From his family:
The grievance regarding crew selection and seniority to produce the Wall Street Journal has been denied by the arbitrator. The complete ruling can be viewed at Save Our Trade.
(Crain's) — The federal judge overseeing the Tribune Co. bankruptcy case shot down a reorganization plan submitted by the Chicago-based media company, but also rejected a competing plan from a group of creditors.
A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 22. The decision was issued Monday by Judge Kevin Carey of U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
The Chicago-based media company has attempted to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy status after nearly three years of wrangling. It's one of the longest-running cases since bankruptcy rules were revised about six years ago to give creditors more leeway to shape reorganizations.
Tribune filed for bankruptcy in December 2008 under the weight of $13 billion in debt, a year after the company was taken private in an $8.2-billion leveraged buyout led by real estate mogul Sam Zell, who became its chairman.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A federal judge in Delaware has rejected Tribune Co.'s plan to emerge from bankruptcy protection and denied a rival proposal from Tribune creditors as well.
In rejecting both plans Monday, the judge said the long bankruptcy case needs to end quickly. He said he would appoint a trustee if necessary.
By Steven Church
The judge overseeing Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy said he may issue his opinion about two competing proposals for reorganizing the newspaper publisher this afternoon.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin J. Carey in Wilmington, Delaware, told Tribune’s chief restructuring officer, Donald J. Liebentritt, at a hearing that the opinion the company and its creditors have waited months to see should be available today.
“I am hopeful something will be on the docket before you get to Washington,” Carey told Liebentritt, who said he would be taking a 4:30 p.m. train to the U.S. capital from Wilmington today. Carey didn’t say how he would rule.
Carey, who has presided over the case since it was filed in December 2008, has been asked to choose between plans to reorganize Tribune, which owes creditors about $13 billion and is now worth $6.75 billion, according to court records.
The judge made his comments at the end of a hearing in which he gave creditors permission to get the names of former Tribune shareholders that may be sued for collecting money related to the company’s 2007 leveraged buyout. Unsecured creditors say they plan to sue some of the company’s biggest former shareholders, arguing that the buyout harmed creditors by piling too much debt on the company.
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By Donald Kaul
It’s been a little more than 50 years since I first walked into the Des Moines Register newsroom to begin a career in journalism.
It was a beat-up scruffy place filled with beat-up scruffy people, almost all men. They worked in a big room lined with gray steel desks piled high with newspapers, stacks of books, notebooks, and ashtrays overflowing with cigarette stubs. They wrote on manual, black typewriters. The phones, also black, had rotary dials.
This scene right out of The Front Page was a case of love at first sight. “This is my kind of place,” I told myself. And, as it turned out, I was right.
But the most important thing about that room was something you couldn’t see: an invisible wall that protected its inhabitants from interference from the business department. It meant that, if you had the facts on your side, you could annoy the rich and powerful of the city. The wall would protect you from retaliation.
The best newspapers in those days tended to be owned by long-time newspaper families. These owners viewed their papers as profit machines, certainly, but also as a public trust. These families supported the principle that news was news and business was business, and the two should not be confused.
It wasn’t a perfect arrangement. It would have been better, for example, to have had more women and people of color reporting and editing the news. But it worked pretty well for decades.
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As the Tribune Company prepares to exit bankruptcy the new owners have let it be known they will be replacing Eddy Hartenstein as CEO of the company. I’m curious as to the amount of severance pay he will receive once the transition is consummated? Eddy also holds the title of publisher at the Los Angeles Times; will he receive a severance for both titles I wonder? Looking back at our former CEO and former publisher’s payouts, Eddy could receive as much as $44,000,000 if his kings ransom is matched. Not a bad take for just over three years at the company! Makes me wonder why no one has started an Occupy the Los Angeles Times yet?
David Hiller was terminated as publisher of the Los Angeles Times in July, 2008 and for doing such a great job was rewarded with $15,400,000 in severance pay. 
Those of you who haven’t read David Carr‘s most recent column in the New York Times on the intrusion of Wall Street bonus culture into the newspaper business need to take a look now. Carr mainly focuses on former Gannett robber baron…er CEO Craig A. Dubow–who left the company with $37.1 million in retirement benefits after guiding the company’s stock into a ditch and laying off nearly 40% of its employees. But the Tribune Company and its current multi-million dollar executive bonus plan don’t escape Carr’s notice.
Just received word that former Los Angeles Times Pressman John Rickett has passed away. I find it unbelievable, as John was maybe fifty years old, way to young. Funeral services are scheduled tomorrow.
Funeral Service
Dear Fellow Teamsters,
If you have not received your IBT ballot yet please call 877-317-2011 to be sent a duplicate ballot. It is important that you take this opportunity to make your voice heard in this election.
Once you get your ballot and vote for the Hoffa-Hall Slate, send it back as soon as you can, then text VOTED to 64336 so we know your ballot has been received. When you are finished with those easy steps, it is critical that you help in turning out the vote. Ask your fellow Teamster members to turn in their ballots too!
