Los Angeles Times Pressmens 20 Year Club

Thought For Today 2-9-2010

To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.

John Marshall

"I think to an extent, there was also a social component in this: women are expected to muddle through even the worst of times.
Read the rest at:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 2-8-2010

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

War and the Art of Waiting

"There was a message from a friend. She hadn't heard from her Marine, and her comfort level was being stretched."
Read the rest at:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Photo: A boy climbs a rocky hillside followed by his donkey, outside of Camp Wright in Kunar, Afghanistan. Photo by my husband.

You Have Woman, I Have 50 Turkeys, and Jack Bauer: A Luddite

Related Afghanistan story to a high tech Navy conference I attended in San Diego.

"A farmer offered the Commander of their base 50 turkeys if they'd sell him their Lieutenant."

Read the rest at:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 2-7-2010

Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price.

Vince Lombardi

Thought For Today 2-6-2010

The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties and the fullest realization of the world in which we live.

Bertrand Russell

War and the Art of Waiting

"....war has left me with an ineffable wallop, as if I've been punched in the gut. It's like always having an odd taste in my mouth: no matter how many times I brush my teeth or gargle, no matter how many mints I pop, it's still there."
Read the rest at:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Labels: afghanistan, military, War

Saturday Morning in the Blogosphere

Twenty-three years at the Los Angeles Times, James Vasquez,
will be leaving the newspaper next month

Tweet and Sour - E&P in Exile
Chico paper to charge - Mark Lacter
Mapping the ‘drunkest’ cities - Erica Smith
Who will publish the new news? - The Gazette
Copy editors: the disappearing gatekeepers - inVocus
News-Press ordered to pay former editor - Gary Scott
NewBizNews: What ad sales people hear - Jeff Jarvis
James Rainey And Tina Dupuy Are Talking About You - Pandora
Magazines That Cut Subscription Prices Lose Subscribers - Ad Age
Newspapers continue fight to co-exist with the Internet - Tampa Bay BJ

On the Job with a Pressman

Kenda Williams from the Savannah Morning News wrote an interesting article on pressroom supervisor Daren Howard that I'm certain my colleagues at the Los Angeles Times will enjoy reading.

The article explains how and what a pressman does to create the magic of a newspaper daily, in Mr. Howard's own words.

Included are still photographs and an entertaining short video.

I would enjoy it if our publisher Eddy Hartenstein sent a reporter over to the Olympic Production Facility for an article on our pressroom, with an interview of our press manager Johnny Walker. How about it Eddy?

Click here or on title to enjoy this article.

Photo Credit: John Carrington/Savannah Morning News

Black History - Tribute to Martin Luther King

Our tribute to Martin Luther King in Celebration of Black History Month

Harlem black history clip for black history month

Friday Morning in the Blogosphere

Los Angeles Times Pressmen Wayne Padelford and Sean Greer
Both men will be let go on March 15th, 2010

Caught in a blind spot - Los Angeles Times
Pressman Jobs in California - iHire Printing
Journalist To Novelist In One Step - TJ Sullivan
An Open Letter to Our Fellow Americans - Marc Cooper
OURstory: Rosa Parks (1913-2005) - Electronic Village
Judge Approves Tribune Co. Bonuses - Save Our Trade
Chicago Tribune announces format changes - Editors Weblog
Dan Neil, Zitner jump from LAT to Wall Street Journal - Kevin Roderick
Star Tribune staffers pony up $3,225 to honor ex-colleagues - MinnPost
Historic Newspapers: The Los Angeles Herald, Circa 1904 - Franklin Ave

Tribune Employees and FSA's

Just a little reminder to Tribune Company Employees that have lost or will be losing their employment, use your flexible spending account or lose it.

From Kiplinger: I've been contributing $200 per month to my health-care flexible spending account, but it looks as though I might get laid off soon. Could I spend the full $2,400 that I had planned to contribute for the year, or just the $600 that I've contributed so far?

There's good news and bad news about FSA contributions. On the bright side, you can use the full $2,400 for eligible medical expenses at any time -- even if you lose your job before the year is over. "An employer cannot ask for the money back in most cases, unless the plan is written in a certain way, which is highly unusual," says Jody Dietel, chief compliance officer for WageWorks, which administers FSAs for many large employers. Ask your employer about the rules before you spend the extra money.

