KCRW Announces New Batch of DJs

A week after KCRW pink slipped long-running DJs Jason Kramer, Jeremy Sole, José Galvan, Travis Holcombe and Valida in a cost-cutting move, the station has announced shows from three new hosts.

Joining the station are Luxxury, John Tejada and Peanut Butter Wolf, who premiere the weekend of Oct. 31. “They’re not just incredible DJs; they’re artists with their own creative worlds and communities, and they’re bringing that energy straight to KCRW,” said KCRW music director Alejandro Cohen in an email to listeners.

Luxxury — real name Blake Robin — hosts the popular podcast “One Song” with Diallo Riddle. (He’s also known for whispering “INTERPOLATION” on TikTok.) The artist, producer and DJ is “known for blending classic songwriting with modern production,” KCRW noted. His show will air on a more rock-focused Friday night, which also includes a continuing show from legendary rocker Henry Rollins.

Tejada is described as “a globally respected DJ, producer, and composer” who “brings decades of influence in techno and electronic music. His refined style bridges the experimental and the familiar, connecting underground innovation with sounds that move listeners.” His show will air on Saturdays, along with DJ Silva and Jason Bentley’s “Metropolis,” as that night focuses on dance music.

Peanut Butter Wolf, real name Chris Manak, is the founder of Stones Throw Records. His show will air on Sunday nights, which will be focused on soul, R&B, hip-hop and jazz. Manak’s Sunday show will air along with one from LeRoy Downs.

Holcombe had hosted the weeknight show “Freaks Only”; with his departure, the station said Monday through Thursday nights will include rebroadcasts of some of the weekend shows mentioned above.

KCRW president Jennifer Ferro had hinted at a change in another email to listeners last week: “These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars. You’ll notice some programming changes too,” she said. “Look for a new on-air music schedule in the coming weeks with new DJs and a new lineup.”

Read more here.

KCRW Cuts 10% of Staff in Wake of Public Media Funding Cuts; DJs Jason Kramer, Jeremy Sole, José Galván Among Exits

Faced with further budget cuts following the Trump administration’s elimination of federal funding for public media, local public radio outlet KCRW has trimmed an additional 10% of its staff. Included in the cuts were several of the station’s most well-known music DJs, including Jason Kramer, Jeremy Sole and José Galván. Also as part of the changes, host Elvis Mitchell’s long-running interview series “The Treatment” will now run inside “Weekend Edition.”

KCRW president Jennifer Ferro revealed some of the changes in a letter to the station’s subscribers and supporters on Friday.

“Like so many other public media organizations, KCRW is restructuring parts of the organization in response to our new budget reality,” Ferro wrote in the memo. “The result of this restructuring is a 10% reduction in our staff. These decisions were made after careful consideration of how best to position us against the twin challenges of needing to adapt to how people consume media today as well as the loss of federal dollars.”

Ferro added: “While this moment is challenging, we believe these changes are necessary to ensure KCRW is positioned for the long term.”

In Friday’s letter, Ferro noted that “you’ll notice some programming changes too. Look for a new on-air music schedule in the coming weeks with new DJs and a new lineup.” She didn’t name the departing DJs by name, but Kramer, Sole and Galvan confirmed their exits on social media.

“After 27 years, I have unfortunately been let go from KCRW. Along with some other of the best DJs in the world,” Kramer wrote. “The station will always have a place in my heart, and every artist that I play I will still be there in another way.”

Wrote Galván: “For the past 14 years, I have contributed my musical taste and unique perspective to KCRW. For the first six, I creared and curated a feature called ‘Pan Caliente’ on the music blog, and for the past 8.5 years I was lucky enough to be an on-air host. Growing up in LA, it was a dream come trye to be a part of the elite DJs of KCRW. Sadly as of this morning, I am no longer living that dream. I was let go, along with some other staples of the station. Throughout my time at KCRW, it was never lost on me that it was a privilege and a pleasure to be able to share music and artists with the world week after week. Radio is my passion, and there will be other opportunities for me to share my taste at better run institutions. Thank you to those who supported me on this particular journey… Stick a fork in me, I’m done at 89.9 FM.”

