News Junkie by Leopold Jason;

Author:Leopold, Jason;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Memoir
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Published: 2014-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

SEVEN

“Jill, I’ll take the job, but only on one condition,” I said.

“Great news, Jason,” Jill said. “What is it?”

“I would like to get paid an additional fifty dollars a week”

I could have asked for more but was afraid Jill would say no. I’ve never felt comfortable asking for money or toys or clothes or any of the stuff that kids usually beg their parents for. That’s why I stole a librarian’s credit card when I was in eighth grade. I figured I could just get what I wanted and wouldn’t have to deal with my parents saying no.

“I can almost guarantee that it won’t be an issue,” Jill said, relieved, perhaps, that I didn’t ask for more.

Bill Lobdell was the man in charge of Times Community News and the Our Times project. Technically, he was already my boss, even though we had never met. Bill was waiting for me in a Times conference room and Jill escorted me over to meet him. He stood up and shook my hand with a strong grip.

“I’ve heard a lot of great things about you,” Bill said, sounding somewhat like a Valley girl. From the tone of his voice I assumed he was gay, but I later came to know he was straight. He was about six-foot-three, skinny, with high cheekbones, straight nose, and perfect teeth. He stood out among the editors and reporters who tended to have weight problems and pimples.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I responded. “Thank you for the kind words.”

Bill explained to me how Our Times was going to revolutionize the Los Angeles Times and force other mainstream newspapers in the country to adopt this type of business model. The Times launched Our Times in Santa Monica, where it ran three times a week. It filled the void in local news coverage when the Santa Monica Outlook, a paper that was around for more than one hundred years, shut down in 1997. Our Times Santa Monica was reputedly successful and one of the reporters there got a full-time staff position with the main edition of the Los Angeles Times.

“What do you mean by business model?” I asked.

“Let’s face it, Jason, journalism is a business. It’s about selling as many newspapers as you can and sometimes you have to come up with new ideas to do that. Don’t get me wrong. Our Times is going to be a serious news operation. What I want you to do, what your job is, is to prove that news exists in these communities. Our expertise here at TCN is community news. That’s what you need to concentrate on. My job is to make money for this company. Our Times, my baby, is going to do that and if our competitors are going to continue to compete with us they’re going to have to conform,” Bill said.

“I don’t mean to sound negative, but are you saying that you think that adding a couple of pages of community news to the paper is going to get more people to subscribe?” I asked, sounding doubtful.

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