and behavior and anti-Semitic remarks.

Levin says he only found out about the warrant that authorized the sheriff's department to see his home telephone records when he read about it in the Los Angeles Times. "We share Mr. Levin's outrage as well as the deep concern of the executive director of The Reporter's Committee for the Freedom of the Press," said Los Angeles Press Club President Chris Woodyard, a reporter for USA Today.

"The tradition of protecting a reporter's sources is key to the media's role as watchdog-that's why the California Shield Law was enacted. And that's why there is a federal shield law winding its way through Congress. This assault on the First Amendment should not be tolerated in a free society."

Woodyard will have press availability to discuss this issue. Please contact Press Club publicist, Edward Headington, at number or email above to arrange for an interview.
###

The Los Angeles Press Club stands as an organization devoted to improving the spirit of journalism and journalists, raising the industry's standards, strengthening its integrity and improving its reputation all for the benefit of the community at large. Serving the Southland since 1913, it is the only Southern California journalism group that speaks for all journalists working for daily and weekly newspapers, radio & TV, magazines, documentary films and online. For more information, go to http://www.lapressclub.org/.

PR Newswire, co-sponsor for all Los Angeles Press Club events, is the global leader in news and information distribution services for professional communicators. For more information, go to http://www.prnewswire.com/.

Headington Media Group is a boutique communications firm dedicated to promoting public affairs in Southern California, specializing in image management, branding, messaging and public relations. For more information, go to http://headingtonmedia.com/ and/or visit http://headingtonmediacenter.org/.

The Los Angeles Press Club stands as an organization devoted to improving the spirit of journalism and journalists, raising the industry's standards, strengthening its integrity and improving its reputation all for the benefit of the community at large. Serving the Southland since 1913, it is the only Southern California journalism group that speaks for all journalists working for daily and weekly newspapers, radio & TV, magazines, documentary films and online.

Join the Press Club Mailing List!
The Los Angeles Press Club
4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027
www.LAPressClub.org

After War: Writing & Reading

Here's my latest column on the subject of writing that appears weekly. I've had many soldiers write asking me about writing, and so it's always enjoyable to impart this information.

The Kitchen Dispatch: Part 3. After War: Writing & Reading:

"'There's no rule on how it is to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly. Sometimes it is liked drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.'
-Ernest Hemingway to Charles Poore, 1953."

Thursday Night in the Blogosphere

2009 has NOT been an incredible year for Los Angeles Times Machinist Craig Mallory,
he was laid off Tuesday

• Blog Blog Blog Blog - Kanani Fong
• L.A. Times, Newspaper Morgue - The Wrap
• Soupy Sales, comedian was 83 - Kevin Roderick
• New York Times taps discarded talent - Gary Scott
• Newsday.com moves to subscriber model - Newsday
• Hey Recently Laid Off LAT Photographers - Tina Dupuy
• Stanton's local strategy: data and citizen participation - USC
• Good news hard to find at U.S. papers - The Globe and Mail
• Did the Internet kill the Rocky Mountain News? - Temple Talk
• Most People Read a Local Weekly Paper - Newspaper Project

Thought For Today 10-22-2009

After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.

Italian Proverb

TRIBUNE COMPANY CHARITY VOLUNTEER TIME POLICY

TRIBUNE COMPANY CHARITY VOLUNTEER TIME POLICY

Overview

The Charity Volunteer Time Policy provides eligible full-time employees the opportunity to take up to one additional day off (eight hours) per calendar year to perform volunteer service for an approved local charity. This policy is intended to encourage organized department or group volunteer activities. Individual volunteering opportunities will also be considered, but are discouraged in lieu of participation in group efforts.

Guidelines
1. To be eligible for volunteer time off, employees must be full-time, actively at work, and must receive advance written approval from their manager or department head.

2. Volunteer time may be spread over more than one day with manager approval, but may not extend beyond eight hours for any individual employee.

3. Volunteer time is not accrued, has no cash value and will not be paid upon termination of employment. Unused volunteer time in any year will be forfeited at calendar year end.

4. Eligible local charitable organizations are determined by each business unit.

5. Employees wishing to participate are required to provide the following information, via the link on Triblink, prior to volunteer time off:
a. Name of charitable organization
b. Organization contact name and phone #
c. Date(s) volunteer service is to be provided
d. Hours per date (if applicable)
e. Name of approving manager

6. Volunteer time covered by this policy does not count against holidays, sick days or vacation days.

7. Pay for volunteer time does not include any pay other than base salary. No commissions, overtime, shift differential, premium pay or any other additional wages will be paid for volunteer time.