Read more here.

'Lost LA' Host Nathan Masters on Season 2 of the KCET Series, and What's Driving Interest in Los Angeles History

KCET's popular "Lost LA" series returns for a second season tonight with more insight on the history of Los Angeles. A co-production of KCETLink and the USC Libraries, L.A. historian Nathan Masters returns as host. This season's episodes include "Borderlands," which chronicles three people who lived through California's transition to Spanish colony to Mexican province and then American state -- including Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California; "Wild West," which looks at L.A.'s violent history; and "Building the Metropolis," about L.A.'s nonstop growth.

I've long been a fan of the Lost LA section of KCET's website; the station reports that this story about L.A. freeways was even the highest trafficked story of 2015.

Franklin Avenue asked Masters to preview the season and also talk about the growth of interest in L.A. history:

FRANKLIN AVENUE: What's the most interesting thing you learned about while producing this season of LOST LA?
MASTERS: I think most viewers will be surprised to learn, as I was, just how complicit Los Angeles was in the destruction of Northern California’s coast redwood forests. Thankfully some old-growth redwood groves survive today within state and national parks, but they represent just 4 percent of what once seemed like an endless, inexhaustible forest. That other 96 percent? A lot of it went into the houses, commercial buildings, and other structures that enabled LA’s great population boom of the early 1900s. We went from a large town of 100,000 in 1900 to a metropolis of 1.2 million in 1930, and many of those new Angelenos moved into houses built from redwood timbers. We explore that story in depth in Episode 3.

What do people ask you about the most on LA history?
It must be about the old red cars.

Why do you think that is?
It’s fascinating to think that Los Angeles, a city popularly associated with freeways and the automobile, once boasted the nation’s largest fixed-rail transit system. And of course the conspiracy theories surrounding the red cars’ demise, which found their best expression in Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, add a sense of intrigue.

What's the truth?
We tell the real story of the death of Southern California’s old trolley system in Episode 3. It turns out that, instead of a grand criminal conspiracy, more mundane factors like finances and shifting consumer preferences explain why we tore out our rails. Angelenos preferred to drive.

Do you find there's more interest in LA history these days? What's fueling that?
It does seem that way. Nostalgia is always one element, of course, but I’ve noticed a surge of interest in the past among younger people. I think they're yearning for a deeper sense of place, and in part they find that by looking into the past. LA’s always evolving, but our built environment, our demographics seem to be changing faster than ever, and I suppose people are looking back to our shared history for a richer understanding of what it means to be an Angeleno.

LOST LA premieres on Tues., Oct. 10 at 8:30 p.m. following the season premiere of SOCAL CONNECTED at 8 p.m. on KCET in Southern California. Here's the trailer:

First Listen: The New "Real 92.3" Takes On Power 106

Los Angeles' hip-hop radio wars are back. Reminiscent of the old battle between Power 106 and 92.3 The Beat, the two frequencies are once again going face-to-face for listeners with very similar sounds. (Technically, Power is a rhythmic station, while Real is urban contemporary. But the differences are subtle). The new Real 92.3 came out swinging this morning, flipping from oldies Hot 92.3 at 9:23 a.m. and immediately taunting its much larger cross-town rival.

The real battle, however, might we waged in the courtroom, as Big Boy and Power 106 owner Emmis battle over the morning DJ's attempts to join Real for a lot more money.

Here's an early sample of the Real 92.3 playlist:

Try Me -- Dej Loaf
Let Me Know -- Tamar Braxton feat. Future
Pop That -- French Montana
Strip -- Chris Brown feat. Kevin McCall
Climax -- Usher
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) -- Jay-Z
Not For Long (feat. Trey Songz) -- B.o.B
The Body (feat. Jeremih) -- Wale
0 To 100 / The Catch Up -- Drake
7/11 -- Beyoncé

As you might expect, Hot 92.3 and jammin' oldies fans were not happy with the switch:



By the way, it's probably no surprise that iHeartMedia/Clear Channel designed the new Real 92.3 logo to look a bit like the old 92.3 The Beat logo we remember from the 1990s:

Have Power 106 and Big Boy Split Up For Good?

