We feel like we’ve read this bad news before. Our sources tell us that they are expecting another round of layoffs in the Los Angeles Times newsroom. They said that people thought a few dozen editorial staffers could get their walking papers this week, though someone else close to the paper whom we spoke cautioned that amount was too extreme.

The paper hasn’t scheduled any meetings or circulated any memos, the sources said. In other words, all this could change. A Times spokeswoman declined to comment.

The blog Laobserved.com, which follows the Times closely, reported that at least one reporter, Tina Daunt, has posted on her Facebook page that she has been canned. “More expected through the day,” the blog also reported.

The LA Times is part of Tribune Co, the bankrupt, Chicago-based newspaper publisher and television broadcaster that also owns the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and Orlando Sentinel, among others. Times are tough at Tribune’s newspapers, as well as other papers around the nation.

USA Today and many other papers are set to report big declines in circulation next Monday (though some of that is actually a good thing, which we’ll explain in a subsequent blog post), and publishers such as Gannett Co Inc and McClatchy have been making their quarterly numbers only because of big cost cut — of which layoffs are a major part. The New York TImes, which has the largest newspaper editorial staff in the nation, said on Monday that it will slice 100 jobs through buyouts and maybe layoffs from its newsroom. The Charlotte Observer, a McClatchy paper, is offering buyouts too.

– Additional reporting, writing, nattering by Robert MacMillan in New York.

(Photo: Reuters)

You have to hand it to Sam Zell and his band of outsiders at bankrupt media company Tribune Co. They are going to remake the newspaper business if it kills them.

The gang got broiled for a front-page ad that the Los Angeles Times ran last week that looked like an article. After that outcry, the Tribune-owned paper did it again, this time with another an ad supplement for Paramount’s movie, “The Soloist.” That one includes an interview with Steve Lopez, the Times columnist who wrote the book that became the movie. The ad also ran under the LA Times’s own banner.

As it turns out, nearly everyone who cares enough to talk about these ads in public despises them. You could have said that LA Times employees were just kvetching when they circulated a petition voicing their opposition to the ads — broke down and dispirited by bankruptcy, and repeated waves of layoffs, they stuck to the old line that there needs to be a distinction between ads and editorial copy for various ethical reasons.

Now we can add LA Times Executive Editor John Arthur to the mix. Here’s The Wrap:

Arthur, who was on vacation last week, said he was blindsided by the ad…  The editor said it was initially envisioned to go down the right side of the front page, usually the space reserved for the paper’s lead story. “I’d been told an ad like that was coming, and before my trip I’d complained about it,” he said. “But I was told it was not imminent, that an ad of this shape was weeks or months away — May or June was mentioned to me.”

Arthur was also critical of a four-page advertising supplement about the upcoming Paramount movie “The Soloist,” which was published on Sunday under the signature Los Angeles Times banner. … “I thought the type font that was used in the words ‘The Soloist’ at the top was uncomfortably close to the font we use in section fronts,” Arthur said, adding that he did not know that the supplement was coming either. Lopez could not be reached for comment.

But Lynne Segall, vice president for entertainment advertising at the paper, retorted in an email to TheWrap: “Russ Stanton, his boss, the editor of the paper, approved both advertorial units. The ad department in this company is not in a position nor would we ever be allowed to go out in the market to sell units like this without editorial vetting and giving us permission first.”

The Wrap also noted that Eddy Hartenstein, the paper’s publisher, begged employees to understand that he’s just trying to keep the paper open.

We’ve gotten a bunch of people to talk about this already on another blog entry that we did on this last week. I’d like to bring up another idea, just for argument’s sake:

When we journalists worry that an advertisement in the paper looks deceptively like a news article, aren’t we insulting the intelligence of the readers? In turn, does that make us look like the interior decorators of the elitist ivory tower that so many people say we live in? I’m not saying it’s so; I *am* throwing it out there, however.

(Photo: Reuters)

The decision by the Los Angeles Times to run a front-page ad that looks like a news story has raised eyebrows in media circles. LAT staffers, meanwhile, are raising their pitchforks.

Horrified by what they see as a deceptive blurring of the line between paid advertising and news stories, some 100 employees at the paper have signed a petition to Publisher Eddy Hartenstein “strenuously” objecting.

