FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog

The Los Angeles Times continues to lose circulation:

The comparisons are based on the six-month period ending March 2007 and the six-month period ending March 2006.

4.2 % loss in daily circulation to 815,723

4.7% loss in Sunday circulation to 1,173,096

Other notable newspapers:

The three large national papers made some strides in increases. However, The New York Times, which usually experiences small gains, lost daily circulation, down 1.9% to 1,120,420 while Sunday fell 3.3% to 1,627,062. USA Today reported that daily circulation was up 0.2% to 2,278,022. As reported earlier, The Wall Street Journal also increased, up 0.6% to 2,062,312.

The Washington Post lost 3.4% of its weekday circ to 699,130 copies. Sunday fell 3.2% to 929,921.

Daily circulation at The Orange County (Calif.) Register slipped 5% to 284,613 while Sunday was down 7% to 329,549.

Flap is happy to report that blog readership has increased.

But, it is a rare event indeed that I see anyone reading a newsprint newspaper in public and most of my colleagues, friends and acquaintances do not subscribe.

A view of the ” Los Angeles Times ” newspaper building in downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Times: Times is expected to cut 5% of staff

The Los Angeles Times is expected to announce Monday a plan to cut about 5% of its workforce, or approximately 150 jobs, as profits at the newspaper and its Chicago-based parent company continue to slide.

Times executives said they expected most of the cuts, including nearly 70 newsroom positions, to come through voluntary buyouts. After the reductions, the newspaper would have about 2,625 employees. The news staff would shrink to about 850 people from 920.

Not a Malaise…….

The Los Angels Times doesn’t get IT, now do they?

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The Los Angeles Times Files

Tim Rutten responds - Los Angeles Times: These rules we live by

IT’S been nearly half a century since even a whiff of scandal or implication of misconduct attached itself to The Times’ editorial pages. That’s what makes the resignation of the section’s editor, Andr–s Martinez, and its aftermath a melancholy rather than merely curious affair.

For the record, a substantial number of my more than 35 years at The Times were spent on the paper’s editorial pages — first as an assistant editor of the op-ed page, then as editor of Opinion and, finally, as an editorial writer. I was 24 when I first joined the section, and I vividly recall how daunting it was to be surrounded by vastly more experienced colleagues, many of them genuinely distinguished. I also remember being struck with how an attention to ethics wove itself through even the most mundane parts of our daily work and by — what seemed at the time — a fairly stultifying insistence on propriety.

Suffer through the rest of the self-righteous piece, if you must.

So, who are you going to believe? Martinez or Rutten?

Does it even matter?

Flap at this point has come to agree with Nicki Finke:

And Nikki Finke puts a tremulous finger on the real infection: “Sanctimonious newsroom reporters and editors acting all holier-than-thou about journalism ethics, even though they never complained about the impropriety of their ousted editor Dean Baquet’s behind-the-scenes cozying up to a Billionaire Boys Club of potential local buyers for the LA Times. An editorial editor who oversaw the opinion/Op-ed pages spiralling into irrelevancy, in part because Spring Street’s 2nd floor now panders to neo-con and libertarian and other fringe ideologues whose main qualifications for being published there seem be that they’re all palsy-walsy with each other.”

Days of Our Times indeed………

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Los Angeles Times Watch: GrazerGate FLAP Part III

Los Angeles Times Watch: GrazerGate FLAP Part II

Los Angeles Times Watch: Andres Martinez Quits Over GrazerGate FLAP

Kevin Roderick has the latest POOP on the GrazerGate Flap.

I’ll post a selection of other emails about the latest twists in the dramedy known as the Los Angeles Times over the weekend. O’Shea, Martinez, Brian Grazer and David Hiller (left to right) plus Kelly Mullens all come up on Saturday’s “Deadline L.A.” at noon on KPFK. Mark Lacter of LA Biz Observed and I discuss the Times situation with hosts Barbara Osborn and Howard Blume. Meanwhile, Radar Online’s John Cook (a former Tribune staffer) talks about O’Shea’s own complications from sleeping with a prominent PR executive — his wife, a manager of media relations for Chicago’s Field Museum.

Patterico asks what’s really going on here? And then proceeds to tell us. He is SPOT ON!

A cabal of staffers in the newsroom tries to influence the direction of the opinion page, some for “ideological” reasons. Martinez resists this attempt at interference.

Then, a cabal of staffers, including at least two well-known left-leaning ideologues, lean on the editor to take an extreme action on a non-scandal — knowing that such drastic action would be an effective way to humiliate Martinez.