From the Los Angeles Times: Here's another thing to remember, Billet says: The full amount you allocate is available to you Jan. 1, even though you'll only just be starting the payroll deductions then. So if you think you could lose your job before 2010 ends, consider spending the full amount soon -- you won't have to pay it back. And if you do get laid off and have not been reimbursed for funds you spent, you can still file to be reimbursed any time before the plan year ends.

Exposing The Phoney War On Drugs !!!

Jonathan Perri, writing for the Los Angeles Times, declares the war against drugs a dismal failure. Perri mentions an op-ed penned by D.A.R.E. America Chairman Skip Miller who claims his organization has reduced illegal drug usage by Americas children.

One has to ask what is Mr. Miller smoking?

Perri notes that D.A.R.E. and other such educational programs have in fact not reduced drug use. But in reality, our drug laws have failed to stop marijuana use among American youth but have succeeded in punishing them with damning criminal records, loss of financial aid for college and removal from after-school activities. As a graduate of D.A.R.E., I know all too well about the shortcomings of this program and of Americas war on marijuana, writes Perri.

A casual glance at the so-called war on drugs reminds one of Einsteins famous quip — insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Arresting and throwing recreational drug users in prison — primarily for possessing and smoking marijuana — will not win the supposed war. It simply creates a class of criminals where none existed before

Changes in Production at the Los Angeles Times

The second day of the new production schedule at the Los Angeles Times Olympic Facility ran much more efficient then the first day, yet communications are still in need of improvement among staff in the press room.

Yesterday I was informed one truck load of newspapers arrived rather late (4:30 a.m.) to the distributor, this was not due to the Orange County and Olympic press rooms but a lost truck driver. No reports of late newspapers this morning, which is a positive sign.

With so many press runs running concurrently time seems to flow very quickly while working at the newspaper, our shifts are over at a blink of the eye.

Today's shift will be the biggest test of all as the press room is a very busy place on Friday's as we prepare Saturday's newspaper and the Sunday edition as well.

Word heard in the press room: "We should keep the Orange County Press room running, we need their help".

Thought For Today 2-5-2010

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you will do things differently.

Warren Buffett

Los Angeles Times Extra Section

The Los Angeles Times launched a new section this week titled LATExtra for late breaking news. The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday edition is produced with the regular newspaper the night before publication.

On Wednesday the news section was produced at 6:00 p.m., with the sports and LATExtra sections produced after 11:30 p.m. with the latest news and sports updates.

Unfortunately for the press room everything did not go as anticipated, with many delays while attempting to print several sections of the newspaper while also preparing for the new late night editions.

The pressmen at the Los Angeles Times are a bright group of men and women, always seeking ways to streamline production, while attempting to appease management. So there will be a learning curve as different methods of producing the newspaper are tested to find solutions for the lack of time and personnel producing your favorite newspaper.

Moving the start times ahead by five hours to produce the the A Section opens the window of time for printing the following days newspaper, but it's at a very harried pace, which I hope eases with time. Management in the press room needs to take a step back and allow the press operators room to experiment, without the fear of repercussions for trying something new that may produce positive or negative results.

Here at the Olympic Press Room activity is extremely high with many different groups of men converting the presses to 44 inches. The men from Pressline are working seven days per week, 12 to 14 hours everyday, as many different componets are altered. The roller crew is also on hand swapping the rubber rollers out for narrower rollers, and there are hundreds of rollers to be changed. The iron workers are preparing units 6 and 7 for the addition of color couples, which will add eight addition full color pages to the newspaper, they are also working seven days per week.

The parking lot at Olympic is filled with cars, just as it was in better times.

Jeff Prescott said "If they just slapped "Metro" on the 'new' section, nobody outside of the Romenesko Tribe would know the difference."

We agree with Mr. Prescott.

