Singleton at the plate at LADN ...

Linked from LAObserved to an LADN blog post from Gary Scott:


Friday, December 05, 2008
Cuts at Daily News (Updated from earlier today)
Ambiguous assurances aside, the Daily News is making more newsroom cuts. I'm told a sportswriter was let go yesterday and that one or two more staffers could get pink slipped today. There are also rumors of reassignments and further shrinking of the print product.

In a related vein, I've also heard rumblings that LANG is in discussions to have some of its papers printed at the Los Angeles Times' printing plant.

*UPDATED: Three Daily News reporters lost their jobs: prep sportswriter Gerry Gittelson, 11-year film critic Glenn Whipp and reporter Justino Aguila. That's comes in addition to the departure of Antelope Valley reporter Karen Maeshiro, who quit after the AV section closed. She was told she could stay on at the paper, but only if she commuted in to Woodland Hills.

I'm also told the DN Travel section will fold and that travel writer Eric Noland will be reassigned to the metro desk. Also, LANG sports editor Kevin Modesti has been reassigned as a metro reporter.



Noland used to be in sports at a couple of other papers and covered the Raiders before shifting to the travel beat. Modesti is a Grade-A newsman and person who had been running the sports dept. for most of the LANG chain. Wonder who is at the wheel now.

EDIT -- added to the header for less confusion ...

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

Anyone else think newspapers are now nothing more than the covering to keep the flyers and other advertising inserts together?

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

I've said this before, Dan. The ultimate ambition of the industry is to print advertising only and still sell it for 75 cents a copy.

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

Awful news. I've done some work for Kevin and he's always been a great editor and even better person. And while he will do a great job as a news side reporter, I sincerely hope that better things are in his future.

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

Wait until Singleton gets ahold of the Rocky, which he might because who's buying newspapers these days?

If RMN folds, that will give Singleton license to slash and burn in Denver. Knowing him, he's counting that down to the second.

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

So . . .you take a solid sports columnist (and damn nice guy) and give him the keys to the section. And less thn two years later, you make him a frackin' METRO reporter?

If there ever is a "Dean Singleton passes away" thread, I will likely post something that gets me an SportsJournalists.com vacation.

There is no curse in the tongues of men, elves or Entish to describe his treachery. He has ruined the industry out west, and ruined lives.

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

When I started in the biz, the goal was always to be "better than the competition." It may not have happened every day, every week or even often, but that was the goal and it kept you motivated. Now it seems the goal is to be just a little less crappy than the competition. Kind of like the AFC or NFC West.

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

That's my thought as well. This sounds like a demotion. What'd he do to deserve it? (The possible answer "He didn't do anything to deserve it" would be a huge statement in and of itself.)

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

Careful. Sam Zell might sue you for copyright infringement.

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

So who's calling the shots in sports, then?

 

Re: Singleton at the plate ...

You both are probably right, but maybe we oughta wait until someone in the know checks in. Maybe Modesti got fed up with it all and asked out of the SE/coordinator chair. Likely not, but maybe.