Even as the Los Angeles Times make cuts in its downtown editorial staff, it’s eyeing affluent Orange County as a growth opportunity but it won’t be easy.

In a speech to business leaders, Times Publisher Jeff Johnson said there were opportunities to build readership with better coverage of Orange County companies, as well as small to mid-size businesses around the region.

The Times now has 19 reporters working out of its offices in Costa Mesa. That’s two up from last year but still fewer than in years past and far fewer than the Orange County Register.

Register Publisher Chris Anderson said that he’s not taking the threat of increased competition lightly, but believes the Times faces a big gap with the hometown Register, both in readership and resources.

“Even if they haven’t had as strong an Orange County edition as they have in the past, we continue to compete with the Times for readers,” Anderson said.

A survey by Scarborough Research finds that 34 percent of Orange County adults read the Register during the week, compared with 13 percent who read the Times. On Sunday, that difference widens to 43 percent for the Register and 19 percent for the Times.

Still, the Register’s weekday circulation of 298,000 is off 3.2 percent for the six months ended Sept. 30, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, and the Sunday circulation of 358,000 is off 3.6 percent over the past year. Monday through Friday circulation at the Los Angeles Times, the region’s largest paper and part of Chicago-based Tribune Co., fell 3.8 percent in the most recent period. The Times has daily circulation of 843,432 and 1.2 million on Sundays.

The paper doesn’t break out Orange County numbers. Advertising industry sources estimate that the Times’ circulation in Orange County is 177,000 daily and 248,000 on Sundays.

Executives at the Register and rival Times have sought to stress readership how many people are reading a given copy versus how many people are buying papers. The Register’s daily readership covers 35 percent of adults in the county and 45 percent on Sundays, according to Anderson, citing Scarborough Research. That’s the highest since 2002, Anderson said.

“Now that we’re not selling so many subscriptions through telemarketing, we are getting better customers and keeping them longer,” he said.

Carolyn Johnson, associate professor in the Department of Communications at California State University at Fullerton, believes the Times has a long ways to go to make circulation inroads in her area, except perhaps among Orange County residents more interested in state, national and international coverage.

“There’s certainly enough people in Orange County for two metro papers,” Johnson said. “But we feel like kind of a step-child for the Times. You look at the paper and there’s really nothing about Orange County in it most days.”

Rating Miller


WYD Media Management LLC has consolidated its ownership position in Stephanie Miller’s Los Angeles-based progressive talk show by acquiring a stake previously held by Democracy Radio.

WYD, based in Westport, Conn. now controls the 14-month-old radio program heard on nearly 40 stations, including 10 of the nation’s top 20 markets, according Henry Kavett, a spokesman for WYD.

Founded last year by radio executive Ron Hartenbaum, WYD plans to more heavily promote the show in each of its markets, as well as to continue to expand venues beyond over-the-air broadcasts. Listeners can subscribe to podcasts of the three-hour show for around $60 a year, as well as listen live via the Internet or Sirius satellite radio.

In Los Angeles, Miller has tripled the morning drive-time ratings at KTLK-AM (1150) since the station added her show in May. “We basically give KTLK a live national drive time show that feels like an L.A. show since Steph has lived there for years and is known in that market,” Kavett said.

Daughter of William E. Miller, Republican Barry Goldwater’s running mate in 1964, Miller’s previous L.A. radio experience includes evening talk show stints at KFI-AM (640) and KABC-AM (790). The morning show includes a snarky Hollywood segment called “Tinsel Talk,” in addition to political commentary and parody.

“I’m really more of a comedienne than a political commentator, and I think that’s why I get conservatives listening to me too,” Miller said. “If I could count the calls I get that start, ‘I don’t agree with a thing you said, but you’re funny as hell ”

After airing the show, KTLK, which had been repeating Air America’s “Morning Sedition,” saw a noticeable jump in Arbitron ratings. Among adults in the 25-54 age range, the show registered 0.7 in the Summer 2005 ratings period, compared with from 0.1 in Winter 2005 period.

Short-Lived


So much for the Pajamas Media’s name change to Open Source Media LLC. After less than week, the conservative oriented El Segundo weblog reverted to its old name after fellow bloggers pointed out that the new name could infringe on an existing public radio show of the same name hosted by Christopher Lyndon.

Pajamas’ founders Roger L. Simon and Charles Johnson have $3.5 million in venture investment for their project, which aims to mainstream citizen journalism and commentary by combining more than 70 blogs with wire news content and advertising.

*Orange County staff reporter Michael Lyster contributed to this column. Staff reporter Deborah Crowe can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 232, or at

[email protected]

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