Really Funny Newspaper Commercial

h/t E&P in Exile

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

Edward with writer Joseph Mailander.
Happy birthday Joseph

Four in the morning - Gary Scott
Staff shifts at the L.A. Times - Kevin Roderick
OURstory: 15th Amendment - Electronic Village
The Inexplicable Love of Writing - Celeste Fremon
The World's Most Generic News Report - Jour MO2
Good news for newspapers - for a change - The Star
Spreadsheet Journalism - Newspaper Death Watch
Blogging is for old people, Pew report finds - SF Gate
Acting Your Age Continues To Be A Felony - Advice Goddess
Local newspaper Lakeland Echo closes print edition - Editors Weblog

Thought For Today 2-4-2010

Those truly linked don't need correspondence. When they meet again after many years apart, their friendship is as true as ever.

Deng Ming-Dao

Thought For Today 2-3-2010

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have!

Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere

Pressmen Mike Randall and Art Sanchez

For what it's worth - Gary Scott
Gannett Reports Profit for 4Q - E&P in Exile
Tribune Reorg Faces More Hurdles - Paid Content
What Happens to Your FSA If You're Laid Off - Kiplinger
LA Times To Freelancers: Write Less, Please - Pandora
If you think you could lose your job before 2010 ends - LA Times
L.A. Times changes its look on readers again - Kevin Roderick
Newsday Paywall Nets Just 35 Subs - Newspaper Death Watch
LAT curtails print edition amid recession, falling readership - TanTao News
Unsecured creditors seek to challenge Tribune Co. buyout - Chicago Tribune

Thought For Today 2-2-2010

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.

Carl Jung

Gratitude: Overlooked but essential

Very Important. Get in on The Gratitude Thread over on my blog. Let us know what you're grateful for!
Read it and respond to it here:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 2-1-2010

Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it is only good for wallowing in.

Katherine Mansfield

Thought For Today 1-31-2010

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.

Alex Haley

Thought For Today 1-30-2010

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.

Henri Bergson

Thought For Today 1-29-2010

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

ARISTOTLE

Thought For Today 1-28-2010

It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense.

Robert G. Ingersoll

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

LAT Press Operator Juan Mariscal having a good laugh

LA Times goes back to school - Gary Scott
Will the iPad save newspapers? - Tabloid Baby
iPad Demo Includes Newspaper Use - E&P in Exile
Greenwood Lake paper closing - Times Herald Record
City Union Leader's View of What Went Wrong - Ron Kaye
Chavez Stomps Media: Two Students Killed - Marc Cooper
Star Tribune newsroom eliminates 26 workers - Star Tribune
McClatchy Reports Growth in 4th Quarter 2009 Earnings - McClatchy
Crazy Gideon: I'm Going Out Of Business and I Mean It - Blog Downtown
Why Doesn't the LA Times Cover Rain Fall Amounts? - Brady Westwater

LA Times Travel Show, Feb 13-14, 2010

This is the TV spot created by Andrew Wahlquist for the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventures Show, February 13 & 14 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Los Angeles Times Travel Show

VO by John Pruden, Copy by Holly Levin & Jim Fisher, Art Director Donna Broyles, Motion Graphics by Andrew Wahlquist

Guild "disappointed" with ruling on Tribune bonuses

Press release

The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America

Bonuses for Mid-level Managers Approved at Tribune Co.; No Decision Yet for Top Execs.

Washington, D.C. -- Judge Kevin Carey approved $45.6 million in bonuses for some 700 Tribune Company executives today in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Del. However, the judge took no action on two other components of the bonus program which would have meant more than $20 million more in bonuses for top corporate management.

Supported by other unions and the U.S. Trustee, the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild (WBNG) objected to the proposed bonuses. Tribune, currently undergoing reorganization through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, has about $13 billion in debt.

The following statement was issued by M. William Salganik, past president of WBNG and its representative to the Tribune creditors' committee.

"We're disappointed that the judge has approved the first level of bonuses. Tribune is paying out the largest amount ever through this bonus – more than triple the amount it paid for 2008. At the same time, operating cash flow is the lowest since the program started in 1997 – down more than one-third from 2008. We think it is too generous for the circumstances this year, and we believe that cash should be conserved to pay creditors and to invest in the business.

"However, we're pleased that the judge has not approved the remaining two levels of extra payouts to top executives, which are much more generous than the "regular" bonuses. We're glad that the objections by the Guild and other unions, and by the United States Trustee, have led the judge to give this bonus program such scrutiny. We believe these bonuses are excessive for Tribune at this time. We hope the judge ultimately agrees.

