Results tagged “media”

In what is being described as "a major bloodbath," 80 employees between Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and London have been cut from Current's payrolls, reports SFist via Techcrunch. Current says, however, that it is not a cost-cutting move, rather a result of less in-house programming and more outsourced productions. That's not to say all in-house has been cut, television production and programming development will be consolidated "under one roof in Los Angeles with new facilities at LA Center Studios," says the company, which is having its most profitable year since their launch.

Why won't Dr. Jonathan Fielding answer basic questions about H1N1? Reporters at USC's journalism project, Neon Tommy, have done a fantastic job investigating the epidemic disease. Fielding apparently declined to go on KCRW's Which Way, L.A.? Tuesday night to engage in a conversation with Neon's Callie Schweitzer (however, he did speak with host Warren Olney), who in turn published an open letter to Fielding.

The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard and three other Nielsen-owned trade publications will be sold to News Communications Inc., sources tell Sharon Waxman at The Wrap. A spokesman for Nielsen is not commenting on the matter. Other publications to reportedly be sold include Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek. Owned by James Finkelstein, News Communications owns the “Who’s Who” publications and Washington, D.C.-based trade, The Hill.

When the two hotels and Ritz Carlton residences open at L.A. Live next year, that's not the end for development at the mega sports and entertainment complex in downtown. The Downtown News finds that AEG has submitted some big plans. It includes "332,618 square feet of office space and a 269,182-square-foot broadcasting studio that could accommodate a nationwide cable television network, a 275-room hotel and a 25-story residential building with 65 units adjacent to the L.A. Live campus." Currently, L.A. Live is home to two stage venues, the Grammy Museum, a movie theatre and various restaurants.

Pacifica Radio KPFK, the Cahuenga Pass-based progressive radio station (also 98.7 FM Santa Barbara), today announced some big changes to stay relevant to to L.A. and Southern California audiences. Morning, noontime and afternoons will now carry daily shows with news shows covering local to international topics as well as economic and environmental ones.

    

We are certainly in a sea change when it comes to media, but for every time someone has cried that the end is nigh, books, newspaper, film--whatever is on its deathbed in a given news cycle--continues to push ahead, continues to march on. In the case of Hollywood, YouTube, Netflix and OnDemad have continued to pull film out of the theater, a process that began with VHS and video rental, and deeper into the home. These media and formats may seem better suited for shorter work, yet feature-length films still reign supreme. But with studios tightening their purse strings...

In an expose about TV news ratings, Variety's Michael Schneider digs into the current landscape, finding some interesting results: "According to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 52% of the public say they watch local TV news -- down from 64% in 1998. NBC affiliates in particular have been stung this fall; due to its low-rated 'Jay Leno Show' lead-in at 10 p.m., Los Angeles' KNBC has seen its late news drop 25% so far this fall in the adults 25-54 demo (the preferred measurement for local news)." KABC has dropped 17% for its 11 p.m. newscast, but KCBS is up 20%," perhaps in part because of parent CBS' strong primetime performance" and the duopoly with KCAL9.

Can't wait to read about this in his next column!

Figures are in this morning for newspaper circulation nationwide, and the numbers reflect the downward trend symptomatic of a changing media landscape. Here in Los Angeles, the Times' circulation for a six-month period ending September 30th, "was at 657,467 for the Monday-Friday run," notes LA Observed, which shows an 11.05% drop from the same period for 2008.

There are some staff changes happening at the Times this week. Tina Daunt, who wrote at the paper for 20 years, is among an unknown number of people laid off. Last night, she wrote on her blog:

It's not surprising but Orange County Assemblyman Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) this afternoon announced his resignation, according to KNX1070 on Twitter. "I am deeply saddened that my inappropriate comments have become a major distraction for my colleagues in the Assembly," he said in a statement. "I have come to the conclusion that it would not be fair to my family, my constituents or to my friends on both sides of the aisle. Therefore, I have decided to resign my office, effective immediately, so that the Assembly can get back to work." Last night, KCAL9 aired a report on a leaked video of him talking about a tryst with at least two women, one of whom that is suspected to be a lobbyist that deals with his committee assignment.

