Word's worth: Scheer's ouster leads to debut of a Web site called Truthdig.

Until several weeks ago, Zuade Kaufman's name was nearly unknown in the world of journalism, both print and online.

But all that has changed now that the former Los Angeles Times researcher teamed up with Robert Scheer, its ousted marquee columnist, to launch the new Web magazine Truthdig.com.

Scheer is the editorial chief and star power behind the site, which is dedicated to "progressive" and long-form coverage--or "truth digs"--of current events. Kaufman is playing the role of publisher.

Daughter of homebuilder Donald Kaufman, as well as a relative of billionaire Eli Broad, Kaufman is handling the site's look and branding, as well as securing all the financing, contract negotiations and payments.

While Kaufman has long traveled in L.A.'s moneyed circles and is a member of the ACLU of Southern California's board, Truthdig.com has put her in the limelight as never before.

"It's a little bit overwhelming--we've fielded a lot of calls and the attention has just been amazing," said Kaufman, a single mother who lives in Brentwood and spends part of each year living in France.

Friend of Scheer

A native of Detroit (where her father and Broad started their business), Kaufman got her first job in journalism by working with Scheer at the Times as a researcher (she had met him earlier after being introduced by the Finnish consul general). Kaufman was then hired by the Westside Weekly, a Times community news insert, to work with Scheer on a column he did there.

She also worked as a reporter for the section, but it was shut down in 2001 and she went on to get her masters of journalism at USC's Annenberg School for Communication in 2005.

Kaufman said she and Scheer had their first discussions about collaborating on a print publication after the Westside Weekly section closed. "The numbers just didn't pan out when we talked about printing," Kaufman said.

Those discussions evolved into a for-profit Internet venture. "It really made sense in terms of keeping overhead down and getting the word out, and it also allowed us to focus a bit on national issues but keep an ear to the ground locally," Kaufman said.

Kaufman said she and Scheer have financed the project by themselves--she admits "family money" on her part--and are equal partners in it, with neither drawing a salary. The idea is to reach the financial breakeven point within the next several years.

That's being done by running, as Kaufman acknowledges, a "lean" operation, but she still maintained the site's contributing writers and full time staff of eight are "paid well," but declined to provide specifics. A recent job posting advertised an opening for the managing editor position at a salary of $45,000 to $55,000 a year.

(Scheer was in Hawaii last week and did not return e-mail and voice messages for comment.)

'Alternative models'

The Web site had 85,000 unique visitors in its first week after launching Nov. 29--well above the 70,000 regular weekly visitors that had been projected after a year.

Kaufman said she hopes to sell advertising for the site. Also being considered is endorsing products for pay or taking a cut on each sale. Books are in the works and a subscription-based newsletter is also being talked about.

"We have to be open to alternative models and opportunities, since we're trying to avoid having huge debt like Salon.com or something," Kaufman said. "We are for-profit, we don't want to dig ourselves into a hole, but people expect Internet content to be free."

The site has already made some small maneuvers to keep readers happy, like the addition of comment boxes. More changes are in the works; Kaufman envisions more multimedia aspects of the site, including audio and podcasts of all the "digs," video content and a photography section involving more artistic endeavors, like portraiture. "It's really an evolving process," she said.

Larry Pryor, a former colleague of Scheer's and professor at USC's Annenberg School of Communication who specializes in new media research, said Scheer's name recognition and a network of well-known colleagues who serve as ready contributors have helped put the webzine on the radar screen quickly.

"The notion of the dig metaphor is a brilliant branding that fits in with the way the Internet is going," Pryor said. "It's gaining a huge audience and the advertising is certain to follow."

Steve Wasserman, former editor of the Times book review who wrote a scathing commentary on the site about his former employer, said he was overwhelmed by the response, which included e-mails from Salman Rushdie and Nicholas yon Hoffman.

"It's proof positive that thanks to the Internet, geography is no longer fate," Wasserman said. "As one site links to another, there is a tipping point or critical mass, so that the immediate audience is magnified. It's an incredibly powerful virtual medium.