From: Thomson, Kathy K
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2012 5:29 PM
To: AllLosAngelesTimesEmployees
Subject: Happy Holidays & Top 12 of 2012
Colleagues:
It’s hard to believe, but the holidays are in full swing and 2012 is drawing to a close.
We’ve had a year full of accomplishments (more on that below) and I am proud to work alongside you.
This is the season to reflect and look forward. With Tribune
Company’s imminent emergence from bankruptcy and the start of a new
year, we are in an excellent position as the No. 1 source of news and
information in Southern California. It’s an exciting time as we continue
working together to deliver on the promise of bringing the world to
California and California to the world. In a competitive landscape, this
is a key differentiator. This perspective is at the very heart of all
that we do and, beginning today, you can see that powerfully play out
around Spring Street, Oly, OC, CCN and our NYC offices, most
compellingly in the ideas and images captured here.
Before we leave 2012, let’s upend the traditional Top Ten and take a look at my Top Twelve highlights:
* Membership: the cross-departmental collaboration that brought our
membership program to fruition last March is a true stand-out, and we
continue to refine and enhance the many benefits of being a Times
member. We are clearly delineating a monetization model for digital
content and reinforcing that our news and information have value in
every medium.
* Great journalism: we produced an array of high quality special
projects such as “Dying for Relief,” about the epidemic of prescription
drug deaths, and “Beyond 7 Billion,” a sweeping look at overpopulation
and its consequences around the world. Our exposure of a buried history
of child abuse within the Boy Scouts of America became a national story,
and we led the way in exposing wrongdoing in the Sheriff’s Department,
Tax Assessor’s office and various Southeast L.A. water districts. The
Times’ dogged data-driven reporting also exposed major flaws in the L.A.
Fire Department’s 911 dispatch system, resulting in a new push for
reforms. Our 2012 election coverage simply soared and our politics team
broke and made news. Our editorial pages turned out smart, persuasive
endorsements on everything from the Obama-Romney race for president to
the 11 statewide propositions on the November ballot, helping guide
voters when they went to the polls. I am particularly proud of being
able to bring talented new journalists to The Times, both established
stars and rising young reporters. You can see their incredible
contributions in our coverage of Libya, Egypt, immigration and South
America; in the brilliant editing of projects; and in pitch-perfect food
reviews. As importantly, we are bringing a digital sensibility to all
of our editorial endeavors.
* Video: we began producing live online chats and undertook our
first latimes.com video broadcast on election night, delivering hours of
live coverage and enhancing our already outstanding political coverage.
We also brought in third party content and made strides in capturing
higher-margin pre-roll and video sponsorship revenue.
* Local news: we saw major growth in local traffic at latimes.com
and hoylosangeles.com. LA Now continued to be the essential source for
Southern California news and was increasingly at the center of Southern
California conversations. We enhanced TCN’s digital offerings and mobile
presence with the launch of Apple and Android apps for the Daily Pilot,
and Glendale News-Press.
* Mobile: we launched a new mobile site to create an optimized
reading experience on smaller screens such as smartphones and tablets.
The responsive, visually-rich design has been a home run with mobile
phone users, with a 50% increase in engagement.
* Entertainment: we saw our publisher bestow Richard Gere with
Career Achievement honors at the Hollywood Film Awards, solidified The
Envelope-EPIX deal to take our screening series and related video
coverage to a new level and brought new bylines to Calendar, Hero
Complex and The Envelope. And continued to cover all aspects of arts and
entertainment like no other.
* Saturday: we reimagined how we present our health, food and home
design coverage to overwhelmingly positive reader and advertiser
reaction.
* Distribution & operations: we continued to create new revenue
opportunities and now, in addition to the Wall Street Journal and New
York Times, we print and distribute USA Today and China Daily across our
marketplace. We also undertook our first major magazine distribution
agreement for home delivery of Business Week and launched an innovative
relationship to provide home delivery and marketing for Icelandic
Glacial bottled water.
* Launched Trending Now, latimes.com’s dynamic new feature which
presents the most popular news our readers are thinking and talking
about, complete with tools to stir greater participation. Take a look at
Trending 2012 for our top trending stories of the year.
* Launched our new digitally-focused How California Thinks brand campaign, driving online engagement.
* Team LA Times: established a cross-departmental committee to
create team-building and civic engagement opportunities for employees.
*THE TASTE, Festival of Books and Travel Show: home runs!
That’s just a sampling of our “best of” and I look forward to a 2013
filled with more of the fearlessness, courage and purpose you bring to
your jobs each and every day.
Happy holidays,
Kathy
SOURCE: Kevin Roderick
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