The contract dispute between Big Boy and Power 106/KPWR owner Emmis is getting ugly. Power 106 has now completely scrubbed Big Boy -- the station's morning host since the late 1990s -- off its website, and is now touting J Cruz (above) as its morning show host.

At issue: Big Boy had been lured away by iHeartMedia (aka Clear Channel), which planned on using the DJ as the centerpiece of its all-new Urban Contemporary outlet "Real 92.3." That station -- currently oldies "Hot 92.3" -- still plans to make the flip tomorrow, but it's not clear if Big Boy will be along for the ride.



That's because Emmis is waging an all-out battle to prevent Big Boy from making the jump. TMZ (which I find it strange they're covering local L.A. radio politics) has the skinny:

Emmis is taking it real personal, saying it discovered Big Boy more than 20 years ago when he was working as a bodyguard, and turned him into one of the most dynamic personalities on the air.

Big Boy was making $1.45 million a year -- plus bonuses and a car -- but his contract was up at the end of this month. According to the suit, Big Boy got an offer from iHeartMedia of $3.5 million plus other royalties and perks, including the use of a private jet.

But Emmis says it has a right under the existing deal to match a competitor's offer and keep him, and says that's exactly what it did ... but he told the company he was leaving anyway.

The outlet that carries Big Boy's Neighborhood in L.A. -- Power 106 FM -- started Wednesday's morning drive time ... his usual shift ... by playing music without a DJ, though one eventually came on around 6 AM.

But Emmis is on the attack, asking a judge for an order prohibiting Big Boy from bailing. Emmis also wants $5 million.

TMZ also has Big Boy's statement: “I feel nothing but love and gratitude for the nearly 21 years I’ve spent with my listeners at Power 106. I am proud of everything I accomplished over the last two decades and the contributions I made to the station’s success. All I want to do right now is get back to what I love, what I am meant to do – wake up every morning and hang with my listeners. They are my family. Their love and devotion mean everything to me.”

This is nothing new in hard-ball radio negotiations -- radio stations frequently yank all references to their popular morning hosts when things get this intense, and put it all back later. But this seems extra nasty. We'll see where it goes. (If you search inside the site, you'll find the Big Boy's Neighborhood page is still parked there.)



As for "Real 92.3," here are the details from RadioInfo.com:

The flip takes place on Friday morning at 9:23 AM and the company says that its senior vice president of urban programming Doc Wynter will serve as PD for the station that kicks off the new format with 10,000 commercial-free songs. Core artists will be Drake, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Usher, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé. Wynter comments, “The all-new ‘Real 92.3’ will be LA's new home for REAL Hip Hop and R&B. It's what LA listeners have been waiting for. Starting tomorrow morning at 9:23, we'll start rollin' 10,000 joints in a row!”

Los Angeles Times Stops Pretending We Don't Know What Jonathan Gold Looks Like

I always thought it was kind of charming that the Los Angeles Times kept up the practice of hiding superstar food critic Jonathan Gold's face in the newspaper and in all of its marketing. After all, anyone who cares about food criticism or Jonathan Gold knows exactly what he looks like. As Gold became a well-known name, his face was everywhere.

Now, the LA Times is giving up the practice. I'll miss the Jonathan Gold silhouettes, but he says it's time to give up the ghost:

I regularly decline magazine profiles, corporate speaking gigs and reality show appearances. I once walked backward from a lectern after winning an award because I was afraid of being photographed. I have OpenTable accounts under many different names, a habit of paying bills — even large ones — in cash and a burner phone account, all in an attempt to keep my identity a secret from the chefs and staffs of restaurants I have reviewed.

But my identity is not secret.

I have been charmed into posing for a thousand food-festival selfies. A hundred waiters know my name. I have been called out in taquería lines from Pacoima to Bell Gardens. At chic restaurants, chefs nervously avoid my gaze. When he spotted me eating dinner, a Las Vegas maître d' once physically moved the table at which I was sitting from its cozy niche behind a pillar to a more glamorous spot in the middle of the room. I have become adept at pretending not to notice that a restaurant staff is pretending not to notice me noticing them noticing me.

