Global Resume Leads To LATSI

By: Dave Astor How does one become executive editor of Los Angeles Times Syndicate International (LATSI)?

For John Simpson, it resulted from a career that included stints as founding managing editor and deputy editor of USA Today's international edition, president of the World Editors Forum, journalism professor in Ireland, and consultant to The Irish Times and The Gleaner in Jamaica. And, about a decade ago, he began working with LATSI head Jesse Levine to syndicate USA Today content.

"LATSI is a brand that's very well known in the world," observed Simpson, who said this helps explain why Chicago-based Tribune Media Services (TMS), when taking over the domestic Los Angeles Times Syndicate last year, kept LATSI alive and headquartered in Los Angeles.

Twenty-eight Years At Gannett

The 1971-1999 Gannett Co. veteran said his newspaper background helps him in his new job. "I understand the editor's perspective," he noted. Simpson who joined LATSI in April, also understands the differences between U.S. and foreign papers. Abroad, a number of top-tier papers are national and news pages are often opinionated.

And Simpson, 53, understands the differences between U.S. and foreign syndication.

"A primary requirement for international syndication is having material that crosses borders ... and has some sort of universal appeal," he said. "There may be a greater emphasis on high- profile figures." For instance, Henry Kissinger's TMS-LATSI column sells better abroad than in America.

Also, LATSI does well syndicating high-profile magazines such as Time; finds that foreign papers are more willing to buy "one-shots"; and edits pieces to eliminate U.S.-centric statistics and references. And there are language differences, of course. LATSI offers content in Spanish; client papers often translate in non-Spanish nations.

'A Love-Hate Relationship'

Foreign papers have "something of a love-hate relationship" with American content, said Simpson. Foreign editors might acknowledge the dominance of U.S. culture, and want pieces about American celebrities and entertainment. But, he added, "it's understandable" that they "want to maintain their own culture."

Simpson, who noted that foreign papers usually have much more material about the U.S. than U.S. papers have about other nations, said he'd like LATSI to offer more non-U.S. material. It already has some, including content from Spain's El Pais paper.

The State Of Foreign Syndication

How's international syndication doing? Simpson said a weakening economy slowed growth somewhat this year, but business has been good the past decade or so. Some reasons: foreign papers often pay more for features, new clients emerged as Eastern Europe and Latin America democratized, more content is being sold to regional foreign papers (in addition to top-tier ones), and delivery is easier in this digital age.

Simpson did note that cyberspace can be a mixed blessing. "The Web has been a tremendous boon for delivery, but it raises issues of inappropriate use of copyrighted material," he said.

LATSI -- which mostly uses its own salespeople rather than independent agents -- also has offices in Hong Kong, London, New York, and Salt Lake City. Its 140 or so offerings include weather information from the Web's Weather Underground, which it just started representing. Much of LATSI's content is syndicated in the U.S., too, by TMS.

Atlantic Syndication Partners -- formed last year by TMS, Universal Press Syndicate, and Editors Press Service -- also continues to sell TMS content abroad.

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