LA OBSERVED on changes in THE LOS ANGELES TIMES.

Starting next week, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES will be altered in response to less advertising revenue and pressure to keep cutting costs.

For more complete information, including the paper's spin on the forthcoming changes:
http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2009/02/how_the_californialess_la.php

A column T.J. Sullivan wrote for LA OBSERVED about the importance of print newspapers:
http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2009/02/are_newspaper_journalists_to_b.php
[UPDATE 2/26/09: The Denver, Colorado ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS will cease publication as of tomorrow: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/26/rocky-mountain-news-closes-friday-final-edition/]

Allegedly, Rupert Murdoch is showing some interest in buying THE LOS ANGELES TIMES.

At this point, you, the reader, can insert a punchline about tabloid journalism, the potential for uncritical reviews of Fox Network programming and/or 20th Century Fox movies, or the possibility of Los Angeles mainstream journalism standards being lowered to those of THE NEW YORK POST (remembering the racist editorial cartoon implying a connection between President Obama and a murdered chimpanzee).

More changes in the world of listening to/distribution of music.

The alternastation Indie 103.1, which received praise from ROLLING STONE and lasted longer than usual in the L.A. market, has now been taken off the airwaves and--as is the custom in most station-closings here--replaced by a Spanish-language music format. Here's the blog FRANKLIN AVENUE with a post-mortem: http://franklinavenue.blogspot.com/2009/01/rip-indie-1031.html

Indie's spin (which can be found on LA OBSERVED's website) is that the station (under recent pressure to homogenize its format by playing more conventional music and dumping the majority of its host-driven programs) will return to its roots as an online-only venue.
[Yesterday, the station essentially recited its press release--with some dumb posturing about "Britney" and "Diddy"--in an endless loop followed either by X's "The New World" or Sid Vicious' cover of "My Way."]

In other news, Virgin Megastore is closing its Times Square outlet in NYC--apparently because more money could be made by letting the Forever 21 clothing chain have the property.

And, worst of all, mega-egocentric himbo musician John Mayer will have a variety series on CBS--now enabling him to share network prime time with former lover Jennifer Love Hewitt's GHOST WHISPERER.

Mayer allegedly wrote "Your Body Is A Wonderland" about Ms. Hewitt. One can only wonder if they'll do a duet on his series.

And, in a final update as of 12: 23 p.m. PST on Friday the 16th--Circuit City is going out of business.
Which leaves Best Buy holding a monopoly-of-sorts in the electronics-plus-CDs-sold-as-loss-leaders category.
Here are details as to the Circuit City breakdown: http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/bbdp/circuit-city-to-go-out-of-business/309313

Repurposing film critics' reviews: not just for alternaweeklies.

Kevin Roderick of the site LA OBSERVED makes a note of Carina Chocano's recent departure from THE LOS ANGELES TIMES in favor of Tribune majordomos using reviews from THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE's Michael Phillips [who departed with Richard Roeper from Disney's AT THE MOVIES a few months back]: http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2008/11/carina_chocanos_replaceme.php

Of course, this isn't a brand-new phenomenon. Since Michael Lacey swallowed up a lot of alternaweeklies into his empire, readers of the not-what-it-once-was LA WEEKLY can occasionally read reviews from J. Hoberman (THE VILLAGE VOICE) and Robert Wilonsky (DALLAS OBSERVER).

Way cheaper than hiring new critics or even free-lancers who don't qualify for benefits.