'L.A.Times' Publisher Meets with Tribune -- Crisis Over?

By: The publisher of the Los Angeles Times, who has resisted further job cuts at the newspaper, wrote staff that he has met with a Tribune Co. executive in advance of the parent company's board meeting Thursday.

Publisher Jeffrey M. Johnson sent an e-mail Wednesday discussing his meeting with Scott Smith, president of Tribune Publishing. In the note, Johnson emphasized cooperation between the newspaper and its corporate parent and said he would work on a budget plan.

"We affirmed our fundamental objectives to effectively serve readers, advertisers, our communities and shareholders," Johnson wrote in the e-mail. "We also talked about how the Los Angeles Times has to play a leadership role, both in Southern California and in Tribune initiatives."

The e-mail precedes Thursday's board meeting at which Tribune directors are expected to discuss the fate of the company's 11 newspapers and 26 television stations. The Chandler family, who once owned the Times, are important Tribune shareholders and have been pressuring to break up the company.

Tribune has asked the newspaper for a budget-trimming plan. Johnson and Editor Dean Baquet told the staff earlier this month that they would not support substantial cuts. The Times has eliminated more than 200 positions over the last five years.

"Yesterday, I also reiterated our commitment to build a credible financial plan in the coming weeks that is grounded in actions and initiatives that efficiently build readership and revenue," Johnson wrote in the e-mail.

Smith, who issued a statement Wednesday, reiterated Tribune's "commitment to great journalism."

"Our readers need to count on that during this time of unprecedented change in the media industry. The Times is a great newspaper and we are working together to serve our customers, communities, and shareholders," Smith said.

At least 400 L.A. Times staffers have now signed a petition backing their leadership.

The New York Times reports Thursday: "According to a Tribune executive, the new demands on Mr. Johnson and Mr. Baquet now include keeping the paper?s expenses flat for 2007, forgoing an expected $3 million increase; cutting the editorial staff of 940 by an unspecified number that could exceed several dozen; and making an additional $17 million, or 7 percent, in profits, which could also require additional cost cuts since revenue has been flat."

The paper also observed: "Mr. Johnson and Mr. Baquet, both of whom assumed their jobs last year, have told friends they do not know what to expect regarding their futures. Before Mr. Johnson left Chicago Tuesday, they had told friends they could be fired. But with the company facing so many other problems, those friends said, they could be safe, for now."