Attack Coverage Wasn't Pervasive In All L.A. Media.

COVERAGE of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 has been dominating local media in recent days, but there are a few outlets that went without news or commentary about the tragedy.

Some may have been surprised to see no mention of the disaster in the Sept. 13 issue of the Los Angeles New Times, which featured photograph of a children's soccer team on its cover.

"We just figured, 'What can we say that wasn't going to be said?,'" said Rick Barrs, editor of the weekly publication.

The New Times deadline is Thesday evening.

Barrs admitted he was unsure whether the paper made the right decision. While he had written a column about the matter for the Sep. 13 issue, he said it was "just too stupid" to run.

The Sept. 20 issue of New Times would have coverage of the attacks, including two columns and a story about their impact on the entertainment industry, Barrs said.

The October  issue of Los Angeles magazine, which appeared on newsstands last week, said nothing of the attacks because it was completed weeks ago, said Editor-In-Chief Kit Rachlis.

The November issue, set for a mid-October release, will likely follow suit, he added. "The difficulty...is trying to anticipate where the culture, the society will be in five weeks," Rachlis said. "That's extremely difficult to gauge."

Changes to the December issue were being considered.

Holding Off on the Best

The terrorist attacks led LA Weekly officials to put an annual tradition on hold.

The Weekly's "Best of L.A." issue, which normally appears at the end of September and was scheduled for last week, was put off until Oct. 11. The move was announced in a full-page ad that ran in the Sept. 14 issue.

Publication President Michael Sigman said postponing the popular issue was one of the first things he thought of when he heard of the attacks. "It wasn't even a close call. We had to do it," he said. "The issue is about the good life...It just wouldn't have been appropriate."

Upwardly Mobile

A months-long search for an editor at The Hollywood Reporter ended last week when Deputy. Editor Howard Bums was promoted to editor of the trade publication.

Burns, 13-year veteran of the Reporter, was appointed interim editor following the resignation of Anita Busch in April.

Busch and two reporters left the paper in protest after Publisher and Editor-In-Chief Robert Dowling refused to publish Robb's article about a Screen Actors Guild investigation of Reporter columnist George Christy.