October 3, 2016 I VOL. 45 I #40
Looking for the Right Buyer for Downtown News
By Sue Laris I thought I’d never say this, but L.A. Downtown News is for sale. I thought I’d be here forever. I co-founded this paper when I was 29, and now I’m 73. Sounds like forever, doesn’t it, although it feels like 15 minutes. It has been an extraordinary and fulfilling run, but I am no longer the right person to lead this business. I got old here. The town did not. The town has become fresh and glistening, smart and strong. It is going places, and it needs a leader who can keep pace with that new reality. I’m looking for the right someone to pick up the mantle and take this great little newspaper the next amazing step. Ideally that buyer sees the magic that is happening here, the forest of cranes, the rush of residents, the sense that most anything is possible. I can say it’s a “great little newspaper” without bragging because its greatness is due to the talented and dedicated staff who got it out the door to its readers for 44 years. They have written and produced important and sometime inspiring stories, and they have brought humor, insight and fresh perspective to our readers. They are truly the ones who deserve the credit. September 12 was the beginning of our 45th year talking about Downtown Los Angeles. While that’s a deep history, anyone can see there is more to come in Downtown’s future. There are more stories that need telling, more opinions to help guide its future, more towers rising, more businesses moving in, more fascinating people allowing their creativity to flourish here, and an infinite amount of culture that will develop. Here is where Downtown has been and where it is going: In September, 1972, when the first issue hit the streets, Downtown was mostly dead, except for the Civic Center. Slowly at first and now with powerful swiftness it has come alive in a big way. The momentum is clear. Things to know about Downtown News: It prints 40,000 papers a week and distributes them in 795 stops in 16 micro neighborhoods. It has a vibrant website, a daily email newsletter, a weekend Don’t Miss newsletter, an engaged Facebook fan base, and a pair of high-end annual magazines (the Downtown Guide and the Restaurant Guide). Regarding the challenges facing newspapers, here is the short story behind the story: Even though it is common knowledge that there is upheaval in the newspaper business, many may not know that those difficulties apply with more intensity to the big metropolitan daily papers. Community newspapers do well pretty consistently, which makes sense when you think about it. Where else do you get the extensive lowdown on a place except in a truly local publication? One of the reasons Downtown is special among community newspapers is because it is located in the heart of Los Angeles, a world city that leads the planet in many ways. And Downtown News has a voice here. We have tried to bring that voice — and more than a touch of humanity — to this remarkable place. This publication has helped strengthen other entrepreneurs and supported civic ventures, and we’ve given an ear, a hand and plenty of ink to those who needed it. We’ve also been unflinching toward the people and institutions that have fallen short. All of that has contributed to what Downtown is today. I couldn’t have asked for a more soul-nurturing way to live. I love Los Angeles, and I will take joy from what a new owner can bring to the paper and to Downtown. I am looking forward to seeing that next amazing step. Sue Laris is Editor and Publisher of L.A. Downtown News. Interested buyers should email Lon Williams, Media America Brokers, LonWWilliams@aol.com
THE VOICE OF DOWNTOWN L.A. SINCE 1972