Any real anonymity I may have once had ended in 2007 when an assistant at a publication I used to work for accidentally posted a photograph to the paper's website. The pretense of anonymity ends today.

I believe he's referring to this photo (below), taken at an LA Weekly toast to celebrate Gold's big Pulitzer Prize win:



Let's face it, Gold has such a distinct look that I don't know how he ever escaped notice when he ate at restaurants. But I don't think it impacted his reviews one bit. Now that he's free of the facade, I wonder if we'll see more JGold on TV and elsewhere.

The timing of the announcement comes as Laura Gabbert's L.A. food documentary, "City of Gold," premieres at Sundance. It also comes, Gold writes, as "the kabuki of the pose is a distraction." I can't wait to see "City of Gold," and congrats to Jonathan Gold for finally being free!

August Radio Ratings: Healthy Summer Gains for LA's Top Stations

Univision's KLVE "K-Love 107.5" is once again No. 1 spot in morning radio, as the station's "Omar y Argelia" posted a 4.8 share (same as last month) of the Los Angeles 12+ audience in August. KRTH "K-Earth 101's" Gary Bryan (4.7, up from 4.5) was No. 2, followed by KFI-AM's Bill Handel (4.6, up from 4.2), Spanish station KSCA's "El Bueno, La Mala y El Feo" show (4.1 down from 4.7), and all-news KNX, benefiting from a busy news month (4.0, up from 3.6). Also tied in 5th was Valentine at KBIG "My 104.3 FM" (4.0, up from 3.8).

Among persons 18-34, KPWR "Power 106's" Big Boy was No. 1 in the morning (8.0 share). And in adults 25-54, KROQ's "Kevin & Bean Show" remained No. 1 (5.1).

In overall 6 a.m. to midnight ratings, it was a nice month of gains for most of the most-listened-to stations. KBIG was once again No. 1 with listeners 12+ (5.3, up from 4.9 last month), followed by KRTH (4.9, up from 4.7), KIIS-FM (4.8, up from 4.5), KOST (4.4, up from 4.2) and KPWR "Power 106" (4.2, down from 4.3). KPWR was No. 1 with 18-34 listeners (8.0) while KBIG was also No. 1 with 25-54 (5.4).

June L.A. Radio Ratings: Why Are Things So Topsy-Turvy?

What's going on with the Nielsen radio ratings in Los Angeles? The June 2014 book is out, and the results are still strange. Yet, Nielsen says it now believes everything is kosher, according to the Los Angeles Times:

Ratings giant Nielsen on Wednesday said it has concluded its investigation into inaccurate ratings in the Los Angeles radio market, but stopped short of sanctioning Univision Communications for alleged unethical conduct by a former station executive.

Last month, Nielsen discovered that a high-ranking Univision Radio executive at the company's Los Angeles station, KSCA-FM (101.9), had access to several of Nielsen's portable people meter devices that pick up audio signals. Nielsen uses data transmitted from the devices to determine which radio stations have the most listeners.

It is a violation of Nielsen rules for a station employee to have access to the devices. Univision quickly fired the executive and announced more rigorous ethics training sessions for its employees. No other station executives were reprimanded.

Nielsen notified radio stations on Wednesday that despite the problems it found with two households that were removed from its sample audience in Los Angeles, the agency would not go back and reissue the ratings for last year or the first quarter of 2014.

And yet KSCA, which had been 13th place in mornings as recently as January, is suddenly the No. 1 station between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. among listerners 12+ (5.0 share), up from 5th place in May. The station's new "El Bueno, La Mala y El Feo" show is also No. 1 with listeners 18-34 with a whopping 9.3 share, up a massive 3 share points from May (6.3).