TRIBUNE COMPANY
CHARITY VOLUNTEER TIME POLICY
Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an approved charitable organization?

Approved charitable organizations are those that a business unit has determined are eligible for employees to take volunteer time off from work. Generally these would be 501(c)(3) organizations (those to whom contributions are tax-deductible) or those that receive funding or support through organizations like the United Way. Large metropolitan areas usually have hundreds of charities like these.

2. Can the volunteer time off be organized as a group event?

Yes. In fact, that is a goal of this policy - to encourage departments or groups of employees to volunteer together to provide service to a local charitable organization as a team instead of individually.

3. How do I get approval to organize a group volunteer event or to donate my time to a charity?

Check with the charity to determine possible volunteer dates and times, decide which of these would work for your group, and ask your manager or department head for approval to take that time off. This program operates largely on the honor system, so while you will not be required to submit a time sheet signed by a charity representative, you will have to provide basic information about your volunteer service in advance.

4. Will I be paid for the time I take off to volunteer?

Yes, it’s like an additional personal day, but you must perform service at an approved charity for the day. Pay for volunteer time does not include any pay other than base salary.

5. Do I have to donate all eight hours in one day?

You may donate your eight hours in one day or spread them across more than one day; just be sure to have management approval for your group’s time away from work.

6. Will this time be deducted from my pool of vacation or sick time?

No. The hours of service you donate to charity is not part of your vacation or sick time. You have eight hours of time off from work to donate to performing charity work.

7. If I don't use all eight hours this year, can I roll them over to next year?

No. You have eight hours to use within each calendar year.

8. If I volunteer eight hours to a charity on a weekend, can I take a work day off to make up for it under this policy?

No. What you do on your weekends is up to you and is not covered by this policy. If you work second or third shift, you may be eligible to volunteer during normal business hours with an offsetting adjustment to your shift time, but this must be worked out and approved by your manager in advance.

The Best Catalog: J. Peterman

Hey everyone. This diverges from military or newspaper news. But I wanted to share something funny. I wrote about the J. Peterman catalog and someone from the company answered! It's in the comments. So I'm officially calling J. Peterman my new boyfriend, which is pretty harmless considering The Hubs is deployed!

So get a good laugh and read about it here! The Literary Fashionista

Support Lauren Padgett in the Walk for Hope

Please Support Me!

I've registered for the Walk for Hope because I refuse to let this terrible disease affect anymore people than it already has - and I need your help.

Walk for Hope supports breast cancer research, treatment and education at City of Hope, an amazing place that is saving lives every day.

Please support me and City of Hope's work. Small donations add up to make a big difference. Just hit the big "Donate" button - you can't miss it - and make a tax-deductible donation. It's that easy and it's that important.
Thank you!
Lauren Padgett

What is Walk for Hope?

Walk for Hope is a national breast cancer walk that supports breast cancer research, treatment and education at City of Hope, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The event is family oriented and a great way to get involved in the fight against this terrible disease.

Did you know that more than 200,000 new cases diagnosed of breast cancer are diagnosed each year? That means another 200,000 of our mothers, sisters daughters and friends and all their loved ones will be affected by this terrible disease.

You can support me and City of Hope’s groundbreaking research, education and treatment programs by making a tax-deductible donation online by clicking on the link below.

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! To thank you for supporting Walk for Hope, all donors who make an online donation for $35 or more will be elligible to receive a one-year subscription to Ladies’ Home Journal ($9.00 value).

I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Thank you!

If you would like to mail in a donation supporting my efforts, please click here for the donation form.

Inventing LA: The Chandlers and their Times

If you somehow missed the PBS documentary Inventing LA: The Chandlers and their Times, the entire movie can be viewed online here.

Eddy gets ahead of bad LAT numbers

From: Hartenstein, Eddy
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 3:56 PM
To: zzTrbAllHandsLAT; zzMediaGroups
Subject: Update


Dear LATMG Colleagues:

2009 has been an incredible year, with the media business riding the continuing waves of challenges. We have obviously not been exempt from the weight of a struggling economy, record unemployment and a rapidly changing marketplace, but we have taken some dramatic actions over the past year to improve our profitability and are on track to a sustainable future as the leading voice of news and information for Southern California.

As recently as last week, our portfolio-wide newsroom integration became complete, allowing the growing group of LATMG’s products targeting different audiences to resonate with the voice and trust for which we are known. In tandem, we are providing our clients, old and new, with more innovative choices and platforms – the well-received latimes.com redesign being a perfect example – as well as increased reach across the marketplace.

