L.A. Times unwraps magazine plan
Light touch for monthly lifestyle publication
There's been much chatter in journo circles about the move of what had been the Los Angeles Times Magazine from the purview of the editorial department to the business side under Los Angeles Times Newspaper prexy Jack Klunder.
Annie Gilbar, LA's newly appointed editor-in-chief, said the mag's content will be controlled by her staff of magazine vets and not be advertorial or custom marketing-driven. Gilbar reports to Klunder. Valarie Anderson has been named publisher of LA; she'll continue to serve as the Times' director of fashion advertising.
While Gilbar stressed that the content will be driven by the mag's editorial staff, which includes creative director Rip Georges and deputy editor Nancie Claire, she said LA's focus will be, for the most part, unabashedly light and upbeat.
"We're going to be a celebration of Los Angeles, recognizing and showcasing the arts, entertainment, fashion, architecture and design," Gilbar said. "We're going to cover how people live, how they eat, how they entertain themselves. We're not an investigative magazine — that's what the newspaper does. We're showcasing the best of L.A."
Gilbar's varied background includes stints as editor-in-chief of LAStyle magazine, and she was a founding editor of InStyle. She was editor in chief of WeddingChannel.com and hosted the "Annie's Eye" series on the Home Shopping Network.
Among LA's showbiz-connected contributing editors are multi-hyphenate David Steinberg; self-help author Kathy Freston, who is married to former Viacom honcho Tom Freston; and Kelly Meyer, environmental activist who is married to Universal Studios prexy Ron Meyer.
