Showing posts with label Torrance Daily Breeze. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Torrance Daily Breeze. Show all posts
Sep 13, 2010
Press-Telegram gets a new editor
The Long Beach Press-Telegram will undergo a major personnel change on the editorial side at the end of the month. Rich Archbold, who has served as the newspaper's executive editor since 1997 and managing editor for 19 years before that, is leaving his job to become "community liaison director" - meaning he'll be the public face of the paper at community and civic events. Sue Schmitt, a former editor of the Daily Breeze in Torrance, will take over in a dual role as editor and general manager of the Press-Telegram. The press releases are here and here.
Sep 24, 2009
New top editor at the Daily Breeze
Daily Breeze managing editor Toni Sciacqua, 37, will takeover as the paper's top editor, Publisher Linda Lindus announced today. Sciacqua fills a slot left open since August, when Phillip Sanfield left to become public relations director for the Port of Los Angeles.Lindus sent the following memo to Daily Breeze staff:
Everyone,*Update: The Daily Breeze story on the announcement is here.
Please take a couple of minutes to congratulate Toni Sciacqua on her new title and job responsibilities. Toni has accepted the challenges of editor for the Daily Breeze and its associated products. She has performed well during the interim period; understands and embraces the importance of our roles as journalists; and, is ready to meet the challenges of growing our audiences in both print and online with fresh ideas that reach out to not only to the Boomers, but also Millennials.
Congrats Toni. From the Senior Leadership Team/OC – we all look forward to working with you.
There will be cake in the newsroom today, so please share the announcements with your staffs. And Frank [Suraci, DB city editor], a story would be appropriate for our readers on our business page.
Linda
Aug 11, 2009
Four in the afternoon
1. Something funky in the South Bay. Daily Breeze Managing Editor Toni Sciacqua tweets: "That funky smell some of you may have noticed is apparently a methane pocket that "belched" near the Redondo Marina. Story soon."
2. KCET.org continues its "Better Know a SoCal blogger" series with a profile of Cindy Mosqueda, who blogs at "Loteria Chicana." KCET
3. Female journalists age 18 t0 30 have a chance to earn minimum wage, plus cash bonuses, for a mysterious and possibly scuzzy Hollywood outfit. fishbowlLA
4. Is something amiss inside the union representing LANG journalists? Stress-Telegram
2. KCET.org continues its "Better Know a SoCal blogger" series with a profile of Cindy Mosqueda, who blogs at "Loteria Chicana." KCET
3. Female journalists age 18 t0 30 have a chance to earn minimum wage, plus cash bonuses, for a mysterious and possibly scuzzy Hollywood outfit. fishbowlLA
4. Is something amiss inside the union representing LANG journalists? Stress-Telegram
Jun 8, 2009
LANG launches e-editions
In the ongoing experiment that is monetizing online content, the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram and Daily Breeze - together the Metro division of Dean Singleton's LANG chain - have launched e-editions of their newspapers:
No word yet when LANG's Inland division papers will offer the service.
(h/t LBReport)
The E-Edition lets you navigate an exact replica of the printed newspaper. You can flip through pages and skim headlines just as you would with the printed newspaper in your hands. View articles, photos, games and comics with the click of a button.The subscription is $6 for those already getting the printed edition and $65 a year for those who want the e-edition only.
No word yet when LANG's Inland division papers will offer the service.
(h/t LBReport)
Apr 29, 2009
Keeping up with: Rep. Jane Harman
The Rep. Jane Harman wiretap story just keeps crawling deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. The most recent revelations:
Gene Maddaus at the Daily Breeze reports that Harman has challenged CQ columnist Jeff Stein, who broke the story, to a road race. Her attempt to show she's taking things in stride seems misguided - shouldn't she be challenging ex-CIA Director Porter Goss?
Laura Rozen at Foreign Policy reports that Harman, desperate to smother any more bad news, has hired former Clinton adviser Lanny Davis as her media adviser. Rozen's piece also includes a summary of the political backstabbing behind the wiretap story - which reveals a disturbing level of political gamesmanship among people entrusted with America's safety.
Gene Maddaus at the Daily Breeze reports that Harman has challenged CQ columnist Jeff Stein, who broke the story, to a road race. Her attempt to show she's taking things in stride seems misguided - shouldn't she be challenging ex-CIA Director Porter Goss?
Laura Rozen at Foreign Policy reports that Harman, desperate to smother any more bad news, has hired former Clinton adviser Lanny Davis as her media adviser. Rozen's piece also includes a summary of the political backstabbing behind the wiretap story - which reveals a disturbing level of political gamesmanship among people entrusted with America's safety.
