Filed under: Trends, Etc., Lifestyle
Los Angeles Times kills autos section
No flowers, no cake, not even a eulogy. The Los Angeles Times has delivered its auto section an ignominious ending. Tucked among Dan Neil's Pulitzer-winning prose was a small, unceremonious Editor's Note notifying readers of the change in a matter-of-fact fashion. Circulation figures are down, advertising revenues are way down, and the LA Times' ownership, Chicago's Tribune Company, has been desperately slashing for years now, trying to return profitability. Fans of Dan Neil will now be able to find his Rumble Seat reviews and rants in the Business section, along with other automotive content. At least they're smart enough to hang on to one of the best automotive writers out there, even if he does occasionally give advertisers hissy fits. Thanks for the tip, Dave.
[Source: LA Times]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jvijil 9:19AM (7/10/2008)
i just read the edmunds story linked in the story....damn that was amazing! haha wish i could read the review of the G6 lmao
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Heather 9:40AM (7/10/2008)
Yeah, can we get that guy for American Top Gear? He may be the closest thing to Clarkson we have!
RMc 10:00AM (7/10/2008)
Which is exactly the reason why I always have a bit of suspicion when it comes to the large circulation magazines like MotorTrend, Car and Driver, et al. Their pages are stuffed with manufacturer's adverts so does that mean they are a bit nicer in their criticisms in order not to disgruntle the people who give them their money? I feel that their comparison test come out in true, unbiased ranking but the write-ups - which we auto enthusiast take the most note of - could certainly be rounded off to keep the sharp stuff from making the automakers mad.
It doesn't look like Autoblog is gets too much money from the manufacturers so I feel like we get pretty honest reviews for the "In the Autoblog Garage" post, but since Autoblog is now really starting to make a name for itself in the respectable automotive press and get quality test vehicles at higher frequency - does that mean the bloggers take it easy not to offend anyone in order to not dirty their ever increasing positive image? People may hate Consumers Report sometimes, but the fact that they purchase all the vehicles themselves and don't take a dime from advert money really makes me give their opinion extra weight at times.
And maybe the LA Times should realize that maybe they are scaring away subscribers with their often slanted and biased news reporting. No body likes to be told what to think. At least they are keeping Niel's column abet moved to the business section.
Jvijil 12:27PM (7/10/2008)
yep he would be great addition to the top gear USA crew lol
Avinash machado 9:20AM (7/10/2008)
Wonder what Farago has to say.
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CBXweb 9:27AM (7/10/2008)
That was one of my most favorite parts of Wednesday was reading that part of the paper, :(. Thing is the section is only 3-4 pages while the food section is gargantuan.
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MasterCKO 12:36PM (7/10/2008)
The LA TIMES lost the AUTO section?! What is the world coming to?
*mourns this new sadder existence*
Vintage 9:28AM (7/10/2008)
Only because you guys are so good. With this place and carlustblog.com, I no longer need magazines. And no, this is not spam, just sharing an awesome car website. It's like autoblog, only more emotional, and never about 'new' stuff. I love it.
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EEGeek 9:47AM (7/10/2008)
The original G6 article is at http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?revid=47078&indcriteria=ASSET_TYPE-Affiliate+Review%2CBuying+Guide%2CVehicle+Profile%7CM-_40_%7CD-_7652_%7CY-_2005_%7CresultStructure-combined&makeid=40&modelid=7652&year=2005&myid=&revlogtype=19§ion=reviews&mode=&aff=national
It starts off: At the moment the news broke, I had written two words of a review of the Pontiac G6: "Dump Lutz."
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Vintage 9:56AM (7/10/2008)
After reading his article, I have one thing to ad:
Try closing the front door of a G6, from inside the car. You can't. The handle is too far away. Instead you have to grab the map pocket.
John R 10:28AM (7/10/2008)
I just read that article.
Jeez Louise, a pushrod 3.5 liter V6 (200hp!) mated to a 4 speed auto. Wow. Just wow.
Ten or 12 years ago that would have been fine (maybe, I feel like a Type-R or GSR Integra from yesteryear would have made mincemeat out of this pig), but not in 2005 and certainly not now. No wonder Hyundai is growing.
LMBVette 10:49AM (7/10/2008)
I rented a G6 GT a year ago on vacation. I gotta tell you, I actually liked the car a lot. The car got great mileage and I had a lot of fun driving it. My daily driver is a Corvette....go figure.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
TURNERSVILLE 9:51AM (7/10/2008)
I am glad to see lib newspapers lose money. They are obsolete and biased. Not to mention the damage they do to the environment.
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azzo45 10:13AM (7/10/2008)
Liberal & conservative newspapers are both LOSING $$$ Its not a political thing... its a tech thing.
John 10:26AM (7/10/2008)
The LA Times and their blatantly biased "reporting" has been only useful for bird cage droppings for many years.
Conservative news outlets are NOT losing like liberal ones. Why do you think the libs are pushing for the "Fairness Doctrine"? Because their programing (i.e. Air America) has been a complete failure and they want to force conservative new outlets to broadcast their viewpoints.
baffledu2 10:31AM (7/10/2008)
Turnersville & John
Great news for you I heard there is a new allllllllll Ann Coulter channel I'm sure you will enjoy!
azzo45 11:05AM (7/10/2008)
John... wake up! Newspaper readership (lib or neo con) is dropping like a stone. Instead of political based emotions... name a daily NEWSPAPER (the conservative powerhouse you mention) that is bucking the trend of declining ad rev. & readership.
Most magazines are having the same issue. My dad just got Car & Driver for like $7!!!.
Air America is a RADIO network, not a newspaper for cryin' out load! Lose the "liberal media" rubber stamp & read Bill Buckley's Nation Review for your non liberal news.
John 11:34AM (7/10/2008)
azzo, I am fully awake and don't base my viewpoints on emotions like liberals tend to do.
Sorry if you are easily confused. I though it was obvious to everyone that I was talking about broadcast media by mentioning the "Fairness Doctrine".
But since you seem unaware, feel free to research the "Fairness Doctrine" and the liberals sorry attempt to stop the success of conservative media.
azzo45 11:50AM (7/10/2008)
Problem is John, we were talking about NEWSPAPERS as a business in whole... not the overall media.
I said the newspaper biz was a $$$ loser & not because it was labeled Liberal or Conservative. Simple!
Solo Racer 12:03PM (7/15/2008)
Newspapers are NOT losing money. Not making a 20% profit, coupled with greed is the issue. As for Left vs. Right and media bias, that has very little to do with declining readership. An information glut, most of it free, a society that is less inclined to sit and read serious information for more than about 20 minutes, and the consolidation of the retail advertisers that were the lifeblood of daily newspapers.