TellZell - FishbowlLA

Petition to Take Back the Times

Greg — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:00:27 +0000

TellZell has started an online petition urging everyone in Los Angeles who knows how to read and write (and Joel Stein) to sign a petition calling for Sam Zell to add two seats to the Tribune board of directors — “one to represent the workers and another to represent readers.”

For those with a vested interest in a quality local paper (and Joel Stein), here’s the petition site.

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TellZell: Average Age of Laid Off L.A. Times Staffer Is 50

Greg — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:14:56 +0000

TellZell is reporting that departing L.A. Times staffers were given a weird going away present: The ages and job titles of every one of the 137 employees who were given the heave-ho. The average age? 50. And there’s more:

Among those reporters, more than 80% were classified as “Level III” — generally the most experienced, best-sourced journalists.

In other words, if you’re rubbing up on 50, know your beat inside and out but don’t know how to use TypePad, get thee to a Learning Annex.

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More Tribune Insanity: Randy Michaels

Greg — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:04:59 +0000

TellZell has a few telling stories about Tribune Chief Operating Officer Randy Michaels. Not only is he an insensitive rube who mocks copy editors while they work (and makes exaggerated “sad faces” at them when reminded that 100 of them will soon be laid off), but he’s apparently the kind of guy who will lead those fired employees out of the building with his hand on their asses.

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LAT Magazine Details. Read ‘Em and Weep.

Greg — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:25:46 +0000

TellZell has the details (including an ebedded Power Point presentation for you die-hard nerds) of the “revamped” Los Angeles Times Magazine, you know, the one that’s run by the sales department and promises to have all the journalistic integrity of a MySpace blog post”

“The Retch has been provided a copy of the magazine’s mission statement (“Loving L.A. Celebrating L.A.”); a list of editorial features (L.A. 3.0; Dating My Wife; A Dog’s Life) and staffers (Editor in Chief is Annie Gilbar, ex co-host of “Annie’s Eye” on the Home Shopping Network.)

Oh, and that whole thing about whoring out the LA Times news brand? Continues apace. The magazine’s logo is LA, written in LA Times banner font. And the name is still apparently Los Angeles Times Magazine.”

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