Do you know which way onshore and offshore winds are going? The confusing nature of the subject has one local professor frustrated with KNBC's weatherman, Fritz Coleman. "Melanie Patton Renfrew, a Harbor College teacher, wants KNBC-TV's Fritz Coleman to change references to onshore and offshore winds. She says the terms are confusing because people don't know which are coming and which are going," reported the Associated Press. Apparently, Renfrew's insistence on the terminology has been bizarre, leaving Coleman in fear of his safety. A restraining order was put in place in March 2008, but she allegedly ignored it, which may end in jail time. A Burbank City Attorney said if Renfrew leaves Coleman alone through next August, the case will be dismissed. And in case you were wondering, "a sea-breeze originates over the ocean and blows onshore to land. The opposite is true for a land-breeze. It originates over the land and blows offshore to the ocean."

Local television news, so quick to cut into programming for car chases, and often repetitive non-stop coverage of celebrity-involved incidents (i.e. the death of Michael Jackson) has been eerily quiet this weekend as the Station Fire--one of three current blazes raging in Southern California--has prompted the evacuation of more than 6,600 homes, threatens 12,000 structures, and has blazed through 35,000 acres and is growing with 5% containment.

The news about the cause of Michael Jackson's death has prompted the LAPD to once again remind the public and media about parking at the Hayvenhurst Estate, which was Jackson's childhood home and current one for family members. The LAPD has been trying to "to strike a balance between the needs of the area residents and the needs of the media to cover the events," they said today in a news release.

A straw poll posted within a Daily News story today is asking readers if they would use the "subway to the sea" of not. So far, with only around 200 votes as of this writing, it's a split vote. Earlier today, the poll indicated losing results for subway ridership. Posting to his Facebook page, former LA Times transportation reporter Steve Hymon notes that "if most of those readers are from the Valley (perhaps a dubious presumption), it's impressive that 48% would ride."

It's quite a change from the old look, but a welcome one at that. It's more mature and newsie with a hat tip to the past--much better than that corporate turquoise thing that was going on before. There's an interactive tour you can take and over at the Readers' Represenative blog, online managing editor Meredith Artley explains and highlights the key changes made, such as better navigation, the new font (Georgia!), a faster loading video application and other features. Your thoughts?

Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee will arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow after a surprise visit by former President Bill Clinton prompted a pardon by Kim Jong II. In June, they were convicted of entering the country illegally and other unspecified "hostile" acts against the country which led to a sentence of 12 years of hard labor.

A source close to the investigation of Michael Jackson's death has told the Associated Press that the pop star's doctor administered a drug that authorities believe killed him. Dr. Conrad Murray, who is the subject of a manslaughter investigation, apparently gave Jackson anesthetic propofol to help with sleep. "Murray's lawyer has said the doctor didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed Jackson," said the AP (bold emphasis by LAist).

No, she won't just go away: Nadya Suleman, aka OctoMom, is keeping her name in the press thanks to a pair of lawsuits going on in Orange County regarding her children and their being filmed. "A child-labor activist has filed suit against Suleman in Orange County Superior Court, alleging that video shot of her children violates a law aimed at protecting child entertainers from overwork. The suit seeks to create an independent trust for the children," LA Now reports.

Kat Odell just started her new gig as Editor of Eater LA a couple weeks ago, a nice change of pace for readers since Lesley Balla left the position in December. Then yesterday, she got some high exposure along with a downtown restaurant that became the focus of a post based on an anonymous tip. The Must Bar was using generic foods and charging high prices, the tipster asserted, adding possible health code violations. The LA Times' Daily Dish blog quickly jumped on to the story, interviewing the owners and finding that their thinking about legal action. But Ben Sheffner at Copyrights & Campaigns notes that the law is on Odell's side for the most part. For us, really, all this does is make us want to go support and check out The Must at least once to decide for ourselves. Time for a drink?

Since last week's death of Michael Jackson, crowds and media have flocked to various locations related to the superstar. In Hollywood, it was his Walk of Fame star; on the Westside, his Holmby Hills rental mansion; and in the Valley, his family home on Hayvenhurst Ave., just off Ventura Blvd.