Next Monday, the Audit Bureau of Circulation will release 6-month circulation averages for the newspaper industry and figures for The Times are expected to be consistent with year-over-year declines in other major metropolitan markets. It’s important to put these results in context as they reflect several variables, including increases we have made to single copy and home delivery prices, the reduction of non-profitable copies in markets outside of Southern California, and the elimination of early week “bonus days.” It’s also important to understand that while our core paid circulation average has declined, that’s only one part of the story. Our most recent readership research shows print readers are more engaged and the average numbers of readers per copy has grown. And our current competitive media campaign – which will be ramped up further – is designed to help tell the real story of The Times’ influence when contrasted with other media.

The breadth and depth of what LATMG offers, through events, digital, mobile, newsletters, niche products, community newspapers, Spanish-language products and, of course, our broadcast partner KTLA, and more, also has grown and is aimed at consumers with increasingly diverse tastes and behaviors. Our bold, new INK campaign creative executions will be rolling-out around town and across the Web to coincide with new product developments and editorial focus, and we are planning a series of events and programs targeting the advertising community. In other words, we are executing a comprehensive communication plan to strengthen relationships with our clients and our community.

Finally, our customer acquisition resources have been increased and refined to re-position the core newspaper with a focus on the key content differentiators. These efforts, combined with zeroing in our consumer sales resources on areas most desired by our advertisers, will enhance our bottom line and allow us to continue to invest in our future.

In short, there’s been great progress, but the remaining 10 weeks of this year, and 2010, will continue to challenge us, our readers and users, and our advertising partners. It’s imperative we remain opportunistic and optimistic, while we continue to deliver world-class journalism and relevant news and information to our readers alongside innovative marketing solutions for our clients.

eddy

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

Thought For Today 10-21-2009

Faith believes in spite of circumstances and acts in spite of the consequences.


- - - Adrian Rogers

Rapper Chamillionaire on Twitter and the music business

Video credit: Mark Milian / Los Angeles Times

Chamillionaire discusses about how talking about Kobe Bryant on Twitter can promote music.

Looking for a bilingual/Spanish speaking host for a 1/2 day gig

Here's an easy way to earn $200.00 for a half day's work from my friend David Markland.

Hey, guys...

I'm working on a one day project, escorting a bunch of international contest winners to a few Michael Jackson related tour stops around Los Angeles.

There will be two buses, and since I can't be in two places in once, need someone who would be comfortable on the other bus, which will largely be from Latin/Spanish speaking markets.

Details:

• Must be proficient in Spanish.
• Must be knowledgable of Los Angeles enough to be able to wing random questions, point out assorted sights, etc.
• An English "script" will be provided they'll need to translate from - not verbatim, but basically relay facts about the locations we're heading to.
• Entire gig will likely take place sometime between 12pm and 6pm Thursday, October 29th.
• Rate is $200.
  

This should be a lot of fun, and a decent notch on anyone's hosting resume.

If you know anyone who'd be a fit, please have them contact me ASAP.

Best,

David Markland
writer, producer, event marketing guy
:: 310-490-3282
:: Twitter: @davidmarkland
:: online resume, etc.: www.davidmarkland.com

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

Linard Williams, Pam Scott, and Jonathan DeLeon.

Pam was let go from the Los Angeles Times Plate Making Department yesterday

• New age journalism - Newspaper Project
• Giving up on the News Business - Jeff Jarvis
• New York Times to cut 100 jobs - CNN Money
• GateHouse to restore pay cuts - Boston Herald
• Brother, can you spare some sick time? - Gary Scott
• October 19, 2009 News - Los Angeles Media Moves
• Layoffs begin at Los Angeles Times - Kevin Roderick
• 2009 total: 13,808+ newspaper jobs lost - Erica Smith
• FBLA Interview With Paper Cut's Erica Smith - Tina Dupuy
• Jack Nelson, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, dies at 80 - LA Times

No Dateline & Viva Ras Vegas

No, we don't know when The Hubs will be back.
As everyone knows, things have changed a lot over there and adjustments have been made.
Well, it's war.
Read the rest at and see the Vegas pics at:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Falling Axe at the Los Angeles Times

We knew layoffs were coming to the editorial department at the Los Angeles Times, but had no clue colleagues in the Operations Department would also be hit. Over at the Times Costa Mesa Facility 2 pressroom foremen were let go as well as one electro-tech. Here at the Times Olympic Facility 1 from the Plate Making Department and 1 from the Machine Shop were givin pink slips.

The layoffs in Operations at the Los Angeles Times began on September 16th, 2009; I suppose to keep the company from the limelight?