Jan 15, 2009
Breeze gets city assist
The Torrance City Council has approved a $50,000 grant to assist the Daily Breeze in its move to new offices. Did the city ask for anything in return?:
In return, the newspaper has agreed to provide a credit for advertising space that municipal officials can use over the next five years "for communication from the city to residents and businesses."(From the Daily Breeze via LA Observed)
Jan 12, 2009
Another layoff
Jim Farber, theater and arts critic at the Daily Breeze, was let go today (Culture Monster via LA Observed)
Jan 8, 2009
Cuts at the Daily Breeze*, **
Here are the cuts I've heard about at the Daily Breeze thus far:
**Here's the memo to staff from Editor Phillip Sanfield:
Bruce Hazelton, photographer*I'm told a sports writer and a features writer also lost their jobs today. I'll update with names when I get them.
Andrea Hayashi, administrative assistant for features
**Here's the memo to staff from Editor Phillip Sanfield:
All,
I'm very sorry to report that we experienced more newsroom layoffs today. Unfortunately, four journalists were laid off in the Breeze newsroom due to the continued economic tailspin we find ourselves in. There were also layoffs in the advertising department, as well as at some our sister LANG papers. We lost dedicated, talented employees. I'm deeply saddened by it, both personally and professionally.
Between these departures and last Friday's announcement of the likely move toward a consolidated newsdesk, this has been the most challenging time in my tenure at The Breeze. Certainly 2009 is starting on a difficult note at our newspaper, in our industry and for our nation's economy. While I can't say when things will improve, I do pledge to work hard to keep us focused on producing the top-quality local content that you all do so well. Try not to minimize the great things we do here, even with a reduced staff.
Toni and I plan to meet with you by section starting either Friday or early next week to update you further.
Phillip
Aug 15, 2008
Daily Breeze will stay in Torrance
The Daily Breeze announced today it will move its headquarters to the South Bay Tower building on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance. The paper has signed a 10-year lease and will make the move sometime in late 2008 or early 2009.
The memo from Publisher Mark Ficcara follows:
I'm extremely pleased to announce that The Daily Breeze has found a new home. It took longer than we expected but it will be worth the wait.
Late this year, we'll be moving into the first floor of the South Bay Tower building (formerly known as Computax) near the intersection of Hawthorne and Torrance blvds. There are few South Bay locations better than our current one but I'm convinced our new offices will be even more advantageous for our employees, customers and overall presence in the community.
South Bay Tower is a first-class facility with great food, shopping and business amenities within walking distance. There's an adjacent parking structure and we're steps await from the Marriott, where many civic and business functions take place. We've signed a 10-year lease and are planning for a December or January move. We'll keep you posted as the project moves along. In the coming days, we'll have some photos and other information available.
You'll be hearing more about the specifics from department managers in the next few weeks. We're going to need your cooperation as we transition to our new facility. There are many logistical issues that need to be addressed so I ask for your patience and cooperation in advance. One thing is clear: We're going to travel lightly when we make the move down Torrance Boulevard. We'll be doing some major cleaning this summer and fall. The clean-out of our current building has already started and needs to move quickly.
Our current building has decades of history and has become a Torrance landmark. But things change and now we have found a superb location to help move us forward. I'm looking forward to working together with all of you at our new home.
The Daily Breeze announced today it will move its headquarters to the South Bay Tower building on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance. The paper has signed a 10-year lease and will make the move sometime in late 2008 or early 2009.
The memo from Publisher Mark Ficcara follows:
I'm extremely pleased to announce that The Daily Breeze has found a new home. It took longer than we expected but it will be worth the wait.
Late this year, we'll be moving into the first floor of the South Bay Tower building (formerly known as Computax) near the intersection of Hawthorne and Torrance blvds. There are few South Bay locations better than our current one but I'm convinced our new offices will be even more advantageous for our employees, customers and overall presence in the community.
South Bay Tower is a first-class facility with great food, shopping and business amenities within walking distance. There's an adjacent parking structure and we're steps await from the Marriott, where many civic and business functions take place. We've signed a 10-year lease and are planning for a December or January move. We'll keep you posted as the project moves along. In the coming days, we'll have some photos and other information available.
You'll be hearing more about the specifics from department managers in the next few weeks. We're going to need your cooperation as we transition to our new facility. There are many logistical issues that need to be addressed so I ask for your patience and cooperation in advance. One thing is clear: We're going to travel lightly when we make the move down Torrance Boulevard. We'll be doing some major cleaning this summer and fall. The clean-out of our current building has already started and needs to move quickly.
Our current building has decades of history and has become a Torrance landmark. But things change and now we have found a superb location to help move us forward. I'm looking forward to working together with all of you at our new home.
