So I went to the LA Library last night to sit and listen to a panel discussion on “Los Angeles Without The Los Angeles Times.” It was a panel discussion with these panelists:

George Kieffer, of Manatt, Phelps (a politically powerful law firm)
Robin M. Kramer, Mayor Villaragosa’s chief deputy
Geneva Overholser, of the USC-Annenberg School of Journalism
Kevin Roderick, of LA Observed (and a former LAT reporter)
Joel Sappell, Special projects Deputy to Supervisor Yaroslavsky, and a former LAT editor and reporter)
Brady Westwater, LA Cowboy blogger
David Lauter, LA Times Editor
Kit Rachlis, moderator, editor of Los Angeles magazine

My first reaction, on seeing this white, well-bred and well-educated group on the dais (even Brady looks like what he is – a smart and successful guy who doesn’t give a damn what he looks like or how he dresses – when TG and I met him she asked me if he was homeless) could be a panel from the Yale class of ’74 at a reunion.

There was a lengthy and well-mannered discussion (sadly, Brady seems to have been tamed a bit by his rising proximity to real power – he had the most intelligent and pointed things to say, but they were muffled under politeness and the moderator – who should have featured him, instead only occasionally reached out to him) which centered on the given truth that the LA TImes is wonderful, but it’s business model is changing because of that pesky Internet and the fickle nature of advertisers. The suggestion was made – repeatedly (by Kramer, echoed by Kieffer, and repeatedly by members of the NPR-loving (more on that later) audience – that “some philanthropists ought to step up and buy the Times as a community resource.” I turned to my seatmate and whispered “and then they can rename it ‘Pravda’.”

Overall, there was some intelligent discussion, but Brady’s core points – stop hiring young graduates of good journalism schools and start hiring people with roots in, and knowledge of, the communities that make up Los Angeles – remains the best single point that could be made.

There’s more, and if I get a chance, I’ll expand on it. But as I walked out, I suggested to TG that if the audiences’ desires for the paper were met, they should probably just rename the paper ‘The Brentwood Times’

Update: Moderator Kit Rachlis is having his own issues, according to LA Biz Observed (offshoot blog of Kevin Roderick’s):

Emmis Communications, which owns Los Angeles magazine, Orange Coast and Texas Monthly, is cutting salaries across the board by 2 percent, another sign of the times in the publishing biz. Also, about 40 jobs from the company’s publishing division are being cut – that’s a 4.5 percent workforce reduction. Two folks from LAM were let go (other trims will be through attrition).

…my suggestion is that Zell needs to go down to the beach near his place in Malibu with a whip and demonstrate that tides come in whether billionaires will them not to or not…