KRTH "K-Earth 101"'s Gary Bryan is No. 2 with 12+ (4.9 share), followed by KLVE-FM's Omar y Argelia (4.3), KIIS' Ryan Seacrest (4.1) and KFI-AM's Bill Handel (3.9). In persons 18-34, KPWR "Power 106"'s Big Boy is second (7.5), then KIIS (5.8), KROQ's Kevin & Bean (5.2) and KBIG's Valentine (4.8). With persons 25-54, KROQ is No. 1 (5.3), then KSCA (4.9), KIIS (4.6), KLVE (4.1) and KBIG (3.8).

In total day listening, KRTH is extending its reign among persons 12+ (5.5 share), followed by KIIS (5.0), KBIG (4.9), KPWR (4.7) and KOST (4.1). KPWR is tops with listeners 18-34 (8.4 share), while KIIS leads with listeners 25-54 (5.2).

November Sweeps: KABC Rules, While KCAL Takes Back 10 p.m.

KCAL narrowly reclaimed the 10 p.m. November news crown this year among total viewers, eking out a razor's edge victory over No. 2 KTLA -- but there's an asterisk attached. KCAL and KTLA don't factor in the last 15 minutes of their 10 p.m. newscasts; those lower-rated sports reports are counted as a separate program. KTTV does, however. It's a very different story when the hours are all pit against each other. (KTTV scored a victory in the key news demo of adults 25-54.)

But nonetheless, KCAL was the only station to post November-to-November growth at 10 p.m., averaging 132,000 viewers -- up from 113,000 last year. KCAL took a hit last year after losing the Los Angeles Lakers contract to Time Warner Cable SportsNet, having won 10 p.m. in 2011 with 154,000 viewers. Meanwhile, KTLA and KTTV were both down.

It was another good November for KABC, which saw its 7 a.m. fortunes rise thanks to the growing dominance of "Good Morning America." KTLA also experienced growth for "KTLA Morning News." Much of that was at the expense of "Today," which lost a chunk of viewers.

Meanwhile, at 11 p.m., KABC pulled out far ahead in first place, after KCBS came within striking distance in 2012. This year, KABC was the only station to gain at 11 p.m., while KCBS and KNBC both saw some drops.

Here are the November 2013 results for the local L.A. market's English-language stations. (Sorry, I don't have KMEX numbers handy, but they are obviously a tremendous player in Los Angeles.)

Total Viewers

5 a.m. KABC 109,000
KTLA 98,000
KNBC 39,000
KCBS 33,000
KTTV 29,000

6 a.m.
KABC 213,000
KTLA 176,000
KNBC 68,000
KTTV 65,000
KCBS 39,000

7 a.m. Morning Shows
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (KABC) 242,000 (up from 215,000)
KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA) 210,000 (up from 193,000)
GOOD DAY L.A. (KTTV) 87,000 (down from 95,000)
TODAY (KNBC) 80,000 (down from 104,000)
CBS THIS MORNING (KCBS) 51,000

5 p.m.
KABC 258,000 (down from 283,000)
KNBC 147,000 (up from 146,000)
KCBS 110,000 (down from 129,000)
KTTV ("Studio 11 LA") 46,000 (up from 42,000)

6 p.m.
KABC 278,000 (down from 305,000)
KNBC 137,000 (down from 145,000)
KCBS 107,000 (down from 128,000)
KTLA 87,000 (up from 77,000)

6:30 p.m.
ABC WORLD NEWS (KABC) 277,000
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS (KNBC) 137,000
CBS EVENING NEWS (KCBS) 107,000
KTLA NEWS (KTLA) 102,000

Primetime
KABC 389,000
KCBS 342,000
KNBC 274,000
KTTV 234,000
KTLA 111,000

10 p.m.
KCAL 132,000 (up from 113,000)
KTLA 131,000 (down from 142,000)
KTTV 128,000 (down from 146,000)

11 p.m.
KABC 318,000 (up from 274,000)
KCBS 205,000 (down from 254,000)
KNBC 187,000 (down from 205,000)

25-54

5 a.m.
KTLA 0.8/14
KABC 0.7/13
KNBC/KTTV (tie) 0.3/5
KCBS 0.1/2

6 a.m.
KTLA 1.3/15
KABC 1.1/13
KTTV 0.7/9
KNBC 0.4/5
KCBS 0.2/2

7 a.m. Morning Shows
KTLA MORNING NEWS (KTLA) 1.3/12
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (KABC) 1.1/11
GOOD DAY L.A. (KTTV) 0.8/8
TODAY (KNBC) 0.4/4
CBS THIS MORNING (KCBS) 0.2/2