“This place already had horrible morale problems with decimating layoffs, but now to have our publisher whore out the front page is more than we can stand,” one editorial staff member told Reuters. “It blurs the line between paid content and content that our reporters are producing.”

The ad, which runs down the left column of the front page, is for the new NBC police drama “Southland.” It’s topped with the headline: ”Southland’s Rookie Hero,” followed by the sub-head “A ride-along on an officer’s first day.”

The ad is surrounded by a black border and has the NBC logo and word “advertisement” above it, but resembles a news story.  Along the bottom of the front page is a more conventional, banner-style ad for the show, announcing that it premieres tonight.

“The NBC ad may have provided some quick cash, but it has caused incalculable damage to this institution,” the petition reads. “This action violates a 128-year pact with our readers that the front page is reserved for the most meainingful stories of the day. Place a fake news article on A-1 makes a mockery of our integrity and journalistic standards.”

Newspapers are pushing the boundaries between advertising and editorial content as they struggle to compete in the Internet age.  Many used to run front page ads way back at the beginning of the 20th century, and some, like The Wall Street Journal, are trying it again.

This tends to annoy reporters and editors who say it’s wrong to devote valuable front-page space to ads. They also don’t like gimmicks like this because it could confuse readers and drag down the paper’s reputation.

The argument from the other side typicaly boils down to “desperate times, desperate measures.”  The LAT is owned by a bankrupt publisher and run by a group of people who do not have ink running in their veins

They say that if they can raise big cash by charging for a front-page ad this way, particularly when the ad market for papers is shrinking, maybe they can keep the paper alive and stop laying off employees.

What do you think about ads disguised as news? We’d love to hear from you.

Photo credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser (The Los Angeles Times building in downtown Los Angeles)

Rumors of Rupert Murdoch’s interest in buying The New York Times have been swirling for ages, and maybe the media mogul would have snapped up the venerable paper by now were it not for the Sulzbergers.

But there’s always a consolation prize, and this one’s from the West Coast. Variety writes that Murdoch could be interested in buying The Los Angeles Times and has been talking “fervently” about making a play for the paper.

And that would surely be an easier purchase to pull off, given that LA Times’ owner Tribune is in the middle of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Maybe Sam Zell, who owns Tribune, would be more willing to sell the paper to a fellow mogul than the Sulzbergers.

Keep an eye on:

• Washington Post Co’s profit sinks but revenue rises on strength of its education and cable units. (Reuters)
• Hearst Corp may sell or close down San Francisco Chronicle. (San Francisco Chronicle)
• MySpace founders may leave the social networking company. (Financial Times)

NEW YORK - In the same way that the Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series win boosted Inquirer and Daily News sales last week, U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama is jumping in to help papers across the country survive.

People across the country flocked to convenience stores and newsstands snatch up copies of their local papers, which ultimately will prove the most enduring mementos commemorating the election of the first black president of the United States. It’s not a long-term game changer, considering that you can’t hold an historic presidential election every day, but it’s a nice sweetener for a bitter industry story.

Here’s just one example of how the day is shaping up: The New York Times is printing an extra 50,000 copies of today’s paper for the local market after completely selling out, according to spokeswoman Catherine Mathis. (See the Romenesko journalism blog for more details about heavy press runs at other U.S. newspapers.)

Here’s more from Mathis:

We increased our print run for single copy by about 35% but know first hand that some vending machines and newsstands are selling out. … In 2004 we saw an increase in sales of around 50,000 copies the day after the election and based on what we’ve seen today, we expect to significantly surpass those sales.  We also plan to increase our print run for single copy sales tomorrow, although not as much as today.

The Washington Post sent out a press release saying that it increased copies available for sale at retail locations and newsboxes by 30 percent, but sold within hours.

And here’s an UPDATE: When’s the last time you saw an afternoon edition of the New York Daily News? From CEO Marc Kramer: We are happy to report that in addition to extra printed copies of our regular morning edition, which flew off newsstands, we have also printed and are distributing an updated second edition of the Daily News which will be available as early as noon today.

Here’s what else we’re hearing from colleagues, relatives and friends:

New York City: Friends saying it’s impossible to find the Times. Who says print is dead?

