Los Angeles Register Daily Newspaper to Debut in 2014

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A seven-day daily newspaper focused on Los Angeles local news, the Los Angeles Register, will debut in 2014, the Orange County Register ("OCR") reported yesterday.

Owner Aaron Kushner, whose 2100 Trust LLC purchased Freedom Communications Inc. in July 2012, boosted the OCR staff by 200, to provide local LA coverage  to challenge The Los Angeles Times. The OCR article said the Register also plans to unveil LA-area community weeklies next year.

Can't Tell Tribune Co. Suitors Without a Scorecard

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As former denizens of Chicago, the devoted staff of "TUOL" keeps close tabs on the embattled Tribune Co., blogging when the media conglomerate unveiled plans to unload its newspaper holdings (see "TUOL" post 2/27/13) and when the company emerged from a bloody four-year Chapter 11 bankruptcy (see "TUOL" post 1/2/13).

Therefore, "TUOL" is grateful to the Orange County Register ("OCR") for its update today about the would-be suitors for the Trib Co.'s metro dailies, including the flagship Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun and Hartford Courant. Industry analysts expect the conglomerate to divest itself of its revenue-starved print properties by the end of the year, so that it can focus on its broadcasting component. The company has enlisted investment bankers Evercore Partners and JP MorganChase to sniff out would-be buyers and assess the available options.

The OCR article is most interested in the fate of the Los Angeles Times, the nation's fourth-largest newspaper with a combined print and digital readership of more than 653,000, and counts among its courters, OCR's owner, Freedom Communications CEO Aaron Kushner, whose 2100 Trust investment arm snatched up the OCR in 2012.

Thus far, the most controversial possible suitors are David Koch and Charles Koch, a/k/a the Koch Brothers, holders of sixth place on the 2013 Forbes Magazine billionaires list, arch-conservative major funders of Tea Party and Libertarian political groups and tormenters of small, furry mammals (that may not be true). The Koch duo has not specifically mentioned the Tribune Co. stable of dailies, but has been widely quoted in the media as being expressly interested in jumping into the newspaper biz. An L.A. Weekly story in March, according to the OCR piece, linked the Kochs to the LA Times, which has helped to mobilize unions, liberal activists and others to protest such a move and to seek online contributions to purchase the Times before the Kochs can.

Another conservative boogeyman in the eyes of liberals everywhere, Rupert Murdoch, executive chair of News Corp., no doubt would like to add Tribune Co.-owned dailies to his trophy collection that includes The Wall St. Journal, Times of London and New York Post, but may run afoul of FCC cross-ownership rules in his quest.

The OCR article notes a local Los Angeles moneyed trio, known as the "3Bs," who at the very least, would like to snatch the LA Times, if not all the Tribune Co. dailies. The group consists of former LA deputy mayor Austin Beutner, Ron Burkle and Eli Broad.  Although his initial interest appears to have waned, the OCR piece includes among the potential suitors Douglas Manchester, owner of the U-T San Diego.

Were the Tribune Co. newspapers to be sold individually, possible buyers mentioned include billionaire Warren Buffett, who is building up newspaper holdings (see "TUOL" posts 2/26/13, 5/17/12) and may wish to add the (Allentown, Penn.) Morning Call. Also, the OCR suggests Chicago Sun-Times owner Wrapport, Ltd., might be interested in acquiring the rival Chicago Tribune, but "TUOL" believes that is off-base, particularly because the Sun-Times has its corporate hands full paying its printing bills to the Tribune (see "TUOL" post 4/2/13).

In the end, it's all a parlor game, akin to political pundits who already have Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio facing off in the 2016 presidential election, but the staff of "TUOL" will continue to monitor the fate of the Chicago Tribune, which, though hardly beloved, is at least familiar.

Media Group Seeks 'Freedom' from Newspaper & TV Ownership

Image via WikipediaLos Angeles Times media writer James Rainey reports today that Irvine, Calif.-based Freedom Communications, which counts 33 dailies, 70 weeklies and eight tv stations among its holdings, is putting its properties up for auction.

