"LA Weekly is being sold to Semanal Media, a mysterious new company," reported the L.A. Times; other news outlets offered much the same, noting that none of the newly-created Semanal's investment partners would make their names known.
As LA Weekly's more than three million online readers—the largest of any alternative weekly in the country—read about renters being summarily evicted simply for asking about increased rents, Semanal's new operations manager, Brian Calle, fired nine of the magazine's 13 staff, including all of its editors and its publisher.
"We were expecting there to be some pain with the sale of @LAWeekly," wrote editor-in-chief Mara Shalhoup online. "But we weren't expecting the Red Wedding."
[...] Two days later, in his first official message to readers, Mr. Calle spun the move as indicative of the news media's broader struggles in the digital age. LA Weekly, he said, had been on a "declining trajectory" and the new owners wanted to help make the publication "relevant" again.
(Score: 0, Troll) by frojack on Sunday December 10 2017, @12:34AM (2 children)
Go read the La Weekly Wiki article. [wikipedia.org]
This is the same tempest in the same teapot that has been going on since 1978. Its always been a drama-club (in every sense of the word) over there, and this changes nothing. Different faces. Same wrists.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @03:23AM
What do you mean by "wrists"?
(Score: 2) by Demena on Sunday December 10 2017, @08:03AM
That would depend on future biases.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Snotnose on Sunday December 10 2017, @02:00AM (3 children)
I lost my house in the divorce 10 years ago, my rent has increased some 60% in the last 3 years. Not to mention they fired the on-site janitor, so the place is junkier, and they cut down on watering, so the landscape is on life support.
The cost of living in Southern California is getting ridiculous. I've been here since '63, rent has always been expensive, but lately it's just hell.
I live in a cheap part of town in a cheap apartment with cheap appliances. 75% of my monthly spending is on rent. Fucking ridiculous.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @04:23AM
I was in the same boat. Go see a "First time homebuyer program" agent. I paid my (bought in 2000) house off in San Diego County in 15 years.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @05:25AM (1 child)
Are you retired? If so, try Georgetown, KY. It's decent and cheap.
If you are too broke for even that, then you'll have to go some place yucky, but the alternative is ending up homeless. Do not wait any longer.
If you are not yet retired, maybe you'd qualify for a job in a more reasonable place. You seem to have a background in low-level software. Send an email to albert at users.sf.net and maybe I can help you get set up in an area that is more affordable. Assembly language is a valuable skill, and I'm guessing you have it.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Monday December 11 2017, @01:24AM
When dad dies I'm out of here. Till then i'm stuck. He's 89, not doing well, someone needs to take care of him.
Sucks that I've lived here since '63 and am being forced to leave the area I grew up in, plus the friends I made 40+ years ago.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @06:25AM (5 children)
Are "Semanal" another arm of El Jazeera (Qatar's private media / propaganda outlet)? Sounds mighty suspicious.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @07:09AM (4 children)
How do you get that? With a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, it means "weekly".
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @08:44AM (3 children)
Amerrr-ikans, lucky if they have a rudimentary knowledge of English. The concept of other languages escapes them. When they hear people speaking Spanish, they think it is some kind of weird code, and that the Spanish speakers must be talking about them and making fun of them, and that they must be Muslins.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @09:13AM (2 children)
...despite the fact that a bunch of USAian cities, and states, and rivers, and landmarks, yada,yada,yada carry Spanish names.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @09:44AM (1 child)
Almost every major city in California, as well as the state capital.
It is funny how people forget about how California and parts of the southwest are actual military conquests against Mexico.
Also: Why we're supposed to remember the Alamo.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @05:40PM
To rent a car?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @09:08AM
In October, Gustavo Arellano, editor of the alternative-media OC Weekly, was told he had to fire the majority of the staff.
He quit instead.
Gustavo (author of "Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America") did reviews of restaurants & food trucks and wrote the syndicated column "Ask A Mexican" (now the intellectual property of the publication).
Earlier in the decade, he was also a presenter of an eponymous program at KPFK [archive.org] (Pacifica Radio).
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @09:54AM (4 children)
The owners of LA Weekly were offered some agreeable sum for their company and chose to take it. The new owners, mysterious or otherwise, then decided to gut the place. What's the problem? Am I supposed to be mad at evil corp for firing the staff or should I be angry with the old owners; who took the money instead of fighting the good fight?
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @10:34AM (3 children)
Am I supposed to be mad at evil corp for firing the staff or should I be angry with the old owners ?
Yup. This is how Capitalism works:
If you're not The Big Fish, you're just bait.
{Advocacy for worker-owned cooperatives goes here; gain a voice in how things are run.}
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @01:58PM
No you've gone off-script. You're meant to say aww shucks what can you do, then shrug and walk off.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @07:58PM (1 child)
Maybe the gov will get it better? Socialist and Communist states have NEVER done anything wrong with their newspapers right? /sarc
News is a dying art form of the type we are used to. It is all clickbait and outrage yellow journalism. All to stroke your ego and make you feel better for poor decisions you make. I can in about 10 seconds find a dozen 'newspapers' to stroke whatever silly idea I have in my head. Do not confuse your cognitive bias with something that means anything and that you are somehow 'the right choice'. Look outside of your bubble. You will find it icky and against everything you believe but you may learn something.
And for fuck sake at this point just log the fuck in. You have made whatever silly point you want to make. You are wasting everyone's time. I have been on you about this for a year or two now. You can do better.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 10 2017, @09:39PM
Socialism is an economic form.
The indicator that a system is Socialist is the existence of worker-owned cooperatives AKA "Democracy in the Workplace".
The governmental form required for Socialism to exist is Democracy.
Socialism is often described (by those familiar with the term) as DEMOCRACY EVERYWHERE.
Marx described Communism as a bottom-up thing.
All of the states that have called themselves "communist" have been top-down things.
There hasn't been 1 yet that fit the prescribed mold.
Stalinism, Maoism, Castroism, Hoism ... have all been top-down Totalitarian things.
(Remember that none of the fancy words in the name of the DPRK actually apply.)
N.B. In his later years, Lenin came around to endorsing the "All power to the soviets[1]" concept--but he got off to a rocky Authoritarian start and, by then, had a lot of backpedaling to do.
An actual Socialist|Communist place would have news sources that are worker cooperatives.
Point to one of those in your "Socialist|Communist states".
[1] A soviet is a workers' council; a very local, granular thing.
...and how are you enjoying your "the majority rules" "democracy" where the rich minority get to make all the decisions?
I can in about 10 seconds find a dozen 'newspapers' to stroke whatever silly idea I have in my head
That's called "freedom". Enjoy it while it lasts.
With each day, we get closer to a replay of the Fascist 1930s.
(This assumes that Trump doesn't start WWIII first--which will be nuclear this time.)
log the fuck in [...] I have been on you about this for a year or two now
I'd first have to get an account.
I'll give it some thought.
...after you've demonstrated how yourself.
...though I've made it pretty clear what my position is on this. [soylentnews.org]
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]