"Operation Local News" Looks Like A "GO!"

LATEST VIEWS ON "OPERATION LOCAL NEWS"
Last night I attended a meeting of the Board of Advisors for Operation Local News, the brain-child of Tom Johnson and Bill Lobdell. Roughly half of the roster of advisors made it to this meeting and many had excellent observations/comments.

FILLING A PERCEIVED VOID
You will recall that a few months ago Johnson, former publisher of the Daily Pilot, and Lobdell, former editor of the Daily Pilot and Los Angeles Times reporter, announced their plan to launch a new, primarily online newspaper recently. Over the past few months they've massaged and molded their business model, spoken with others who've started similar efforts in other locations and have worked with a legal team to dot every "i" and cross every "t".

LINING UP INVESTORS
The reason for this meeting was to tell us that they plan to move forward on this great adventure and, as soon as the proper prospectus can be created, begin to actively solicit investors. Based on informal conversations they've had with local business leaders, they feel that funding will be available. The first four contacts they made affirmed that they are willing to come onboard and help with the initial funding.

"FOR PROFIT" MODEL
Unlike other recent online-first publications in our region which have used a "not for profit" model - The Voice Of San Diego, for example - Lobdell and Johnson's effort will be a "for profit" model, so investors will be looking for a return on their investment.

$2,000,000!
The way it looks right now, their original estimate of the seed money necessary to launch this new effort was one zero short. Johnson and Lobdell are now looking for investors to help them to their new goal of $2 million to kick it off. Their objective is to attract top talent to launch what will be a news product produced by seasoned, skilled journalism professionals.

MIXED FEELINGS
When I first heard about this plan - and announced it to the world HERE - my initial reaction was something like, "Wow! Great! These are two smart, talented guys who can probably pull this off!" Then I stepped back a little and thought about it and realized that if Johnson and Lobdell are actually successful in launching a new news source for the Newport-Mesa area it may well sound the death knell for the Daily Pilot.

I DON'T WANT THE DAILY PILOT TO DIE
As a reader of the Daily Pilot for more than three decades and a contributor for most of this decade, I do not want to see the Daily Pilot die. For a century it has been our newspaper of record and primary source of local news and events. It has been the glue that kept our communities together by presenting us with coverage of important events affecting our lives every day. Faded Daily Pilot clippings marking engagements, weddings, obituaries and athletic achievement fill scrapbooks in many households in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, mine included.

IT'S UNDER-APPRECIATED BY THE TOP BRASS
Today's realities in the newspaper business are such that, even though the Daily Pilot remains a profitable part of the Times Community Newspaper group of the Los Angeles Times, it apparently is viewed by the top brass of the Times and it's parent, The Tribune Company, as insignificant. This is what happens when the bean-counters take over and newsmen stop running newspapers. As a result, the Pilot has had it's staff chopped, chopped and chopped again over the past 15 months - ever since Sam Zell bought The Tribune Company. Tom Johnson resigned rather than officiate at the funeral of the newspaper he spent nearly two decades rebuilding.

SO...
It seems clear that the handwriting, er, graffiti, is on the wall and the Daily Pilots days are numbered. If that's the case, then our communities would be left without a credible, local news source. I don't want the Daily Pilot to fail, but it almost seems inevitable.

MY FIRST CHOICE - BUY THE PILOT
I hope Johnson and Lobdell are successful with this new venture, but it's unlikely that there will be enough advertising dollars to support both their new venture and the Daily Pilot. I've told them that my preference would be for them to find a way to acquire the Daily Pilot and then morph it into the model they feel will be the most viable. Johnson told me he's tried several times to do just that, but was rebuffed by the brass at The Times.

CREATING A COMPETING PRODUCT
So, they are left with no choice except to try to find investors who believe in their vision and launch their own, competing publication to serve the needs of the readers in the Newport-Mesa area. That's where they are headed, full steam ahead. Round up your wealthy pals and direct them to Johnson and Lobdell. They can be in on the ground floor of an exciting, new venture and help provide fast, accurate news with a Newport-Mesa focus to our communities. They will be happy to sit down and chat about this opportunity.