The Orange County Register, Freedom's Flagship daily, reportedly is drawing interest from the Tribune Co., owner of The Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune, and Denver-based MediaNews, which includes the Torrance Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun and the Long-Beach Press Telegram among its nine California properties, according to Rainey.

Bids are expected sometime next month.  Freedom Communications emerged from a 2009 Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April of last year (see "TUOL" post 11/19/10).

ESPN Drops Anchor for Plagiarism; Hears a Ding

Image via WikipediaESPN anchor Will Selva has been suspended indefinitely for failing to attribute his on-air evaluation of  an upcoming Los Angeles Lakers contest to Orange County Register sportswriter Kevin Ding, whose column contained a passage recited nearly verbatim by Selva.

Selva, a 15-year veteran of broadcast journalism, apologized for appropriating Ding's assessment of the upcoming Lakers/Spurs game, and for not adhering to ESPN's "high standards."  Apparently, Selva didn't watch ESPN's broadcast of The Decision (See "TUOL" post 7/8/10).

A spokesperson for ESPN ("Everyone Stop Plagiarizing Now"?) said the Disney-owned network took the matter seriously, but concluded the anchor made a sloppy mistake, rather than an intentional attempt to infringe on someone else's work.

Freedom: Just Another Word for Media Outlets to Sell

Image via WikipediaEight television stations and 100 newspapers, including flagship Orange County Register, owned by Irvine, Calif.-based Freedom Communications, Inc., are attracting suitors, according to an Associated Press story.

Freedom Communications, which emerged  in April from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed in September 2009, would not identify any potential buyers.

OCR Reporters 'Face' Their Readers

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The Santa Ana, Calif.-based Orange County Register, a Freedom Communications, Inc. publication, has decided that each staff-bylined story will be accompanied by a head shot of the Register reporter who wrote it.


 The rationale behind the move, according to the daily's editor, is to "promote our talented writing staff." Unfortunately, as with most moves taken by newspapers nowadays, the decision is not journalistic, but based on marketing, specifically, a suggestion from the MORI research firm.

The plan is to have a mug shot of the reporter, free of props, appear next to the byline accompanying the article.  OCR staffers face an uphill battle trying to convince editors that a flask is not a prop, but rather, a necessity.

Register readers will learn soon enough why the ink-stained wretches generating their news opted for print journalism, rather than television reporting (just kidding; "TUOL" knows that everyone in California is good-looking). Wonder if there will be an exception made for cloak-and-dagger investigative reporters, who probably consider their smiling puss a detriment to going undercover.

Please Don't Feed the 'Cagey' Columnist

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Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit is fulfilling the fantasies of media-bashers everywhere. Mickadeit has taken up residence in the Santa Ana Zoo, and is streaming his two-day experience as a caged primate over the Internet.

Mickadeit calls his exhibit "Columinist in a Cage: columnist horribilis in his Natural Environment," according to a report in Editor & Publisher magazine. His next door neighbor is a crested capuchin monkey.

No complaints from PETA yet.  Clearly, the idea well has run dry for this columnist to engage in such a gimmick.  "TUOL" fears in today's news media climate, more newspaper columnists may seek shelter in zoos to avoid extinction.

Bankruptcy for Financially Squeezed Orange County Register Looms

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Irvine, Calif.-based Freedom Communications, which owns eight television stations and 31 daily newspapers, including The Orange County Register, is expected to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, handing control over to lenders who hold approximately $770 million in debt.

The Register has an average daily circulation of 230,877 and Sunday sales of roughly 300,000 for the six months ending March 31, 2009, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.  The Hoiles family has been majority owners of Freedom Communications for more than 70 years.

Freedom suspended its dividend a year ago and in June 2009, announced an across-the-board 5 percent salary reduction for employees.