Daily News Finally Finds Its Missing "Los Angeles"

I've wondered for years why the Valley-based Daily News wouldn't put "Los Angeles" in its name. Perhaps that was answered for me when the Daily News pushed for Valley succession a decade ago. But nonetheless, when most people hear "Daily News," they probably think "New York Daily News." I would assume that the name "Los Angeles Daily News" would be a much better sales tool for the paper, and perhaps help distract from the fact that its circulation is less than 100,000.

Well, perhaps the paper is finally wise to the power of making it a bit more clear that you're located in the nation's No. 2 market. As part of the newspaper's recent redesign (above), it has finally started calling itself the "Los Angeles Daily News" in its nameplate.

Similarly, I don't know if you noticed, but within the last year, Santa Monica College's KCRW has finally started including "Los Angeles" in its station ID. Santa Monica is still KCRW's city of license, but the station now identifies itself as "KCRW, Santa Monica-Los Angeles." (By the way, when I was at KCSN, we always identified ourselves as "KCSN, Northridge-Los Angeles" -- which is odd, since Northridge is not a city.)

The Death of Bin Laden, As Seen on SoCal's Newspaper Front Pages

Daily News: "Bin Laden Killed"

We posted the front page of the L.A. Times yesterday; now here's a collection of more front pages from Monday, reporting the death of terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden.


Daily Breeze: "BIN LADEN DEAD"


Santa Clarita Daily Signal: "Bin Laden dead"


Orange County Register: "BIN LADEN DEAD"


San Bernardino Sun: "BIN LADEN DEAD"


Riverside Press-Enterprise: "BIN LADEN KILLED; 'JUSTICE DONE'"


Pasadena Star-News: "Bin Laden Dead"


Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: "BIN LADEN DEAD"


La Opinion: "Bin Laden esta muerto"


Press-Telegram: "Bin Laden dead"

And elsewhere in California:


San Francisco Chronicle: "U.S. kills Bin Laden"


San Diego Union-Tribune: "KILLED"


Palm Springs Desert Sun: "BIN LADEN DEAD"


Ventura County Star: "BIN LADEN IS DEAD"


Bakersfield Californian: "JUSTICE SERVED"

Covering the Fire Coverage: Battle of the Screaming Headlines

Sing it with me: "One of these things is not like the other..." Indeed, the Los Angeles Times was alone among the major papers in the region this morning, sticking with the wordy (and kinda clunky -- try reading it out loud) headline, Massive evacuations ordered as onslaught of fires spreads.

Accurate, yes. But where's the sizzle? Where's the screaming smack to the face?

What's that? Daily News, you got something?

Oh yeah. HELL ON EARTH. Capital letters, large font... and the use of a word that once upon a time would have gotten a 6-year-old's mouth washed out with soap.

Advantage Daily News on the headline. But the LA Times at least delivers with that mondo, fire-drenched photo on the cover. The Daily News offered up... a map. Daily News, you promised HELL ON EARTH. So why aren't you showing me HELL ON EARTH?!

Turning to the other papers: The San Diego Union-Tribune probably boasts the most effective headine: 300,000 FLEE FIRES. It's simple, yet dramatic, and coupled with that huge photo, probably the most effective of the bunch.

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin goes with EMPIRE ON FIRE. It rhymes.

Over in Riverside, the Press-Enterprise goes with one word: FIRESTORM. I kinda like it, although with one word headlines like that, in a font similar to the paper's nameplate, it suddenly looks like you're reading some publication called FIRESTORM.

The Orange County Register's page one editor has apparently been listening to their old Soul Asylum CD. RUNAWAY FLAMES, never going back/Wrong way on a one-way track.

Then there's the Santa Clarita Valley Signal. Things got pretty hairy out there. Yet the paper's headline, Wildfires Rage On, says... what? I'm not even sure. It sounds like the headlines we wrote in our high school newspaper ("Tennis team takes to the net," or "Basketball team shoots and scores"). Rage on, wildfires!

The Torrance Daily Breeze has another decent headline: The classic quote pull. Somebody, somewhere, described the fires as "like armageddon." Good enough for me. 'LIKE ARMAGEDDON' expresses what a lot of people were thinking.

The Ventura County Star does the same thing, but I'm not sure I like the quote as much. 'The sky was just red' is kinda interesting... but it doesn't really say how nasty things have been. I think of a red sunset when I hear that quote. When I hear the Daily Press' "armageddon" headline, I think of fire and brimstone.

