The Tribune Company’s Election Day Surprise
Dean Baquet, editor of the Los Angeles Times, who defied orders from his corporate bosses at the Tribune Company to cut jobs, was forced out of his job on Election Day. Baquet’s firing follows that of the paper’s publisher, Jeffrey Johnson, who also openly disagreed with job cuts ordered by the paper’s parent company and was terminated last month.
Baquet has been very vocal in encouraging editors at other newspapers to push back against owners who wanted to cut newsroom staffs to increase profits. The timing of Tribune Company’s unpopular decision to fire Baquet on one of the busiest news days of the year was no coincidence. In response, a corporate watchdog group has set-up a Subscriber Revolt Letter for subscribers to the L.A. Times to express their dissatisfaction with these recent moves.
That’s not the only local campaign aimed at the Times. For years, Tribune Co. has inched its way around the cross-ownership rule managing to own both KTLA-TV (Channel 5) and the Times. Tribune’s license for KTLA is up for renewal, and they’ve requested that the FCC allow them to maintain control of both outlets. This has prompted a huge backlash from the community and its leadership.
Rep. Maxine Waters, along with community leaders and Los Angeles-based organizations, has filed a petition to deny Tribune’s request to waive the rules. Tribune has skirted around the rules for six years. Without the waiver, Tribune will have to sell KTLA-TV, whose license expires in December.
In a recent statement, Waters said:
“When combined with the influential presence of KTLA-TV, the Tribune Company has the ability to negatively impact the local community by drowning out alternative perspectives — perspectives that usually belong to the poor, minorities, and women.”
Newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership is still prohibited in most of the country. But FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is determined to strip that rule at the request of the broadcasters. In L.A., Tribune and the FCC are getting a preview of the widespread public opposition to media consolidation.
Update: The Tribune Co. has started shopping its L.A. television stations in light of the pending expiration of broadcast licenses. Experts say the “sweep by Democrats in Tuesday’s election will only solidify support for ownership restrictions.”