5 p.m.
KABC 0.8/4
KNBC 0.7/3
KTTV ("Studio 11 LA")/KCBS (tie) 0.4/2

6 p.m.
KABC 1.0/4
KNBC 0.5/2
KCBS/KTLA (tie) 0.4/2

6:30 p.m.
ABC WORLD NEWS (KABC) 1.0/4
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS (KNBC)/ KTLA (tie) 0.6/2
CBS EVENING NEWS (KCBS) 0.5/2

10 p.m.
KTTV 1.1/4
KCAL 0.9/3
KTLA 0.8/3

11 p.m.
KABC 1.8/9
KNBC 1.1/5
KCBS 1.0/5

(Photo: Malibu Times)

Local Media Notes: El Mandril Disappears, and Carlos Amezcua Exits

Where's El Mandril? Ricardo 'El Mandril' Sanchez, the morning host on KLAX-FM ("97.9 La Raza"), hasn't been on the air since last month, and the Los Angeles Times investigates why:

Sanchez's manager, Fernando Schiantarelli, said Monday that Sanchez was pulled from the air during negotiations over his employment contract, which ends next month.

But Schiantarelli also confirmed, as did other industry sources, that Sanchez's show has been the subject of an investigation by research giant Nielsen, which acquired radio ratings firm Arbitron in late September, into allegations of ratings tampering.

"There was an investigation raised by some other competitors who were very concerned that Mandril was being so successful," Schiantarelli said, adding that such investigations — and complaints from rivals — are not uncommon in the industry. He said the investigation didn't turn up anything.

Allegations have been raised that members of Arbitron's audience panel had been contacted by people connected to Sanchez's show and encouraged to listen to his program, a violation of Arbitron's and Nielsen's practices.

A Nielsen representative said the company had no comment on its investigation, adding, "Nielsen Audio is committed to the highest standards of integrity in our data and our panels."

A KLAX programming executive also confirmed that Sanchez's program was taken off the air because of an investigation. The executive referred The Times to top company executives who did not return repeated calls for comment Monday.

Schiantarelli said a top SBS executive told the janitor-turned-radio star to show up to work every day but sit around "doing nothing."

Carlos Amezcua is out at KTTV/Fox 11 after five years as the station's 10 p.m. co-anchor (with Christine Devine). TV Spy has the details:

Kevin Hale, vice president and general manager of KTTV told staffers this evening about Amezcua’s departure. “After more than five years on KTTV’s Fox 11 10 p.m. News, Carlos Amezcua has decided to step down from the news desk to expand his own media and technology company, “Carlos Media Corp.” here in Los Angeles, said Hale. “Having won over 10 Emmy’s throughout his career, Amezcua has made many contributions to this community, as well our newsroom. We wish him continued success in building his own media and technology firm.”

PREVIOUSLY ON FRANKLIN AVENUE:

BREAKING NEWS: Carlos Amezcua In, John Beard Out at Fox 11 (September 4, 2007)

The Great Los Angeles Walk In The News

Thanks to NBC LA and Alysia Gray Painter for writing another great piece on this year's Great Los Angeles Walk. Check it out here. An excerpt:

It's free -- of course -- and you can join anywhere along the route -- of course -- and the Great Los Angeles Walk "is not a race" -- nope. It is, however, about camaraderie, fresh air, close-up experiences (vs. things seen through the blur of your windshield), and a deeper connection to an oft-driven slice of our city.

And exercise, too. The walk does happen five days ahead of the afternoon we're all likely to consume a little too much stuffing and gravy.

You can RSVP, because that's nice, to Mr. Schneider, who is nice, just so he can keep a count, which is helpful, but not RSVPing doesn't mean you can't wake up on Nov. 23 and decide to join.