"Not just for Tribune, as it tries to emerge from bankruptcy, but for the economy as a whole, it's important to examine the role that executive bonuses should play. The Guild believes companies that use an executive bonus program need to make sure it is truly tied to performance, and that the program provides the proper set of incentives. In Tribune's case, the program rewards cash flow, not revenue, and the executives exceeded their targets through an aggressive program of shrinking the products and the workforce. We don't believe this is a good long-term business plan.

"Finally, although Tribune says its executives wouldn't be motivated to work hard without bonuses, we think more highly of our bosses. While we sometimes disagree with them, we think they're dedicated professionals who would do their best with or without bonuses -- just as thousands of non-executive employees are working hard for Tribune every day with no bonuses."

SOURCE: Romenesko

The Los Angeles Times will miss you Andrew Nystrom

Last night I rushed over to the Redwood Bar and Grill hoping to catch Andrew Nystrom before his farewell party broke up. As luck had it he was just walking out with some guests as I entered the establishment, and I suppose due to the liquor Andrew was easily swayed into staying for a few additional drinks with me.

Andrew's departure is different than most we read about at the Los Angeles Times, he's leaving on his own accord to work for Red Bull.

If your path has crossed Andrew's you know this young man is a class act, and his talents will be sorely missed at LATimes.com.

He is a husband and father to two beautiful children, and mentioned he may return the the newspaper sometime down the road, with additional skills to boot.

Tony Pierce will assume Andrew's duties while the company decides to either fill his position or not.

As we enjoyed a smoke outside David Rensin
was exiting the building, so naturally I said hello and asked if TJ Sullivan was still in the house.

To my embarrassment he said TJ was standing next to him.

I'm off to the newspaper for my 1pm shift.

David Lazarus: Phone rate hikes coming

Beginning in January 2011, AT&T and other phone companies will be permitted to jack up basic rates as much as they want -- no regulatory limits will apply.
Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Editors Note: I have pondered what life would be like without a landline, as my entire household has personal cell phones? Would enjoy hearing from readers that live without a home phone.

Tribune Co. Exec's Granted Bonuses

I follow many interesting users on Twitter that post news articles that are informative and sometimes just odd. Funny_News posts stories that are in other words, weird and or funny. The headline below will be submitted as odd as the Tribune Company is in bankruptcy because the suppliers cannot be paid, yet the company will pay out millions in bonuses next month.

Bankruptcy court approves Tribune bonus payments

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) - Bankrupt media company Tribune Co can pay about $45 million in bonuses to hundreds of managers, the largest such payment in at least 12 years, after a judge overruled union objections on Wednesday.

Thirty-nine of my colleagues working in the pressroom for the Los Angeles Times will be losing their livelihood on March 15th, 2010, yet they will receive no severance whatsoever as everyone else leaving the Tribune Company. Their only crime, they belong to a union. Does the Tribune Company dislike union's so much they must punish their workers that join and support a union?

The owner of the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times as well as more than 20 television stations will begin paying the bonuses next month to as many as 720 senior employees as part of its annual incentive plan.

The Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild opposed the payments, which it said rewarded declining performance at a time when the company had frozen salaries for most staff.

Entire article can be read here.

Thought For Today 1-27-2010

There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it behooves all of us not to talk about the rest of us.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Eagle Rock Brewery -- starting a beer revolution

Steven and Jeremy Raub are the father / son owners of Eagle Rock Brewery in Glassell Park. They run the first craft brewery set up for distribution in Los Angeles, and are utilizing interesting ingredients from kefir lime to rose petals. Read it here: BrandX Los Angeles Times

Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere

LAT Orange County Pressman Mark Austin

Arguing Against Pay Walls - Jeff Jarvis
Pressman Jobs in California - iHire Printing
TheWrap Celebrates First Birthday - Pandora
Seattle Times to Singleton: Time to sell - Gary Scott
January 25, 2010 News - Los Angeles Media Moves
Let the Star Tribune byline strike begin - Fading to Black
How to Survive in the Age of Layoffs - Displaced Journalists
LAT names a new Readers' Representative - Kevin Roderick
Newspaper Publishers Have Faith in Apple Tablet - E&P in Exile
Riding the Rails: The Gold Line's Eastside Extension - Franklin Ave.

Contributors