I will supply the names of our colleagues that have been let go within the next few days.

From Kevin Roderick: Layoffs begin at LAT

Save Our Trade: Interlocal Pension Fund Participation

The members in attendance on Sunday's Interlocal Pension meeting voted almost unanimously, in favor of participating in the GCC/IBT Interlocal Pension Fund. This is one of the main reasons for having wanted to form a union in our shops in the first place.

The fact that the company sponsered retirement plans were quickly becoming inferior to what we were once provided, the need for an alternative retirement investment was imperative in order to insure ample financial resources when we need it most.

Executive Vice President, Keith Denson will chair the committee on establishing the various segments and the contribution amounts that will apply to each segment.The committee members include Linard Williams, Mike Brierley, Dan Beruman and Richard Olmeda.

The committe members will be able to assist Keith in answering questions and instructing members how to participate.

For all other questions or assistance, contact EVP, Keith Denson at (661) 886-5698 or e-mail at mailto:atmakeup52@sbcglobal.net

For more information on the fund itself, visit the ILPF website at http://www.ilpfgciu.org/ or e-mail info@ilpfgciu.org For immediate answers, or literature, call (630) 752-8400

Save Our Trade: Interlocal Pension Fund Participation

Bruce Springsteen and Robert Hilburn

Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn talks about Bruce Springsteen from his rock memoir book "Cornflakes with John Lennon (and Other Tales From a Rock 'n' Roll Life)"

Layoffs at the Los Angeles Times Today?

According to Tina Dupuy, the Los Angeles Times is ready to let 30 to 40 editorial employees go this afternoon. The Blogosphere had numbers as high as 55 last week, we'll let you know when we know exact numbers later tonight.

Thought For Today 10-20-2009

"The first hurdle in accomplishing anything is deciding what's important."

Bette Dowdell

Freakin' FRONT PAGE

Just wanted to thank Jesse and all the other Veterans here who have been so encouraging about my putting my military posts to share with you. I know there are many of you who have served or have family members who have, so it's important that you stay informed.

FYI, this weekend I went to a Blog World Expo in Las Vegas and met up with many military bloggers. My hope is that all veterans and supporters who have a milblog will come next year.

I wrote about it for Blog Critics (sadly they do not pay) in an effort to get milblogging out of our self-built blogosphere FOB. And today, I made the front page! Read the article here!

Thought For Today 10-19-2009

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.


Thomas Paine

Thought For Today 10-18-2009

Working for God on earth doesn't pay much...but His retirement plan is out of this world!

Thought For Today 10-17-2009

I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them.

John Stuart Mills

Miltweets, Milfacers, Milbloggers at Blog World Expo

This weekend I attended The Blog World Expo, a conference for social networking. Social networking, which is a term that didn't even exist 5 years ago, is what so many of now spend inordinate amounts of time doing.

Read The Rest At The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 10-16-2009

Our life's a stage, a comedy: either learn to play and take it lightly, or bear its troubles patiently.


Palladas

Should I Be A Writer?

Hey, I'm at Blog World Expo and am having a swell time with the veterans, active duty, supporters and milspouses.
Here's something wrote about writing, tailored just for the military audience.

The Kitchen Dispatch: Part 2: War, Patient Confidentiality & Should I Be A Writer?

El Tepeyac's Restaurant For Sale?

Right after I graduated from Rosemead High School in 1971 my girlfriend at the time brought me to El Tepeyac Restaurant in Boyle Heights, and I was forever hooked on their faire. Doing my best to keep my waist from matching my age I have cut down to visiting Manual and El Tepeyac’s to twice per month.

If you know Manual you know he loves playing the ponies, just bring him a Los Angeles Times and watch his face light up with elation as he scans the newspaper for the horses and the tout sheet.

When I read on LAObserved that the restaurant was up for sale I was filled with sadness as the new owners would most likely change the menu, to save a few dollars, and run off the regular clientele.

I’m pleased to learn, from LAObserved, that the property is for sale and not the restaurant.

So I will continue as a regular customer of El Tepeyac’s after thirty-eight years.

Twitted Out

You know you've reached a weird point in the road when you get this.

War Wife Weekly: Life Goes On - Page 3 - Politics - Blogcritics

In an effort to go beyond the wire of milblogging and "put the word out," I've been sharing my posts here, and also writing on BlogCritics. This story has an amusing anecdote about Afghanistan.