So here's another thing you tell someone considering a permanent move to LA: Clear the Saturday before Thanksgiving for a mega walk to the ocean. There's no better way than to get acquainted with a particular street and a whole bunch of adventuring Angelenos.

Meanwhile, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's blog and writer David Colgan also put together a great piece on the Walk. Read it here. An excerpt:

When it comes to challenging our car culture, massive events like CicLAvia, with its 100,000-plus cyclists, send a loud message about the growing momentum and demand for alternative transportation. But before there was CicLAvia, there was the more modest—but equally committed—Great Los Angeles Walk, which has been putting one foot after the next on L.A.’s most famous streets for the past 8 years.

Michael Schneider has organized the walks since 2006, when about 30 to 40 brave souls met to tackle all 16 miles of Wilshire Boulevard. Walkers now number around 300 each year.

“It always sounds daunting to people who haven’t done it before,” Schneider said. “But it’s not a race. It’s about taking your time and exploring. I come back with hundreds of photos of things that you normally miss.”

Meanwhile, catch me Friday at noon on KCAL/9 News talking about the Walk!

New Variety Launches Today: What I Would Have Done

Pic via AJ Marechal's Twitter feed.

UPDATE: Just thumbed through the first edition of New Variety. NICE. Stellar design, chock full of interesting stuff and THICK. I can see why it would be tough to do this twice a week (although the content could obviously be spread across two thinner issues, perhaps). Below, my post from this morning on what I would do with the pub.



Farewell, Daily Variety (that's the final issue, above). Hello again, Variety. Having spent 12 years of my professional life at the venerable trade, I am eagerly rooting for it to succeed and still find myself angered by some of the cheap shots that even cheaper competitors throw its way. I was sad to see the Daily go -- but heartened to see a beefed-up Weekly Variety (where we always did some of our best, deeper reads) come on the scene, starting today. For years my colleagues and I dreamed of blowing up the website and completely turning it into something more reader-friendly, while turning the Weekly into a heftier publication. It looks like they're finally doing both. I can't wait to get my hands on today's premiere copy.

Not that anyone asked, but if you're reading this Jay Penske, here's my take on what the new owners of Variety ought to do with the print publication -- starting with the idea of squeezing out at least two issues a week. Given all the congratulatory and For Your Consideration ads out there, I still think a twice-a-week format would better distinguish Variety from its glossy, well-funded competitor, The Hollywood Reporter.

I would have also eliminated Daily Variety, and here's the twist: I would publish what's now known as weekly Variety twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. (Giving Variety a slight edge over The Hollywood Reporter's once-a-week schedule.)

The Monday edition would take full advantage of the weekend box office and the Sunday night awards shows -- the one place where people can buy full-page ads touting their box office domination or congratulating Oscar/Globes/SAG/Emmy/Grammy/etc. winners. The issue would be built around something called THE WEEK -- a detailed list of winners and losers from the past week (emphasizing the big moves at the agencies, studios and networks) as well as a detailed calendar of the week ahead; big stories looking back at last week's big stories and looking ahead to what will be important this week.

Thursday's issue would include detail-heavy TV ratings grids, domestic and international box office charts and full dissections of each -- indispensable info that is harder to translate online. (Also: A look ahead at the upcoming weekend's box office and award shows). Plus that issue would be built around something called THE LIST -- a weekly feature that would change from week to week -- power lists, overall deal rosters, pilot charts, salary surveys -- ultimately, 52 U.S. News & World Report-style must-read lists that everyone will be clamoring to see. This would be a variation of the specials sections that have driven revenue for years at the trades -- so yes, these lists could be touted to advertisers for congratulations ads.

Big newsy stories, industry think pieces, editorials, and Variety's patented, hefty movie, stage and TV reviews would make up the bulk of the two weekly issues. Variety is all about news and attitude.

I'm not a business guy, so perhaps the bean counters decided that even this idea was not financially feasible. But I also still gotta believe, as a print guy, that there's still a portion of Hollywood that wants to see its stories -- and its ads -- on the page.

