Times Community News names Russ Newton publisher
Russ Newton, a senior vice president with the Los Angeles Times, has been named publisher of Times Community News.
He will oversee the Daily Pilot, the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot and the Huntington Beach Independent in Orange County as well as the Burbank Leader, La Canada Valley Sun and Glendale News Press in Los Angeles County.
The L.A. Times-owned community titles last had a publisher about six years ago. Responsibilities for the papers have since been divided among Times executives, who handled advertising and business duties, and local editors, who ran the newsrooms.
“Placing the responsibility for TCN under one person will lead to greater focus and coordination of resources to help TCN grow while better serving all of our customers,” Los Angeles Times Publisher Austin Beutner said in an email to staff on Monday. “Russ’ thorough knowledge of the industry, the region and his leadership skills will serve him well in this new role.”
John Canalis, editor of the TCN papers in Orange County, and Dan Evans, editor in Los Angeles County, will report to Newton.
“Russ is the kind of executive who puts our readers first,” Canalis said. “He’s accomplished, has been in the business a long time, and I think I can learn a lot from him. I can’t wait to get started on some of the ideas we’re kicking around for O.C.”
Those ideas include a possible expansion into new territories and restoration of print days. The company is considering a weekly countywide section that would go to all Times readers in Orange County.
That, Newtown said, would increase the reach of work offered by the Daily Pilot to interested readers and advertisers.
“We are going to look hard at launching this new product,” Newton said.
Another possibility is adding publication days for the Wednesday-to-Sunday Daily Pilot. The Pilot dropped Tuesdays in 2012 and Mondays in 2008. The paper also is considering going to Irvine more often; currently it is circulated there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Each proposal, however, is being vetted and will not go forward unless it pencils out financially, Canalis said.
“We have a journalistic mission, but you have to be profitable to do so,” Newton said.
As TCN publisher, Newton will have overall responsibility for both the quality and profitability of the community papers. The Glendale resident said that although he may have suggestions, he won’t be involved in day-to-day coverage issues, which will continue to be supervised by Canalis and Evans.
Newton began his career in Wisconsin in the 1970s and worked his way from being a pressman, with jobs in Virginia and Chicago, into management positions at Tribune-owned papers in Newport News, Va., and Orlando, Fla.
He came to Los Angeles in 2000 as president and director of operations at California Community News, a division of The Times, and in 2007 became senior vice president of operations and home delivery for The Times. He will continue his role overseeing operations and production for the L.A. Times Media Group and continue reporting to Beutner.
Newton said he reads four daily newspapers and values the information they contain. When he talks to people who don’t read the paper, he tries to change their minds, telling them how newspapers keep him well-informed.
As he flipped through the pages of The Times’ Tuesday edition, Newton described finding interesting and informative stories he wouldn’t have sought out online.
“A water project worth its salt,” he said, reading a headline about Santa Barbara’s consideration of a desalination plant. “Now, are you going to look for that online?”
Times Community News reporter Chad Garland contributed to this report.