"Are we milspouses a tough group? Not as tough as one might think. As I said to novelist Khanh Ha who grew up in a war during a different era, "Though your experience was direct and mine is on the periphery, war is a part of both of us, whether or not we like it."
Read The Rest At:
War Wife Weekly: Life Goes On - Page 3 - Politics - Blogcritics

Shared via AddThis

Chris Ayres' Commentary About the Decline of Newspapers in US

h/t Tina Dupuy

Thursday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

Jimmy Weathersbee Jr. with LA Times Pressman Kevin Anderson, his Uncle

• Why leave it there? - Erica Smith
• News’ Forbidden City - Jeff Jarvis
• Brill Confronts Critics - Newspaper Death Watch
• Greg Burk Remembers Brendan Mullen - Pandora
• Want to buy an Eastside landmark? - Kevin Roderick
• It's Like "Amy Alkon On Carburetors" - Advice Goddess
• Terry McDermott Named CJR Encore Fellow - Tina Dupuy
• Mid-Ocean News to cease publication - The Royal Gazette
• Newspaper and magazines struggle to survive - Troy Media
• The Chicago Cubs Go Bankrupt, How Do You Do That? - Weakonomist

Thought For Today 10-15-2009

"A man who finds no satisfaction in himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere."


La Rochefoucauld

John Lennon and Robert Hilburn

Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn talks about John Lennon from his rock memoir book "Cornflakes with John Lennon (and Other Tales From a Rock 'n' Roll Life)"

Wednesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

Former Pressman Jimmy Weathersbee running his own business

"Jimmy's Backyard BBQ"

• Times Co. isn't selling Globe - Boston.com
• Guardian lets Twitter do the talking - Gary Scott
• WSJ takes top spot among daily papers - Politico
• KTLA Goes Back to the Future - Franklin Avenue
• October 12, 2009 News - Los Angeles Media Moves
• AP Chief Says Enough Is Enough - Newspaper Death Watch
• Nancie Clare is the New Editor of LAT Magazine - Tina Dupuy
• Tribune Co Finds New Way To Shrink The LA Times - Pandora
• Tribune Co. Papers Were Thin, Now They'll Get Skinny - Jour MO2
• Freedom Communications faces first major bankruptcy hearing - OCR

Raymond Pedreschi Rest in Peace

From left to right, Ray Pedreschi, Orlando Salazar, and Harold Rios.

I was just notified that former pressman Ray Pedreschi has passed away from his daughter Rachel.

Here's the message from Rachel:

Hi Ed,

I am not sure if you knew my dad, Raymond Pedreschi, but I know that he was a member of the LA Times 20 Year Club. I just wanted to let the group know that dad passed away last night from a heart attack. There will be a funeral at St Bernardines on Valley Circle on October 26th at 11am. Let me know if there is a better way of getting the word out to his old co-workers. I know that Fred Kirby has called recently to ask about him but I can't find his phone number.

Thought For Today 10-14-2009

Experience is not what happens to a man: it is what a man does with what happens to him.


Aldous Huxley

Thought For Today 10-13-2009

Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Thought For Today 10-12-2009

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.


Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thought For Today 10-11-2009

Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.


Confucius

Thought For Today 10-10-2009

Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life.

Jean Paul Richter

War, Patient Confidentiality, And The Writer's Dilemma, Part 1.

In response to another well known milblogger who posted her husband's email describing the drama in the Forward Surgical Team unit during a time of mass casualties last weekend:

"The Hubs never divulges the nitty gritty details to me. I understand this is part of his professional code of conduct. It always has been this way, even through the 23 years of private and group practice. Similarly, the trust between a patient and the team is sacred."

Read the rest at:

The Kitchen Dispatch

LOVE RIDE 26 IS CANCELED

Glendale, Ca -- Love Ride 26, slated for October 25, 2009, has been canceled. The announcement was made by Love Ride founder Oliver Shokouh, who cited the weak economy as the reason for the event’s cancellation.

In place of the usual event, Glendale Harley, Home of the Love Ride, is sponsoring an autograph session with Peter Fonda and free movie screening, commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Fonda’s starring role in “Easy Rider.”

The event will take place at the dealership (3717 San Fernando Rd. in Glendale) Friday, October 23rd from 4-10pm. Glendale Harley will also be selling Love Ride memorabilia (Love Rides 1-26) on Saturday, October 24th from 9am-4pm and Sunday, October 25th from 6am-2pm. The hope is to recoup some of the costs already incurred this year by the Love Ride Foundation.

The dealership will also have representatives on hand to answer any questions. Donations to benefit our Love Ride beneficiaries are still being accepted and are tax deductible. The top ten fund-raising prizes featured in the Love Ride 26 brochure will still be awarded (excluding opportunity tickets).

