ive been angry for a full day because of KPCC laying off 22 of its staffers right after the LAT laid off 70+
The Times, what can you do, it’s a losing proposition and it takes a 7x billionaire to fund the thing and at some point he may realize he likes having 7x more than 6x plus a newspaper and give up
But KPCC – which has not earned the right to the name LAist due to its archives not being complete nor its style or attitude being AWOL, and then they pull this, which is not an LAist thing, it’s a KPCC thing.
What is this? Of the 22 are their two main digital writers Jessica and Mike. Jessica first started writing for LAist way back when I was the boss. SIXTEEN years ago. She’s written for Playboy, the WaPo, etc and this year has more bylines than anyone.
Gone.
And Mike has been at KPCC for FIFTEEN years and writes about the fun things like Comicon and Movies and TV shows that actually get the pageviews that dry news cannot get. Another thing that cannot get hits is covering the same things the LAT covers, which they cannot wean themselves from.
Gone.
But the saddest is Taylor who has also been there for 15 years, starting off as an Admin then Reception then Office Manager… recently she was writing, producing and providing voice over coaching and voice overs for podcasts at LAist Studios.
Not long ago she was dying after some rare disease happened onto her as she was delivering her baby and she nearly died. Terminating her knowing how vital she needs her health insurance is so fucking cruel. Like WTF is even happening?
Worse: In 2021, the midst of COVID, companies are going out of business left and right, KPCC rakes in over $40 million for just the second time in its history.
It has money.
And even if it didn’t, the last person you cut is the woman who greeted all of your VIPs, celebrity guests, delivery dudes, and staff every morning for nine years. Literally the face of your fucking station.
I’m angry because of all of the places I’ve worked in my life, and Lord knows there have been a ton, you’d think the cuddly little NPR news outlet in Pasadena would be so damn cold to people who have been there early mornings after early mornings and through that fucking plague and the shift into podcasting
but it clearly is not
and then there’s my baby, LAist
that beautiful sonofabitch.
LAist is having its good name dragged over the weirdass actions of others who’ve never written for LAist.
ive never been hacked before, but how is this any different?
and why would someone buy a thing that has a name that connects with the audience you wanna have but dont give them what you know they love.
Thanks for rescuing our stolen thoroughbred, but why are you feeding it cat food