New York City: My wife just called after failing to buy the NYT in Park Slope, then Grand Central Station, and news booths in Midtown. Desperate to get one.

Chicago: I train into Chicago’s Union Station and I saw long lines at the newsstand there with a number of people buying five or more Chicago Tribunes or Sun-Times.

Westchester County, New York: The New York Daily News and Post were down to the last two or three copies at the waning moments of rush hour at 9a.m. Same with USA Today. The New York Times was sold out. I got a request from my brother-in-law in Georgia to grab copies of every local paper for him. I tried.

Washington, DC: The Washington Post had sold out at Friendship Heights metro cafe by 8:30 and was also sold out of all the little blue boxes around Foggy Bottom Metro stop.

Los Angeles: [At a 7-Eleven in Burbank,] they had eight Los Angeles Times left.  The clerk said someone came in and bought 13 papers. The Starbucks in Burbank sold out of papers.

Meanwhile, a cursory examination of eBay reveals a copy of today’s Times with a “buy-it-now” price of $19.99.

What are you seeing out there around the country? Are you having trouble finding your paper today?

(Photo: David Cook, an agent in the entertainment industry, looks at empty newspaper racks as he attempts to buy copies of the Los Angeles Times newspaper at the World Book & News newsstand in Hollywod, California, November 5, 2008. Cook has been to six locations attempting to buy newspapers with election day results. This newsstand sold out most of its papers one hour after they arrived in the early morning hours. REUTERS/Fred Prouser )

How tough are things at General Motors?

Not only has the car maker scaled back on its advertising budget, but now it wants the ad agencies it works with to cut their fees by as much as 20 percent this year and next, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

It’s no surprise GM has pulled back on some marketing — just look at any figures over the past year. It’s not like anybody else in Detroit is going gangbusters with their spending either — Ford and Chrysler have also cut their spend, data from TNS shows.

But the WSJ article underscores the risks to the advertising and media industry posed by the meltdown in Detroit. Car makers, after all, are huge clients for advertising agencies. The money they spend also fuels revenue for the media companies that carry the advertisements, from television to print and beyond.

Here’s what the article says about the GM move:

“The owner of Cadillac and Chevrolet works with dozens of agencies around the country, including Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett and Interpublic Group’s McCann Erickson and Campbell-Ewald.

Several ad executives familiar with GM say the cuts could translate into more than $20 million in total savings for General Motors, but likely will mean layoffs for the agencies involved.”

If GM gets its way, you can bet others will be clamoring to follow suit.

Keep an eye on: 

• Warner Music Group posted a smaller quarterly loss as improved sales in Europe softened the effects of the slowdown in the global music industry (Reuters)
• Google has sold Performics, the search agency it got in the acquisition of DoubleClick, to Publicis Groupe (AdAge)
• A flurry of films arriving in North American theaters between now and September are opening on a Wednesday — long considered a moviegoing dead zone — as studios seek to build early buzz for movies ahead of the traditional Friday dash to the multiplex (Reuters)
• LA Times, which has struggled of late, is posting some solid traffic gains on its Reader’s Representative Journal blog (paidContent.org)

(Photo: Reuters)

Dallas Morning News and Providence Journal publisher AH Belo Corp is getting some online representation. David Morgan,  who worked at Time Warner’s AOL between September 2007 and February 2008, is joining the Dallas-based company’s board, the Morning News reported on Thursday.

Morgan was founder of Tacoda and Real Media. See Buzzmachine proprietor Jeff Jarvis’s short, complimentary writeup about Morgan here .

Also joining is John Puerner, former publisher of the Los Angeles Times, whose territory butts up against Belo’s Press-Enterprise daily newspaper in Riverside County, California.

Mr. Puerner, 56, a private investor, spent most of his career with Tribune Co. He was publisher, president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Times from April 2000, shortly after Tribune agreed to acquire it, until May 2005, when he retired from Tribune.

And here’s the simple, if somewhat vague reasoning:

“Their backgrounds in both print and Internet media will add crucial insights to the board’s deliberations,” said J. McDonald Williams, lead director of A.H. Belo.

Belo, which recently split from the larger Belo Corp (which remains a television broadcasting company), is yet one more U.S. newspaper company trying to manage the downturn that papers have been going through as print advertisers chase the readers who are leaving newspapers in favor of getting their news online.