If you have already registered for Love Ride 26, you will receive a Love Ride 26 ride pin and a Love Ride 26 patch. In addition, you will also receive a Love Ride 26 t-shirt. It’s our way of saying thank you for this year’s support.

All incentive prizes will be available for pick-up at Glendale Harley on Saturday, October 24th and Sunday, October 25th. For more information, please call our special hotline at 818-246-5618 ext. 141 Thank you.

It’s National Newspaper Week

h/t Erica Smith

Thursday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

The Los Angeles Times Olympic Pressroom

• FTC regulates our speech - Jeff Jarvis
• The Mayor should resign - Joseph Mailander
• The Asinine New FTC Rule - Advice Goddess
• Newspapers: Pretty Chart, Bad News - Jour MO2
• The [alleged] Future of Journalism - Metblogs L.A.
• Sizing Up Globe Suitors - Newspaper Death Watch
• Time for Newspaper Folks to Fight Back! - iStock Analyst
• Layoffs and buyouts at U.S. newspapers in 2009 - Erica Smith
• Taser Death: Rickey Massey (Panama City, FL) - Electronic Village
• Cuts, consolidation and reorganization at the Oregonian - Gary Scott

Thought For Today 10-8-2009

Men best show their character in trifles, where they are not on their guard. It is in the simplest habits, that we often see the boundless egotism which pays no regard to the feelings of others and denies nothing to itself.

Arthur Schopenhauer

Thought For Today 10-7-2009

Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry.

Schmap Los Angeles Eighth Edition: Photo Inclusion

Hi Edward,

I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released eighth edition of our Schmap Los Angeles Guide:

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books www.schmap.com/losangeles/events_belair/p=10630/i=10630_4.jpg

If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited in the iPhone version of our guide at:

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=losangeles&sid=events_belair&p=10630&i=10630_4

Finally, if you have a blog, you might also like to check out the customizable widgetized version of our Schmap Los Angeles Guide, complete with your published photo:

www.schmap.com/guidewidgets/p=21096449N03/c=SL20041054

Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please enjoy the guide!

Best regards,
Emma Williams,
Managing Editor,
Schmap Guides

Chandler documentary and Book

Earlier this year you may recall that a new documentary titled “Inventing L.A.: The Chandlers and Their Times” screened at a film festival in Santa Barbara. I was able to attend the screening and found the film very interesting, informative and entertaining. As we watch media companies, like our successor Tribune Company, face financial challenges and fight for survival, the film provides a look back at the history and development of The Los Angeles Times and the family that created it.




Peter Jones’s documentary film will now be broadcast on national television, on Monday, October 5, from 9 to 11 p.m. on KCET (in Los Angeles ) and other PBS affiliates (check your local listings J ).




The following are two links for more information about the film. http://www.pbs.org/kcet/inventing-la/ shows a clip about the film and http://www.peterjonesproductions.com/documentaries/Inventing_LA.html
is the filmmaker’s website.

I am grateful to Jeff Burbank, formerly with Corporate Communications, for providing information about the companion book and a special purchase offer for former Times Mir ror/Los Angeles Times alumni and retirees.




Bill Boyarsky, The Times’ former city editor, political reporter, and featured columnist, has just completed a companion volume, also titled "Inventing L.A.," published by Angel City Press. The book complements the documentary with an in-depth 45,000-word history of the Chandler family and its role in shaping the Los Angeles Times and the city it served. It also includes many of the rare archival photographs seen in the documentary.

Angel City Press has graciously offered to provide a special “Fourth Estate” discount for Times Mir ror associates, amounting to a 33% savings off the retail price (normally $35 plus tax). If you access the link below, you’ll be able to order autographed or personalized copies of "Inventing L.A." for the purchase price of only $24.50 plus tax and shipping.

Please visit http://www.angelcitypress.com/inlaorder.shtml to place your order.

My apologies if you received two copies of this email. I am sending the message to two separate data bases. Please feel free to forward this message to any colleagues you feel may be interested.
SUE BELL

h/t David Joe

JOUR M02 Writing and Reporting for the Media: A Sad 25th Anniversary

Here's an essay by former exec Bob Rawitch about the demise of the Valley Edition which was launched on Oct. 4, 1984. It was written for the OFS, a group of retired Times Mirror employees. It is followed by a note from former publisher Tom Johnson.

And here is a slideshow from the night the Valley plant closed http://chatsworth91311.tripod.com/.

