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No Los Angeles without the Los Angeles Times In the late 19th century, when Los Angeles was just a desert outpost on the Pacific, The Los Angeles Times' powerful and controversial publisher and owner, Colonel Harrison Gray Otis, led the city's struggles over development, water rights, and even public morality. Otis' newspaper was just as colorful. A two foot long cannon was installed on the roof of the Times' first building during the Spanish America War. The cannon was fired to mark major military developments or the election of a Republican president. In 1910, the building was destroyed by union terrorists. In the top three Otis' descendants still control The Los Angeles Times through a parent company, Times-Mirror, and while the family's civic prominence has declined, its publishing empire has blossomed. Times-Mirror controls several leading regional newspapers, including Long Island Newsday, Baltimore Sun, Hartford Courant, and the Allentown, PA, Morning Call. Today, along with The New York Times and The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times is one of the three most respected papers in the U.S. Winner of 22 Pulitzer prizes, the Times is the nation's largest daily metropolitan paper, with one of the largest editorial staffs (1000+) of any newspaper in the country. Changing Times In September 1997, Times Mirror Co. Chairman Mark Willes appointed himself publisher of the paper, and began a major reorganization. One of his major goals was to get editors and business managers to work more closely on each section. This controversial idea has yet to be fully implemented. Willes did manage to implement some serious cuts, however. The first wave of layoffs hit in November 1998, and the paper has cut its staff by close to 900 people since then. On a positive note, the paper experienced an increase in circulation of 20,000 copies in 1998. The company also launched a number of new initiatives aimed at driving up readership and advertising revenues. Among these were the addition of over ten new regional sections (called "Our Times") for readers in different areas of Southern California; the launch of a National Edition of The Los Angeles Times (launched in October 1998); and the introduction of "Southern California Living," a new feature section published six days a week. In addition, more than 40 positions were created in the editorial department to staff the paper's new Southern California Living section and expand its thriving new Business and Health sections. After "laying the foundation" for further changes at the paper, Willes gave up his post as publisher of the Times. Kathryn Downing took over the role of president on June 4, 1999. A journalist insurgency In October 1999, concerned with the integrity of the paper, approximately 300 newsroom employees signed a petition, which stated, among other things: "As journalists at The L.A. Times, we are appalled by the paper entering into hidden financial partnerships on editorial products with the subjects we're writing about." The action was in response to Downing's signing an agreement to share the profits of the October 10 issue of the Time's Sunday Magazine with the Staples Center. The issue's stories dealt exclusively with the sports center. Downing admitted that she had exhibited a "fundamental misunderstanding" of editorial principles, and she attempted to pacify the masses by assuring them that the news content of the paper would be free from any commercial influence. Tragedy averted, the next spring, the Tribune Company purchased the Times' owner, Times Mirror. The merger ushered in a series of management changes, including the naming of John P. Puerner as president and publisher. Since the major reorganization, the journal has won the Mark Twain award for newswriting; and it has begun steps toward acquiring rival The Daily News of Los Angeles. The acquisition has yet to receive federal approval, however.
The Los Angeles Times, lists job openings at www.latimes.com/siteservices/jobs.htm. For entry level minority journalists, Times-Mirror's METPRO program offers two-year training programs in reporting or copy editing. Applicants should contact The Los Angeles Times' job hotline for additional job listings. Resumes can be sent by fax, regular mail, or email. If emailing the Times, send submissions in ASCII format only, without any attached files. Resumes are accepted at the Times' offices from 9 a.m. to noon. The paper does some recruiting at job fairs and through professional associations, and of course "they like to get referrals." Says one source, "very few people are hired through unsolicited resumes." In the editorial department, "recruitment happens through word of mouth. People on the inside hear about openings and call their colleagues; or hiring managers ask around for qualified candidates." In addition, "we have people that go to professional conferences with the express goal of hiring people away from other newspapers." For copy editing jobs, the paper generally looks for people with experience. If you apply, you will be "mailed a written test so they can assess your abilities." If you do well, "they call you in to test on various copy desks." Veterans of the process say "this can sometimes be pretty stressful." Editorial applicants should expect "two or three interviews - first with the department head and then with edition editors or managing editors." In addition, applicants may be asked to take a test.
End of the golden road "As far as workload, pay, and benefits," reveals a contact, "this is a great place." The Times is "a destination paper," meaning "people plan to end up, not start out here." Not surprisingly then, "salaries are variable, but very good for the industry." Officially, employees work 40 hours a week, but "weekends and late nights are often required, depending on your position." The dress code is "pretty casual, unless you're interacting with the public." Most of our contacts say "just use common sense" when deciding if clothing is appropriate. If you're dealing with executives or the public - in sales, for example - "professional business attire is a must." Strong staff The Times boasts "a fairly collegial environment," and insiders say "the staff is very strong." The editorial staff benefits from "a lot of resources," including, "a great library" and "state of the art technology." As at any newspaper, "if there is a breaking story, you are expected to be available to work. We have a phone number we are supposed to call whenever there is a major event or disaster." Notes one contact, "you can probably find places where you wouldn't have to work as hard, but you wouldn't find it nearly as rewarding or have as much fun." Rough waters Overall, the Times "is a good place to work, but we're going through some uncertain times right now," one insider admits. "Our executives are trying to increase profits and readership." When it comes down to it, "this is a very large company, with all the usual bureaucracy." Enlightened According to our contacts, the paper has "a fairly enlightened corporate culture," and is "very good about encouraging diversity and growth" for minorities and women. "With the goal of increasing minority representation in the newsroom," the paper sponsors the METPRO program - "an internship program for minority journalism students."
Human Resources (213) 237-5700 (213) 237-4962
Newspapers;Magazines
San Francisco Chronicle More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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