Do you think there is any overlap or coordination between the first cabal of staffers and the second? I do.

Do you think this was a legitimate scandal that merited the extreme actions taken by the paper? I don’t.

I think there’s something else going on here. Tim Cavanaugh describes me as sniffing out a “left-wing coup,” and that’s about what I think has happened here.

So, is it Christmas in July?

You bet and stay tuned for more presents from Spring Street.

Andrés Martinez, left, resigned as Los Angeles Times editorial page editor, saying he had been undermined by his publisher, David Hiller.

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Los Angeles Times Watch: GrazerGate FLAP Part II

Los Angeles Times Watch: Andres Martinez Quits Over GrazerGate FLAP

Andrés Martinez, left, resigned as Los Angeles Times editorial page editor, saying he had been undermined by his publisher, David Hiller.

New York Times: Los Angeles Times Editorial Page Chief Quits

Andrés Martinez, the editorial page editor of The Los Angeles Times, resigned yesterday, saying he had been undermined by his publisher over what Mr. Martinez described as a “perception of a conflict of interest.”

Mr. Martinez had helped select Brian Grazer, a Hollywood producer, as guest editor of a special edition of this Sunday’s opinion section, called Current. The paper reported yesterday that Mr. Martinez is in a romantic relationship with Kelly Mullens, a senior executive at the public relations firm that represents Mr. Grazer’s production company.

The publisher, David Hiller, initially said he did not see a conflict, only the appearance of a conflict that could be handled with an editor’s note disclosing the relationship, said James O’Shea, the paper’s editor. But Mr. Hiller changed his mind yesterday after several staff members expressed their concern to Mr. O’Shea, and Mr. O’Shea spoke with Mr. Hiller. Yesterday, Mr. Hiller canceled the special edition.

In a statement last night, Mr. Hiller said that “a potential conflict of interest had emerged” over Mr. Martinez’s relationship with Ms. Mullens. “We believe that this relationship did not influence the selection of Brian as guest editor,” he said. “Nonetheless, in order to avoid even the appearance of conflict, we felt the best course of action was not to publish the section.”

When informed of the decision, Mr. Martinez resigned and took the unusual step of announcing his decision on a blog on the paper’s Web site. In a defiant note, he wrote that the paper had overreacted, that Mr. Grazer and Ms. Mullens “did nothing wrong” and that Mr. Hiller’s decision made his tenure “untenable.”

There is the story and the FLAP which is a precis from yesterday’s post.

Now, Andres Martinez STRIKES BACK.

He blames not himself for an ethical gaffe but newsroom reporters who tattle-tailed. These reporters (and Martinez does name names) want the newsroom to influence the editorial pages.

Go figure.

Hell, the Los Angeles Times news stories have been biased and opinionated for years.

The difference here?

Someone from Spring Street finally spills the beans - so to speak.

Hugh Hewitt refers to the HYPOCRISY of former Los Angeles Times Editor, John Carroll.

Patterico adds his insight.

Flap smiles with the vindicative countenance of a pseudo-journalist.

Indeed.

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Los Angeles Times Watch: Andres Martinez Quits Over GrazerGate FLAP

Hugh Hewitt: The Continuing Collapse Of The Los Angeles Times UPDATE: Martinez Resigns

A few days back The Los Angeles Times trumpeted “the launch of a quarterly guest editor program for Current, the Sunday edition commentary section. Brian Grazer, Oscar® and Emmy®-winning writer-producer, has been chosen to oversee the debut and future guest editors will be similarly intriguing personalities from the worlds of politics, business, culture, entertainment and sports.”

In a blow certain to further erode the paper’s almost non-existent credibility, it has been revealed that Andres Martinez, the editorial page editor and overseer of the project, has been in a relationship with Grazier’s publicist.

Bill Boyarsky has the details. Nikke Finke has much more.

Nikke Finke has this post on Martinez’s resignation.

What a MESS at the Times.

The Tribune Group will be selling this media property at a discount…….

Readers: Please Vote in Flap’s January 2008 GOP Presidential Poll

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and his wife Judith, right. pass a cluster of photographers and reporters as he tries to leave the Palace theater in Manchester, N.H., Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007.

Los Angeles Times: Giuliani plays it close to the vest

New Hampshire may be uniquely suited to the promise and perils of a Giuliani presidential run.
His profile — permissive for a Republican on social issues, conservative on fiscal matters — is well tailored to a state where Republicans tend to be moderate and independents can vote in the GOP primary. “Anybody who’s been to New York in the last few years can’t help but be impressed,” said Charles Arlinghaus, a longtime Republican activist and head of a free-market think tank in Concord.