With your vote for the Hoffa-Hall Slate in this election we can send a strong message of unity to the country and let them know that we will not back away from a fight for workers rights. Mail back your ballot NOW to stand with the Hoffa-Hall Slate.
Be sure to stay in touch with campaign through Facebook, Twitter, and our website.
In Solidarity,
Jim Hoffa
P.S. If you haven’t received your ballot don’t put off calling to get another one. Call 877-317-2011 now!
Carolina Garcia, the editor of the Daily News, will now be the executive editor for the Daily Breeze and the Press-Telegram in Long Beach as well. Breeze editor Toni Sciacqua becomes managing editor - digital for the group. Sue Schmitt, the editor & general manager of the Press-Telegram, has "decided not to remain as a full-time employee of the company as part of this transition." It's the next, big shoe to fall after yesterday's axing of the DN's features and food editors. In Northern California, the MediaNews papers have been largely merged into one product — and many expect this is the first step toward that occurring here. After the jump is the memo from Jack Klunder, named last month as publisher of all three papers:
From: Thomson, Kathy K
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 4:11 PM
To: All Los Angeles Times Employees
Subject: Billboards
Colleagues –
Some of you may have noticed over the last week that billboards have sprung up along freeways around Los Angeles accusing The Times of wiretapping and fraud. As you know, ethics and integrity are core values that we uphold everyday. We do not engage in wiretapping and fraud as the billboards allege. They appear to be placed by an attorney who recently filed a lawsuit against one of our columnists who has written about 1-800-Get-Thin, its principles and their Lap-Band surgery centers. Notably, the lawsuit does not allege either wiretapping or fraud, as suggested by the billboards. Related lawsuits previously filed against The Times and its employees have been thrown out of court. We are confident that this latest, equally meritless lawsuit will also be thrown out.
If you receive any inquiries, please direct them to Karlene Goller and Nancy Sullivan.
Kathy
When we think of wiretapping, it’s usually in the context of nefarious governments and James Bond-type antics. Is it possible our own hometown newspaper was illicitly eavesdropping on the conversations of unsuspecting citizens?
Um, no.
What happened is that business columnist Michael Hiltzik recorded phone interviews with an on-the-record source, attorney Robert Silverman. Of course he did, it’s standard practice for journalists to record interviews, since most of us can’t type that fast.
Lorraine Ali, a veteran reporter, critic and columnist on pop music and culture, is joining the Arts and Entertainment group as pop music editor, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 18.
Lorraine will succeed Randall Roberts, who was named pop music critic in June and will serve as her deputy going forward. She will oversee all breaking news, reviews and features. She will report to Craig Turner, Arts and Entertainment editor.
In a sense, Lorraine is coming full circle, as she began her career as a music writer in Calendar under Robert Hilburn in the mid-1990s. She also has worked as a senior critic for Rolling Stone and spent much of the last decade at Newsweek, both in New York and Los Angeles, covering music, pop culture and society. Her editing duties at Newsweek included overseeing teams of reporters on special projects and exclusive stories.
During her years on the beat, Lorraine has interviewed, among others, Johnny Cash, the Rolling Stones, M.I.A., Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Eminem and Alan Jackson. She has shopped the flea markets of Mexico City with the White Stripes, taken DJ lessons from Fatboy Slim and tried on “show coats” while browsing the closets of Loretta Lynn. She has also been interviewed extensively, with significant TV and radio experience to her credit.
Her career has transcended pop culture. While at Newsweek, she wrote cover stories on “The Secret Lives of Surrogates” and on a custody battle between two moms, “Mrs. Kramer vs. Mrs. Kramer.” She has reported from Havana, Damascus and Calabria, Italy, where she dined with Mafia dons and lived to tell about it. After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Lorraine covered the impact of the war on Arab Americans. Her book about reconnecting with the Iraqi half of her family is scheduled for publication next year.
Lorraine’s freelance work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, the Village Voice, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal and in the books “Da Capo Best Music Writing” (2001), “The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock: Trouble Girls” (1997) and “Cobain” (1996).
A native Angeleno, Lorraine lives in Eagle Rock with her husband, 8-year-old son and their pit bull, Delilah.
In addition to recommending music, Lorraine also may offer colleagues auto tips. She once wrote a car column, You Are What You Drive, for an alternative bimonthly and spent a summer school break working as a “tire change technician” for Sears Automotive. Please join us in welcoming her.
Sallie Hofmeister, assistant managing editor, Arts and Entertainment
Rumors from Times Mirror Square claim the Los Angeles Times will be erecting a pay wall shortly, now many have asked, “What is a pay wall?” Currently everything online at LATimes.com is free to computer users and mobile devices and the pay wall will require users to have a subscription to the hard copy of the newspaper or pay a fee for access to the online version of the newspaper using different mobile technologies. Many older readers have mentioned they prefer the hard copy of the paper, while record numbers are flocking to the online version which should give a clue to the direction we're heading.
With advertising showing a slight increase the past three weeks it may not be enough to fend off additional downsizing in Operations at the Olympic Facility, at least that’s what our senior vice-president of production is claiming when he asks my colleagues, “Do you have a plan B ready, if not you better”. This has infuriated many, even if it is the truth, the men and women working in Operations do not want to hear this from him!