L.A. Times Eliminates TV Listings in Print Edition

It's another sign of the shrinking Times. In a note to readers in today's Calendar section, the Los Angeles Times announced that the last remnants of the Calendar section's TV listings grid will soon be history. Starting next Tuesday, Feb. 26, the grids will be no more -- only available online. (Only a TV highlights column will remain).

Writes the paper: "A searchable and printable TV listings grid, which is updated daily, may be accessed at latimes.com/tvtimes and provides readers with TV listings sorted by home ZIP code. TV highlights will continue to appear in Calendar's print editions. LATimes.com members may sign up for TV Weekly, which is delivered in the Sunday Times."

Well, there's a bit of a catch to that: According to the LA Times representative I just spoke to, the "TV Weekly" insert will be offered free to subscribers for six months -- but after that, there will be a fee for it to continue. No thanks -- I trust TV Guide Magazine much more.

I assume this means an even smaller Calendar section moving forward. Over time, the L.A. Times' TV listings have shrunk to focus just on primetime, just as the comics pages have declined. (It wasn't too long ago that the paper also still ran radio listings.)

The Glendale News-Press' Columnist Conundrum

A few weeks ago, the Glendale News Press mysteriously announced that one of its key columnists, retired Glendale teacher Dan Kimber, had been caught plagiarizing someone else's work. As a result, Kimber -- who had written for the paper since 2003 -- would no longer appear in the newspaper.

Some readers felt that the decision was too harsh. But the paper later revealed that it had found several instances of plagiarism by Kimber:

A review of Kimber’s columns from Jan. 2, 2009 to Sept. 9, 2011 revealed approximately one-fifth contained plagiarized material. The amount taken in each instance varied, from a few sentences to nearly the entire column.

News-Press guidelines are explicit about properly identifying and citing our sources. Trust is the backbone of this paper’s reputation.

Editing safeguards have been put in place to help prevent this from occurring in the future.

Within the online archive, each of Kimber’s columns will contain a note stating that multiple instances of plagiarism have been found. In those columns where plagiarism has been discovered, a “For The Record” note specifying the details will be appended to the piece.

Compare Kimber's final column here with the column "Joe the Machinist," by Sam Pizzigati, here.

The Glendale News Press did the right thing; not only is the plagiarism embarrassing to the paper, but it was done by a former teacher who should have known better. Sheesh. Kimber's not taking it lying down, however, writing in the comments that he had been asked to keep quiet about the paper's shrinking freelance budget:

I've been refused a forum for a final farwell after ten years of writing a good column and a statement of contrition for having borrowed material of others without properly attributing the source.

Even the Community Forum is off limits because of two sentences I included about all freelancers being slashed in pay because of an acquisition of a Pasadena paper. All of us freelancers were told to keep our mouths shut about the paper's financial problems that were now being covered over by reducing the most vulnerable in its ranks.

I deserve what has been meted out to me and I will move on with my life, far the wiser for the experience. But I'll be damned if I'll be lectured about journalistic ethics by an editor who has censored not just me, but others who have tried to bring this to the public's attention.

Meanwhile, one columnist still at the paper is former LA Daily News editor Ron Kaye, who seems to spend a lot of column inches bashing Los Angeles. This week, his column once again focuses on how Los Angeles sucks, and in comparison, local suburbs have their acts together.

It's basically Kaye's way of writing a column for the Burbank and Glendale papers, but still ultimately writing about his pet topic: The mess that is Los Angeles. Here's an excerpt from this week's column, which compares the rosy future of the Rose Bowl to the terrible mismanagement of the Coliseum:

It isn’t just the difference in how publicly owned stadiums are run, and it isn’t just the difference between how Pasadena and Los Angeles are run.

You can see similar things in Burbank and Glendale and nearly all the suburbs that surround L.A.

Compare the paved streets and sidewalks in your community to the potholes and broken concrete in L.A.

Compare Old Pasadena, Brand Boulevard or beautiful downtown Burbank to the coldness of glass and steel skyscrapers with few pedestrians on Bunker Hill, or the mix of hip new lofts amid the squalor of Skid Row in downtown L.A., where billions of dollars of the public’s wealth have been spent to subsidize development without real planning.