A Sad 25th Anniversary


By BOB RAWITCH


It was 25 years ago tomorrow, Oct. 4, 1984, that the Valley Edition of the Times was launched. At its peak, we had about 100 staffers in Editorial alone. Today’s Times has one or two people hunting for stories in the San Fernando Valley, home to about 1.5 million people.

The decision to launch the edition was something for which as Suburban Editor I had lobbied for several years because Jack Kent Cooke bought the old Valley News and Greensheet, a throw-away, and had announced it was turning it into a paid-circulation daily newspaper. This was a real threat to the Times Valley circulation base of about 180,000, I argued to senior management, initially to no avail. Of course the major focus was on Orange County and the battle against the Register as OC, as it came to be known, was growing by leaps and bounds. It is hard to believe the Times now delivers the Register. What a strange media world it now is as everyone struggles to survive. Even more ironically, Otis Chandler back then told me one day he was glad it was Cooke who bought the paper instead of Tribune Co. “because Tribune knows how to run a newspaper, Cooke doesn’t!”

The paper in 1983 had already started building the Valley plant in Chatsworth to expand press capacity so we could have greater use of color generally and a separate daily full color Sports section for the upcoming ’84 Olympics in Los Angeles. In January I was in the buffet line in the old Picasso Room next to Otis who nonchalantly said, “Bob, I think it is time we start a daily edition in the Valley.” And just like that Dennis Britton and I headed a task force to set things in motion to study the issue and put together a plan. By the summer, a second-story news room was being constructed atop the press room and I was frantically hiring 36 reporters, editors, photographers and copy and news editors for an edition that would have “go up” pages in the old Metro section. Page three would be an open page for Valley news and the succeeding pages local Valley news and then L.A. news again.

Otis one day touring the steel-beamed structure with me went to the northwest counter of what would be the newsroom, looked over at the Santa Susana Mountains and said “this would be a great place for me to have an office.” I responded, “It’s your building, you can have an office anywhere you want.” He just laughed and of course did not have an office at the plant, though his late son Norman, until a brain tumor forced him into early retirement, was superintendent of the production facility there for a while.

Not everyone within editorial was a fan of the Valley Edition. Suburban was rapidly expanding its staff while Metro was not. Late in the week, we had as many as 12-14 pages of local ads and news that would precede the jumps from Metro front stories. There were the inevitable conflicts with Metro, often because they wanted our top stories for the Metro front. We usually agreed, but there were some days they’d want two or three stories, leaving our Valley display page weak. Other days, when news was slow in a huge geographic area that had no governmental agencies of its own, we struggled to fill from four to 12 pages with local news. Charles Carter, who went on to become editor of the National Law Journal, was Valley Editor. Drex Heikes, who subsequently held a number of senior positions within the Times and is now editor of L.A. Weekly, was city editor.

We hired a top quality staff and tried to provide excellent reporting and writing to Valley readers, similar to full run parts of the paper. But more than anything, we stopped using Suburban as a dumping ground or training ground, fulfilling a pledge that Noel Greenwood made to me when I became Suburban Editor in 1981. We hired people from the Rocky Mountain News, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, Bergen Record, Ft. Lauderdale Sentinel and other major dailies. Many of the people we hired moved on to Metro, National and Foreign positions as reporters or editors. Michael Connelly, who wrote his first novel on the side while covering the police and Superior Court in Van Nuys, has gone on to become one of the nation’s leading crime novelists.

The good days lasted through the mid '90s when the paper started a series of buyouts and then the paper’s first layoffs in history. Unfortunately, as for the rest of the Times, it was the beginning of a slow decline for the newspaper, ending with the complete closure of the Valley Edition. A few years later the production facility was shut down and the $100 million plant was sold to become a Bratz dolls manufacturing plant. The smaller daily Ventura Edition, started in March 1990, is also now gone. Only Steve Chawkins, one of the original staffers, is still in Ventura where he covers the region now.

The editorial successes of both editions are too many to recount, but the paper won two Pulitzer prizes for coverage of the 1994 Northridge earthquake and a subsequent Van Nuys shootout, in great measure with the contributions of Valley staffers. Scores of successful journalists’ careers were launched. And those of us who were a part of those two editions had a hell of a good time while it lasted.

---

On Bob Rawitch's "Saturday Story" (Oct. 3) on the L.A. Times Valley Edition:

Long after we both left Times Mirror, Otis Chandler and I were puzzled why the suburban editions were shuttered. Readership and advertising revenues had grown to a point where the suburban and zoned editions had excellent pretax operating profits. They provided strong local news to local areas. They provided advertisers that could not afford full run a targeted circulation area with terrific sales results. Of this we were certain, Bob Rawitch and his Valley edition news staff were splendid. That was true of all the advertising, operations, circulation, and news staffs in the zoned and suburban editions. It is very painful to look back at so many of the significant mistakes that weakened a magnificent newspaper.

