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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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Mid-Week News Links



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

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