But Giuliani’s famously prickly style could be a problem. New Hampshire voters expect a highly personal touch, not the kind of imperious display the Giuliani camp put on Saturday. As the ex-mayor was being swept into an SUV outside the Palace Theatre, a man pushed his way forward and threw an arm over Giuliani’s shoulder, posing for a picture. A burly security guard lifted the man’s arm off, like a piece of bad meat.

“He’s only been exposed to rock star audiences up here,” said Andrew Smith, the state’s top political pollster. “What happens when he’s asked not tough questions, but annoying questions? It will be interesting to see how Giuliani deals with them.”

The good old MSM spin and bias. And then the pick-up.

Rudy had a good trip but he hasn’t decided yet if he is running.

Rudy had a good New Hampshire trip but he is too moderate on social issues to be nominated by the GOP

Rudy has a “prickly style.”

Hasn’t this reporter ever heard of security?

And from the folks I have heard from in New Hampshire, Giuliani was not disconnected from the voters but was mobbed.

And such courting began a few minutes later across the Merrimack River as the Giulianis just happened to pop into Blake’s Family Restaurant for an afternoon bite with a handful of customers and a dozen or so waiting journalists.

“What should we have?” Judith Giuliani asked a few diners.

Chicken fajitas, she was told.

So it was chicken fajitas and a bacon cheeseburger for the New Yorkers (they shared) as they dove into the nitty-gritty of New Hampshire retail politics.
“Eating in diners three times a day, meeting people, that’s the easy part,” Giuliani said with his broad smile.

So, for the umpteenth time, is he running, or not?

“The reality is we’re getting closer and closer,’’ Giuliani said.

If the Los Angeles Times wants to anoint Hillary - go ahead and do it on the editorial page.

But, Flap supposes it is understandable. After all, you reporters have to “SUCK UP” to the new FOB (Friend of Bill) owners of the Times - or you are out.

Right?

Captain Ed sees some bias with the Gray Lady treatment of Giuliani in the New York Times.

This is nothing but a silly attempt by the New York Times to damage Giuliani’s well-earned reputation for leadership. They’re trying to paint him as vacillating and indecisive, when the entire nation watched Giuliani during the aftermath of 9/11 and saw for themselves his ability to make decisions and take responsibility for them. In doing so, they try to claim that his decision not to run against Hillary Clinton for her Senate seat in 2000 had more to do with political cowardice than with his diagnosis of prostate cancer and the effect that would have on his ability to campaign aggressively against her.

Sam Roberts loses sight of one important fact: it’s only January 2007. In years gone by, candidates wouldn’t have even begun putting together teams or forming exploratory committees at this stage. It would have waited until the summer, while they spent the winter and spring traveling, making speeches, and taking the temperature of places like Iowa and New Hampshire to see whether a Presidential run had any chance of success.

In fact, Giuliani has been doing all of the above, and he formed his exploratory committee ahead of most other candidates. Was Barack Obama being vacillating and indecisive because he formed his committee in January, after Giuliani did? I don’t recall that being part of the Gray Lady’s warm reception of Obama’s entry into the race.

We know the NYT’s editorial board has a long record of detesting Giuliani. It seems obvious that their attitude has infected their news division as well.

Indeed……

Stay tuned……..

Update:

Kavon W. Nikrad over at race42008 adds his personal observations of Rudy Giulian’s “Prickly Style.”  Which, of course is NOT PRICKLY at all.

Former New York City Mayor and possible Presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani (L) and his wife Judith Nathan (C) greet delegates and guests at the New Hampshire Republican convention in Manchester, New Hampshire January 27, 2007.

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Giuliani Notes: Dollars for Rudy

Rudy Giuliani Watch: Who Has the Vision and Who Can Perform?

Rudy Giuliani Watch: Scouting New Hampshire at Littleton Chamber of Commerce

Rudy Giuliani Watch: Bush Iraq Plan Should Be Given A Chance

Rudy Giuliani Watch: Paul Cellucci, Former Massachusetts Governor Endorses Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani Watch:Giuliani 30% Leads McCain 22% and Romney 10%

Rudy Giuliani Watch: Latest Time Magazine Poll Has McCain Leading Giuliani by 4 Points

Rudy Giuliani Watch: What Does a Mayor Know About Iraq?

The Rudy Giuliani Files