A minor debate has begun to rage over whether new L.A. Times Editorial Page Editor Michael Kinsley will be able to keep up on local doings, even though he'll split his time between Los Angeles and Seattle.
The former "Crossfire" host has been based in Seattle for some time, having moved there to help launch Slate with Microsoft.
Holding down a big Los Angeles-based media job while actually living in the Pacific Northwest? Kinsley might want to consult with KROQ DJ Gene "Bean" Baxter, one-half of the morning drive Kevin & Bean duo.
Baxter has lived on an island off the coast of Washington for several years now, utilizing a complicated ISDN hook up to seamlessly continue on the show every morning despite living almost 2,000 miles away up north.
Critical to a morning show is finding a way to stay topical and relevant to local readers. So although Baxter has a Washington driver's license, pays that state's taxes and rarely makes it down to L.A., the show forces him to stay current with the politics and culture of the city. And to briefly give the illusion that he's actually down here (although the DJ freely admits on air that he's broadcasting from a farm up north).
Key L.A. day-to-day media figures with Washington state addresses? I'd say it was a trend, but we need one more example.
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