L.A. Times staffers in shock: Tribune company fires defiant publisher

[DeepModem Mom]

Times Publisher Johnson Forced Out
By James Rainey, Times Staff Writer
11:20 AM PDT, October 5, 2006

The Tribune Co. forced out Los Angeles Times Publisher Jeffrey M. Johnson this morning, a little more than a month after he defied the media conglomerate's demands for staff cuts that he suggested could damage the newspaper.

Tribune Publishing President Scott C. Smith was huddling with top managers at the newspaper and was expected to announce after the meeting that David Hiller, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, would immediately replace Johnson as chief executive at the 125-year-old newspaper. Hiller would become the 12th publisher of The Times.

Hiller was expected to ask Times Editor Dean Baquet to stay on the job, despite the editor's sharp protests against further job cuts by the Chicago-based parent corporation. Friends of Baquet said the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist had not yet decided to remain with the paper.

Late last month, Tribune announced that it would entertain offers to sell the company or break it into pieces. The company's board agreed to study the possible sale or breakup of the media company, which owns the Chicago Tribune, KTLA-TV Channel 5, baseball's Chicago Cubs and other TV stations and newspapers.

Tribune bought the Los Angeles-based Times Mirror Co. in 2000. Johnson became publisher about 18 months ago....

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-100506johnson,0,3972238.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[enid602]

1. Tribune

Just hope the LAT can break away; its recent association with that crappy rag from a second-tier city is something no Angelino should have to endure.

[mrdmk]

2. Being in California for close the 47 years I can say this

Ever since 1992 after the loot, shoot and scoot (the riots) all of the Los Angeles media took a sudden jump to everything feels good form of reporting including the Los Angeles Times. There were facts interlaced with the people in power know about this and here is what is being done and is it not very good (double negative, I know) type reporting. During the summer or 1997, there was a fluff piece in the LAT as to why the gasoline prices took a sudden spike up-wards and it was blamed on a shortage of oil by the middle east. Having been in the know on worldwide oil production this article was complete B.S. What was actually happening at that point of time was the oil companies raising the price because they thought could. But here was this stupid LAT fluff article!

The Tribune company is actually in FCC violation now owning both channel 5 KTLA (this was purchase back in the mid eighties if memory serves me correctly) and the Los Angeles Times. The newspaper oscillates between poor to fair reporting with many facts left out to right-wing hack reporting and nothing for Orange County (which was closed down in 1996 as cost saving measure). In short the paper just sucks and is getting worse. I hope the Tribune company does sell the paper.


Quick facts about population

California 36,132,147; Los Angeles County 9,935,475; Orange County 2,988,072; San Bernardino County (The Inland Empire, the largest county in California) 1,963,535; Riverside County 1,946,419; San Diego County 2,933,462

The for the above stats is the LAT is claiming the following, "Los Angeles Times circulation is 907,997 daily and 1,253,849 Sunday."
The above five counties can receive the LAT from a newsstand or home delivered.