CNN is reporting that Michael Jackson's body will be transported to Neverland Ranch on Thursday for a public viewing on Friday and a private memorial service on Sunday. However, the LA Times says things are not exactly confirmed: "A source knowledgeable about Neverland affairs said that no decision had been made. 'Nothing has been confirmed,' the source told The Times. 'The family is still trying to work it out.'" Jackson's will has been found and a service is scheduled for next week in Gary, Indiana, where he might be buried, is in the works, says CNN.

Pulitzer Prize winner and 18-year LA Times veteran Drex Heikes will join LA Weekly as their Editor later this summer. Most recently, Heikes was at the Las Vegas Sun where he was honored with the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service for an investigation he assigned and edited. While at the LA Times, he served as editor of the Sunday magazine and as foreign affairs editor in the paper's Washington bureau. He will take the Weekly's reigns on August 17th. Earlier this month, Editor Laurie Ochoa parted ways with the paper.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Wolf Blitzer this afternoon that he will not run for Governor. "The answer's no. I make that decision because like I've said many times, I love the city I was born and raised in, the city my grandpa came to 100 years ago," he told Blitzer. "Cities are on the frontlines of the challenges facing us in terms of the economic crisis," he continued. "Here in the City of LA, 12.5% unemployment rate, 21,000 people have lost their home over the last 2 years, we're facing an unprecedented and historical budget deficit of $530 million dollars.

Appearing later today on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Villaraigosa is expected to announce his intentions in regards to governor, says CNN via LA Now. Will he or will he not? If he does announce something, we suspect a national setting like CNN could only mean one outcome: he's going to run for Governor. However, at this point it's anyone's guess. A recent LA Times poll found that Angelenos are pretty much split on whether he should or not--they at least would vote for him over San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Situation Room airs at 1 p.m. PST. For the Record: The original headline indicated a choice was made, but his intent on running or not has yet to be seen.

The LAPD's high public ratings in an LA Times poll may partly be due to Mayor Villaraigosa, but he earned a 55% approval rating with the same poll takers. The upside? With LA voters, he could win the Democratic nomination for Governor's seat at 38%, beating out Jerry Brown (32%) and Gavin Newsom (13%). Goverornor Schwarzenegger's approval rating was 29%.

At a ceremony held last night at the Sheraton Universal hotel in Universal City, media luminaries gathered to fete local reporters, photographers, broadcasters, and even bloggers at the LA Press Club's 51st Annual Southern California Journalism Awards. Presenters included on screen personnel from NBC4 and ABC7, as well as WSJ and KCRW film critic Joe Morgenstern and columnist Gustavo Arellano, who handed honors to journos including David Evans of Bloomberg, Brad Greenberg of the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, Frank Stoltze of KPCC, Warren Olney of KCRW, Alex Pham of the Los Angeles Times, and more. Blogging nods went to Ted Johnson of Variety/Wilshire & Washington, with 2nd Place going to Pat Saperstein of Eating L.A. A full list of awardees and honorable mentions is available here. Congrats to all!

If you want good quotes, you go to LAPD Chief Bratton. He's always been one to be candid (remember his celebrity gossp/analysis?) Well yesterday, he joined Patt Morrision for her show on KPCC and when asked about LA Weekly's April 30th story refuting the LAPD's touted crime statistics, he dismissed it calling the report "voodoo journalism" said writer Patrick Range McDonald and cohorts must have "smoking a little weed when they wrote the article." That didn't sit well with Tina Dupuy at FishbowlLA:

Now here's not a fun way to start your second term in office. The June cover of Los Angeles Magazine will hit homes and newsstands with a cover story, actually an open letter, perhaps to put Mayor Villaraigosa back on track to serve Los Angeles and not his political career when his new term begins on July 1st.

The Los Angeles (and San Francisco) editions of The Onion have hit the newsracks for the last time today, according to a source at Gawker. "An Onion staffer whispers to us that the humor publication has already laid off editorial and sales staff for its Los Angeles and San Francisco print editions, which will, said the staffer, cease publication," reports the blog. However, their local online sites--The Decider--will reportedly stay afloat. UPDATE: President and CEO Steve Hannah sent out this memo to staffers and readers confirming the rumor: