HEAD OF THE TIMES.Since becoming publisher of the L.A. Times for the Tribune Co., John Puerner has taken aim at boosting circulation and staff morale in the post-Chandler era JOHN Puerner was named publisher of the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). in April after the Tribune Co., owner of the Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune Daily newspaper published in Chicago. The Tribune is one of the leading U.S. newspapers and long has been the dominant voice of the Midwest. Founded in 1847, it was bought in 1855 by six partners, including Joseph Medill (1823–99), who made the paper and other media outlets, bought the Times Mirror Co. in an $8 billion deal. Puerner, the 10th publisher of the Times, had two obstacles to overcome. One was to shed the reputation left behind by one of his predecessors, Mark Willes. The other was to revitalize a newspaper staff demoralized de·mor·al·ize tr.v. de·mor·al·ized, de·mor·al·iz·ing, de·mor·al·iz·es 1. To undermine the confidence or morale of; dishearten: an inconsistent policy that demoralized the staff. by last year's Staples Center This article has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * It may contain original research or unverifiable claims. * It does not cite any references or sources. brouhaha. The Times made national headlines when it published a Sunday magazine on the new arena and then shared the advertising profits with the center. Puerner came to the Times from the Orlando Sentinel The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently in its 131st year of publication. The Sentinel is owned by Tribune Company and is overseen by the Chicago Tribune. , a Tribune-owned newspaper in Florida whose average daily circulation is 258,580. The Times daily circulation is 1.1 million. Before that, the 48-year-old publisher was director of marketing and advertising for the Chicago Tribune. Inside his large, uncluttered office, pictures of his family line the bookshelves by his desk. A bank of photos from his annual helicopter skiing adventures adorns a wall. A large television tuned in to a news channel dominates one corner. On a recent afternoon, he shared his initial impressions of LA. and the Times. Question: What have the challenges been these first months? Answer: I spent a lot of time learning the community and developing a better understanding of this very complex market. It is not new territory for me and the company because we have been doing business out here for a very long time. At one point we owned the Los Angeles Daily News The Daily News of Los Angeles, also known as the Los Angeles Daily News, is the second largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, which owns eight other Southern California newspapers and we sold it after we bought KTLA-TV in 1985. So I have an understanding of the market, but I have been spending a lot of time developing a more in-depth perspective. We have reorganized the paper into a more functional structure. We moved away from a regional organization and more toward one that is organized around traditional newspaper functions, such as circulation, advertising and editorial. My view was that some of the roles in the company were not well defined and I wanted to create more accountability around the key initiative I know we have to execute going forward. The circulation strategy is probably the most important. (Times Editor) John Carroll John Carroll may be:
Q: When did you find out you were going to be named publisher? A: I was part of the group that came out of the negotiating team around the time of the transaction, but there was no understanding that I would be publisher. I was working here after the transaction was negotiated and before we completed the tender offer and the merger action took place. I stayed behind because (Publishing Group President) Jack Fuller wanted a publisher here to help develop the near-term actions we would take after the merger was consummated. I was reading all the plans that had been developed over the last few years. I started studying the organization's structure and understanding the market in particular. But it was not determined that I would be publisher until after the tender offer closed and that was in late April. Q: Mark Wiles wile n. 1. A stratagem or trick intended to deceive or ensnare. 2. A disarming or seductive manner, device, or procedure: the wiles of a skilled negotiator. 3. Trickery; cunning. was criticized for trying to break down the walls between advertising and editorial. How do you stand on that? A: I am a career newspaper guy. I have been in newspapers for almost all my professional career. Through that experience, I have a pretty good understanding of how newspapers work and the roles that individuals play within specific departments. My view is that you don't erect a wall anywhere in a company. A wall implies that communication stops. My view is that editorial has its mission, which has to be independent for it to be credible. And on the business side we have a responsibility to create the revenue to help finance our news voice. Along the way to do that most effectively, conversations have to take place between the editorial department and the business side. What we want to do in organizing the paper is create an environment where certain advertisers can attract readers to their ads. What goes in the editorial columns on any given day will always be determined by the editorial department, and there will be no influence from the business side as to what editorial position is taken or what content is published. Q: Have you met with former Times publisher Otis Chandler Otis Chandler (November 23 1927–February 27 2006) was best known as the publisher of the Los Angeles Times between 1960 and 1980. His family had owned the newspaper since Harrison Gray Otis founded the company in 1882. , and if so, what advice did he give you? A: I give him a lot of credit for making the Los Angeles Times what it is today. He has been helpful to me in explaining Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and explaining the history of the Los Angeles Times. But he hasn't sat down and told me this is how it should be. The way our relationship has developed is very helpful. We haven't had a conversation about how the paper should be run. He shares opinions about what he likes and dislikes. He respects my role here, and he offers input that is very constructive. We talk every once in a while on the phone. Q: Mark Willes wanted to increase circulation by 500,000. What is your circulation goal? A: We want to grow circulation in a way that makes sense to the reader and the advertisers. We are developing our strategy. It comes from a combination of improving the newspaper and how you market it, how you manage your customer service, and the quality of delivery you provide. We have work in all of those areas. I want to grow it meaningfully every year. Increasing circulation for circulation's sake is not in our best interest. We need circulation that advertisers will find useful. Q: You came from the Orlando Sentinel, a much smaller newspaper than the Times. Has it been a big leap? A: Newspapers work pretty much the same way no matter what the size. What is so different about here is the geographic size of the market, the complexity of this market from a demographic point of view. But also this is a world-view newspaper and that is a very important part of its editorial mission. It explains the world and events going on nationally to people in Southern California in a way that is hopefully helpful. Our foreign operation is a distinguishing characteristic Noun 1. distinguishing characteristic - an odd or unusual characteristic distinctive feature, peculiarity characteristic, feature - a prominent attribute or aspect of something; "the map showed roads and other features"; "generosity is one of his best of the Times. We didn't have a large foreign operation in Orlando. So learning about that and how it fits into what we are doing is a relatively new experience for me. We have a complex publishing plan. We print in three production facilities, one in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , one in Costa Mesa Costa Mesa (kŏs`tə mā`sə), city (1990 pop. 96,357), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific south of Santa Ana; inc. 1953. It is a transportation, residential, and light industrial center. in Orange County and one here in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . Q: How have you been adjusting to L.A.? A: My wife is from here. She grew up in La Canada Flintridge. So we have been coming back for many years to see her family. We live in Pasadena, which is a great community. L.A. is so big and it has so much to offer that we are just getting to know it. Q: What is the role of multimedia for the Times? A: I believe that it is important for newspapers to think about distributing or moving the serious journalism they do through whatever media channel they can make available to their readers. If we relied solely on the printed newspaper over time, it would be difficult for us to maintain our shares and size of the news place. As far as what we are doing in L.A., we want to develop a strong relationship with KTLA KTLA KCBS TV in Los Angeles , also owned by the Tribune Co., and create a similar relationship to that which the Chicago Tribune created with WGN-TV in Chicago. Q: By the pictures on the wall, I guess that you ski? A: I spend a couple weeks every year helicopter skiing in British Columbia British Columbia, province (2001 pop. 3,907,738), 366,255 sq mi (948,600 sq km), including 6,976 sq mi (18,068 sq km) of water surface, W Canada. Geography It is why I work so hard. There are not too many people who can say they have done the one thing in their life that they have always wanted to do. I can say that. Q: Any close calls with avalanches? A: Well, we always wear transceivers. I did go under for the first time last year. I was hit from behind and I rode it down for about 100 vertical meters. Luckily, I stopped shallow enough where I could push a hand through. The snow went over my head and it went dark. But when it stopped I forced my hand up and was able to clear an airway and then they dug me out. John Puerner Titles: Publisher, President Company: Los Angeles Times Born: Aruba, Dutch West Indies Dutch West Indies: see Netherlands Antilles. , 1952 Education: B.A. and MBA MBA abbr. Master of Business Administration Noun 1. MBA - a master's degree in business Master in Business, Master in Business Administration , University of Colorado University of Colorado may refer to:
Career Turning Point: Joining the Tribune Co. when it was still a private company Most Admired Person: Ansel Adams Hobbies: Backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes. More importantly, the land and the snow pack are not monitored, patrolled, or maintained. Fixed mechanical means of ascent such as ski lifts are typically not present. , horseback riding horseback riding: see equestrianism. , fly-fishing and listening to music Personal: Married; one daughter |
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