Unlike a lot of his peers in the journalism business, Alan Citron has pulled off the transition from newspapers to the world of new media. Despite that distinction, Citron still has something in common with most journalists: parents who had urged him to do something else. And the fatherly advice he received carried some extra weight, as Citron? dad was a journalist.

?y dad used to beg me to consider anything other than journalism because he thought it was a dead end,?he recalled. ?ut of course I did the opposite of what he told me to do. And I never regretted it.?p>Citron grew up in New Orleans, where he also went to college at Loyola University. In 1977, his freshman year, he joined the daily newspaper there, the Times-Picayune, as an intern. After his internship expired, he went to work full time there as a reporter while finishing his schooling.

In 1982, Citron moved west to work for the Los Angeles Times, where he became an entertainment writer and eventually editor of the entertainment section. Citron credits his experience at the paper for preparing him for the jump into new media.

? was exposed to this new thing called the Internet in the early ?0s and was able to make the transition into the Internet world very early on,?he said. ?nd it was the best thing I ever did.?p>Citron recently was named president of Buzz Media, a Hollywood-based operator of pop culture Web sites, after serving as senior adviser for nine months. He oversees all programming, marketing, engineering and product development for Buzz Media? family of sites.

Before Buzz Media, he co-founded TMZ.com and worked to make it a success. Citron is proud of his work at the tabloid-style site, which branched out into producing a nightly TV show, but admits TMZ? celebrity coverage appeals to a certain type of audience.

?here?e people that just don? get it or don? like tabloid coverage,?he said. ?ut one of the great things about the Internet is there? something for everyone.?

Citron lives in Sherman Oaks with his wife, Abbie, and two sons. In his spare time, he likes to cook and collect wine.