As expected circulation took a hit after the price increase on Labor Day, how many you ask? I’m not allowed to mention any of the numbers or my Tribune Boss’ may get angry with me. The Los Angeles Times circulation is based on what ever the Audit Bureau of Circulation states, according to our senior vice-president of production, so the next audit will reflect the drop in readership.
I’m off to Big Bear for a visit with my daughter Margaret and grandson Bentley, and when I return I shall share about the paywall coming to the online version of the Los Angeles Times, the impact of the price increase on circulation, and additional layoffs in Operations according to one vice-president.
Not a single banker has gone to jail for crimes that led to the financial meltdown. But now over 1,000 protesters have been arrested in the inspiring Occupy Wall Street protest in New York City.
Tell Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly: Respect the Occupy Wall Street protesters' constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
The occupation of Wall Street has inspired a nationwide movement in the spirit of Wisconsin.
But there has been a powerful backlash against peaceful protesters who are using both their right to public assembly and tactics of nonviolent civil disobedience to call attention to the fact that our government has bailed out the wealthiest Americans but has done little to help middle and working class Americans who have lost their jobs and had their homes foreclosed on.
The protest is building momentum with solidarity marches that CREDO and Other 98% members, progressive organizations and labor have joined. However the very existence of Occupy Wall Street could be endangered by strongarm NYPD tactics aimed at intimidating protesters and ending their three week stand against the big Wall Street banks.
Tell Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly: Respect the Occupy Wall Street protesters' constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Many of the rank and file "blue shirts" of the NYPD have shown great poise, respect, and even moments of solidarity with the protesters. After all they are members of the 99 percent of America that has been victimized by Wall Street.
However, NYPD leadership has used brutal techniques to break up the protests. In an incident last week, a police officer attacked nonviolent protesters with pepper spray. There are multiple videos of the attack on four women protesters who did nothing to provoke the officer's action. The New York Times reported that the officer in question "looked as if he were spraying cockroaches."1
The officer involved in that attack was not a rank and file cop. He was a deputy inspector with supervisory responsibilities for the police action. What's more, he has a history of violating the civil rights of protesters and is currently facing legal action for accusations of wrongful arrest and civil rights violations at the 2004 Republican National Convention demonstrations.2
Tell Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly: Respect the Occupy Wall Street protesters' constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
There have been other incidents of police abuse. But the documented attack on protesters by a high-ranking NYPD officer demonstrates that this is incident isn't simply the collateral damage of a tense and confusing situation. The police are roughing up protesters in an attempt to break up the Occupy Wall Street protest.
Tens of thousands marched in solidarity with the 99 percent and the Occupy Wall Street protesters. But we must ensure that now the march is over and the news cameras are out of sight that the police do not continue their campaign of violence and intimidation to stop the momentum building at the Wall Street protests.
Tell Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly: Respect the Occupy Wall Street protesters' constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
We have heard from our friends on the ground that the most important thing people can do who cannot come down and support the protests in person is to ensure that the Mayor and the Police Commissioner do not drive them out of the park which is serving as the base for Occupy Wall Street protests.
It's important that the Mayor and Police Commissioner know that the eyes of people across the country are on them, and that we consider it an attack on democracy and not just an individual protester when the NYPD systematically uses intimidation and violence with the intent of suppressing the ongoing protests.
1. "A Spray Like a Punch in the Face," Jim Dwyer, The New York Times, 09-27-2011.
2. "NYPD Pepper-Sprayer Hit Fellow Officer With Friendly Fire, Has Prior Protest Complaint,"Joe Coscarelli, New York Magazine, 05-12-2011
Click on title or picture to sign the online petition.
Former Los Angeles Times material handler Art Ponce Jr. collected photographs from the rally in Portland, Oregon, which was not reported by the newspaper I’m employed by. Appears the movement is growing by leaps and bounds daily, let’s only hope this does not escalate into violent protests down the road. To view the entire collection of Art’s photo collection click here.
You have been heard and anonymous comments have returned once again, which doesn’t mean it’s time to verbally attack Tribune management or colleagues at the newspaper. Your comments will be moderated by three of us here so try and stay civil and your views will be aired for all to see.
(Crain's) — The judge in Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy approved a management incentive plan that will pay bonuses of as much as $42.5 million to 640 employees.
“I think it's entirely reasonable to order this relief in these uncertain times,” Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey said during a hearing on the plan Tuesday.
There were no objections to the plan proposed by the Chicago-based media company, the judge noted.
Tribune, the publisher of newspapers that include the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times as well as TV outlets such as WGN-TV, has been in bankruptcy since December 2008. It filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors a year after real estate mogul Sam Zell led an $8.2-billion leveraged buyout of the company.
Resolution of the bankruptcy is currently waiting on a decision from Judge Carey regarding two competing reorganization plans, one proposed by the company and certain creditors and the other offered by a dissident group of creditors. The judge hasn't indicated when he will deliver that decision.
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