Mar 3, 2008
Dissecting the autopsies
The cuts have been made and now media observers are trying to figure out what it all means. Twenty two reporters and editors lost their jobs at the Los Angeles Daily News, another 9 jobs were eliminated at the Torrance Daily Breeze and 9 at the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
One assumption I've seen repeated over and over, including at the Los Angeles Times, is that the economy is the reason for the staff cuts. Here's what Mark Madler has to say about it at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal: This time around a weak economy is to blame for the Daily News job losses and those at other papers. Advertising revenues continue to drop, not helped by the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch and high gas prices.
I think that's wrong.
The current economic downturn played a role in the timing of the cuts, but it's not the reason the cuts happened. Reducing staff is one of the least effective ways to address a short-term economic crisis. Rather, MediaNews long ago devised a blueprint for consolidation of its Southern California newspapers to create a business model it believes will be successful over the long term. The bad economic picture provided the rationale to get it done at this moment.
Newspapers across the country are contending with what insiders call the "downward trend lines" in advertising and circulation. The idea is that whatever happens in the short run, papers will continue to lose subscribers and advertising dollars at a steady rate for the foreseeable future.
Different papers are dealing with this issue in different ways. The Los Angeles Times appears to be buying into the philosophy that going local is a safer, and cheaper, bet over the long term. MediaNews wants to eliminate the redundancies it sees among the papers in the chain. This means concentrating a few resources at individual papers to exploit a perceived strength while consolidating the rest.
Look at who lost jobs at the Daily News. Almost all of the reporters covered beats (the NFL, baseball, Washington, DC) that could be filled either by wire services or copy taken from "sister" papers. The remainder - editorial assistants, an editor emeritus, a music critic, a librarian - are positions considered luxuries in a chain that will rely more on common pages and online updates.
The cuts made at the Daily Breeze and the Press-Telegram were more obviously part of this consolidation plan. The P-T is now a bureau of the Daily Breeze and both papers will become feeders to the Daily News. Indeed, the Daily Breeze is getting an expanded copy desk out of this because it will become the hub for entertainment and features reporting for the chain.
Yes, the chain. That's the word to remember here. The Daily News, the Press-Telegram and the Daily Breeze all have long and storied histories. None of them wants to lose its identity or autonomy. Yet that's exactly what has to happen for the MediaNews dream to come true.
The cuts have been made and now media observers are trying to figure out what it all means. Twenty two reporters and editors lost their jobs at the Los Angeles Daily News, another 9 jobs were eliminated at the Torrance Daily Breeze and 9 at the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
One assumption I've seen repeated over and over, including at the Los Angeles Times, is that the economy is the reason for the staff cuts. Here's what Mark Madler has to say about it at the San Fernando Valley Business Journal: This time around a weak economy is to blame for the Daily News job losses and those at other papers. Advertising revenues continue to drop, not helped by the mortgage meltdown, the credit crunch and high gas prices.
I think that's wrong.
The current economic downturn played a role in the timing of the cuts, but it's not the reason the cuts happened. Reducing staff is one of the least effective ways to address a short-term economic crisis. Rather, MediaNews long ago devised a blueprint for consolidation of its Southern California newspapers to create a business model it believes will be successful over the long term. The bad economic picture provided the rationale to get it done at this moment.
Newspapers across the country are contending with what insiders call the "downward trend lines" in advertising and circulation. The idea is that whatever happens in the short run, papers will continue to lose subscribers and advertising dollars at a steady rate for the foreseeable future.
Different papers are dealing with this issue in different ways. The Los Angeles Times appears to be buying into the philosophy that going local is a safer, and cheaper, bet over the long term. MediaNews wants to eliminate the redundancies it sees among the papers in the chain. This means concentrating a few resources at individual papers to exploit a perceived strength while consolidating the rest.
Look at who lost jobs at the Daily News. Almost all of the reporters covered beats (the NFL, baseball, Washington, DC) that could be filled either by wire services or copy taken from "sister" papers. The remainder - editorial assistants, an editor emeritus, a music critic, a librarian - are positions considered luxuries in a chain that will rely more on common pages and online updates.
The cuts made at the Daily Breeze and the Press-Telegram were more obviously part of this consolidation plan. The P-T is now a bureau of the Daily Breeze and both papers will become feeders to the Daily News. Indeed, the Daily Breeze is getting an expanded copy desk out of this because it will become the hub for entertainment and features reporting for the chain.
Yes, the chain. That's the word to remember here. The Daily News, the Press-Telegram and the Daily Breeze all have long and storied histories. None of them wants to lose its identity or autonomy. Yet that's exactly what has to happen for the MediaNews dream to come true.
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