Finally, the Bakersfield Californian goes all ultra-design on your ass, turning much of the page into a photo, with the headline, story and paper nameplate on top. Not bad.

Daily News Readers: Pro-Cancer, Anti-Funny

If I had a subscription to the Daily News, I'd cancel it today in protest. (I should have bought a subscription in support of the paper while I had a chance.) That's because the Daily News has reversed course, and just days after dropping the World's Least Funny Comic Strip -- Mallard Fillmore -- it's bringing the panel back.

Whaaa? Sad to say, according to editor Ron Kaye in this editor's note, Daily News readers supposedly demanded it back. (Oh, San Fernando Valley, how can we knock some sense into you?!):

To our readers:

I'm sorry we messed up your comics but grateful so many of you have let us know about it and told us what you want.

We're going to fix it as well as we can as fast as we can. "For Better or For Worse," "Funky Winkerbean" and "Mallard Fillmore" were at the top of your list, and we're going to get those back in the daily LA.COM section within a matter of days. We also are bringing back the horoscope you like and some other comics and features that are clearly very popular.

We literally received thousands of calls and e-mails and despite being upset with us, me in particular, nearly everybody has been patient and understanding. I've long believed we had the best readers in the world, and now I know it for sure.

Best readers in the world? Questionable. Least funny readers in the world, perhaps.

But the Daily News readers wanted their dose of depressing, cancer-obsessed Funky Winkerbean (above) as well, so between that and Mallard Fillmore, I rest my case.

Previously: Daily News Readers Want Their Funky Winkerbean

Westfield to Caruso: Boo-Ya!

Remember my April Fool's joke about Rick Caruso taking over the Budweiser plant in Van Nuys to build a new open air mall? (Yes, it was a joke.)

Well, this one isn't: The Daily News reports that Westfield will construct a new $750 million outdoor retail complex that will connect the close-by-but-not-quite-connected Topanga and Promenade malls in the Valley.

The new mega center could be Southern California's largest, as the paper writes:

The Village in Warner Center will include a 300-room, four-star hotel, 150 condominiums and apartments, offices, and 550,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.

At 3.8 million square feet, the three-mall behemoth - including its hotel and residences - will be larger than South Coast Plaza in Orange County and Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance.

"It will create a heart for this whole district," said Ken Wong, president of Australia-based Westfield's operations in the United States.

Construction is expected to start in two years. When finished, The Village could draw 10 million visitors a year - in addition to the 15 million who visit Topanga each year and the 9 million who stop by the Promenade.

Somewhere, Rick Caruso is plotting his revenge.

Daily News Readers Want Their "Funky Winkerbean"

Newspapers rarely hear from angrier readers than when they mess with the comics. So the Daily News' decision to completely revamp its section -- and drop a whole lot of moldy oldies -- has many up in arms.

The Daily News' Friendly Fire blog admits as much. I particularly love this one passionate reader's plea to save "Funky Winkerbean" (wow, that strip still exists?!):

What have you done with Funky Winkerbean? We are following the tragic story of cancer and now, the cartoon is not in its regular space. Please return it so we can follow the story. Thanks, Brenda

Because, after all, nothing brightens up the Funny Pages more than a strip featuring a "tragic story of cancer." Sheesh. But for all of you missing a dose of "Funky" today, here it is, above. Apparently it's A Very Special Dialogue-Free Funky Winkerbean today.

Here's another Daily News reader whose taste also runs from the unfunny to the unfunny:

Dinette Set, For Better or Worse, Funky Winkerbean, Garfield, One Big Happy, Hagar The Horrible, Beetle Bailey and Willy 'n Ethel...the removal of my favorite 8 (count 'em, eight) comics from your pages begs the question, "Why?".
Anyone with a synapse cracking must assume it is a question of money. The replacements must be less expensive. By the way, if a poll were done prior to this then I missed it. I'm amazed someone didn't come up with the "Paris 'n Posh" section to replace the comics completely.
I have two suggestions. 1) Fire the "Comics Editor". 2) Bring back the comics named above.
If these daily comics aren't back in the "new LA.COM" within the month, please cancel my daily paper.
Barbara Kussman

On the positive tip, the Daily News has axed the brutally unfunny "Mallard Fillmore," several months after the L.A. Times did the same thing. That makes Los Angeles a "Mallard Fillmore"-free zone!