--Tom Johnson


JOUR M02 Writing and Reporting for the Media: A Sad 25th Anniversary

National Newspaper Week coffee

The Shelbyville (Tenn.) Times-Gazette hosted a reception in celebration of National Newspaper Week.

Condolences, The Little Girl, A New Book, and Burns

"This post will not make you happy. But then that's never been my aim. It was a hard weekend for all of us families over here, waiting for news to come out.
First off, condolences to the families who lost loved ones this past week. FOB Keating was in Nuristan and is no more."

Read the rest at: The Kitchen Dispatch

Tuesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere

Keith Denson with Maria Ramirez

• Tribune's suicide - Belief Net
• Of Layoffs, Bankruptcy and Bonuses - New York Times
• Magazine Malaise Deepens - Newspaper Death Watch
• Another Dismal Circulation Report Is on the Way - Poynter
• Rushfield: Los Angeles Times 'kind of tragic' - Kevin Roderick
• Film shows how newspaper family 'invented' Los Angeles - CNN
• 'Inventing LA: The Chandlers & Their Times' - Los Angeles Times
• Do the top executives at Tribune Co. deserve bonuses? - Gary Scott
• Tribune Company bonuses: Physician, heal thyself! - The Bottom Line
• Duluth News Tribune paid circulation dropped nearly 16% - Duluth Day

Thought For Today 10-6-2009

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thought For Today 10-5-2009

"Whatever the situation, play the hand you're dealt as well and as promptly as possible."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's the only way to get new cards.

Thought For Today 10-4-2009

“As I grow older part of my emotional survival plan must be to actively seek inspiration instead of passively waiting for it to find me.”

Bebe Moore Campbell

Dear Mr. Obama

Dear Mr. Obama
You've sat on your hands long enough about Afghanistan.
And frankly, I can't listen to one more metaphor or simile. Especially when the meaning leads us nowhere. As we writers like to say, you're not pulling this storyline forward.

Read the rest at:

The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 10-3-2009

Regret is a bitter pill to swallow.

Michael Moore: Too Many Americans Are Too Illiterate To Support Newspapers

Documentarian Michael Moore argues that media executives have 'killed' newspapers by laying off beat reporters, dumbing down news coverage and endorsing "anti-education" Republican political candidates. "They've slit their own throats," claims Moore. "They've eliminated the very people they need to read their paper."

h/t Tina Dupuy

Save Our Trade: Transfers and Shift Pick Details

By Ronnie Pineda

Yesterday Keith and I met with Russ and Leticia to discuss the transfer of 27 press persons from O.C. to L.A. on October 19th. The ultimate decision belonged to management and we agreed to an unprecedented decision to allow bargaining unit employees to bid on shifts in either shop based on seniority.

This decision maintains compliance with the contract, which I was told by many of you in both L.A. and O.C. to preserve seniority and expressed no desire to amend the contract.

Transfers were handled in various ways in the past and this is the first time that we have an opportunity to bid shifts based on seniority in either shop. This affirms that we are ONE body, ONE union regardless of which facility one chooses to work in.

A few details:

Posted schedules are to run concurrent through 2010.

Orange County bargaining unit employees may voluntarily transfer to L.A.
Volunteers must inform management by October 9, 2009 by noon. After that time, management will institute mandatory transfers of the balance needed from those in O.C. with the least seniority.

Anyone wishing to voluntarily transfer to O.C. from L.A. may request to do so also and must meet the October 9 deadline as well. Seniority will determine whether it will be possible to transfer to O.C. based on how many volunteers from O.C. request to come to L.A.

There are four (4) management assigned shifts in L.A. that print commercial products such as the Wall St. Journal, Barron's and The Post. Anyone one on these crews currently may bid on any available shift schedule when it is their time to pick.

Vacations scheduled for the remainder of the year will be honored and vacation picks for 2010 will be bid later in the year. If new schedules conflict with 2009 vacation picks, you may be asked to modify your vacation pick. If vacation arrangements have been made, IE. Airline and hotel reservations, management has indicated that they will accommodate and honor established vacation times.

Management has posted schedules and all the details of the bid process, so read the information carefully and if you have any questions, check with your representatives.

In Solidarity,
Ronnie Pineda
President,
GCC/IBT Local 140-N


Save Our Trade: Transfers and Shift Pick Details