You can read my previous entries on this venture HERE and HERE. Look for updates on the Operation Local News blog, too.

Potpourri

Here's just a little bit of what's going on here in the Newport-Mesa this week.

PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION TONIGHT
Tonight the Costa Mesa Planning Commission will hold a rare study session to discuss adjustments to the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan SP-05-08. I don't know all the details of this subject, but no action will be taken at the study session - just talk.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING TOMORROW
Tomorrow, Tuesday, the City Council has a full agenda. Among the items of interest are the annual review of the General Plan; a resolution supporting keeping the Equestrian Center at the Fairgrounds; a letter of support for appropriation of Economic Stimulus Program and stop signs at a couple intersections on the Eastside. I won't be surprised if public comments include concerns by residents about the current state of our municipal budget.

WAY TO GO, SONORA!
Sunday the Orange County Register did a front page feature on Orange County Public Schools. Included in that series of articles is a terrific piece on Sonora Elementary School. You can read it HERE. The parents, teachers and students of that school have demonstrated that a neighborhood doesn't have to be wealthy to produce excellent academic results. Kudos to all involved. Sonora School is just one more reason to be a proud resident of Costa Mesa.

JOHNNY "ACE" PALMER ON THE TUBE AT 8
Don't forget to tune in to KCOP, Channel 13 at 8 p.m. tonight to see my pal, Johnny "Ace" Palmer perform on Masters of Illusion. He's a World Champion Magician and lots of fun to watch perform.

NEW BLOG - SUNNY D
Yesterday my young friend, Claudio Gallegos, re-emerged from a year-long hiatus to launch his own new blog - Sunny D. Claudio was a mainstay on the Orange Juice! Blog before taking some time off. He's a young man full of passion and, although he and I disagree on many issues, I welcome him back to Orange County Blogdom.

OPERATION LOCAL NEWS
Finally, this evening former Daily Pilot publisher Tom Johnson and former Daily Pilot editor Bill Lobdell will meet with their board of advisors to discuss the progress they have made toward finding financial support for their plan to launch a brand new news source in the Newport Mesa. I'm looking forward to hearing how their plans are going and will report what I can, when I can, following the meeting.

"Operation Local News" Moves Forward

CONTINUING TO MARCH
Former Daily Pilot publisher, Tom Johnson and former Daily Pilot editor, Bill Lobdell are continuing to kick the can down the street in their pursuit of launching a new source for local news here in the land of Newport-Mesa.

ADVISORY BOARD MEETS
Last night they held a meeting of members of their Advisory Board - a group of 30 business and community leaders and others - to bring them up to speed on their plans and to solicit input as they attempt to put this new venture together.

SOME FORMER "PILOTEERS"
Although not all of the members of the Advisory Board were in attendance last night, as I looked around the room at those who did show up I was impressed. In addition to Johnson and Lobdell, there were a few other former Daily Pilot staffers - Tony Dodero, who recently departed after a long and illustrious career; Lana Johnson, who has joined Lobdell and Tom Johnson in their endeavor, and former (twice) Daily Pilot columnist and public relations consultant Byron de Arakal.

OTHER HEAVY HITTERS... AND ME
Among the others in attendance were Realtor and Newport Mesa Unified School Board President Dana Black and Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau were in the group, as was former California Secretary of Education Marian Bergeson. Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Richard Luehrs, business leaders Brent Hemphill, Paula Wilhelm and Kirk McIntosh - who heads up the Daily Pilot Cup youth soccer tournament - were also there to provide comments and guidance. As you can see, there were many "heavy hitters" in the group. And then there was me...

TRYING TO FILL A VOID
It was clear from the presentation made by Johnson and Lobdell that they are eager to fill the void they see being created by the decline of local news outlets - specifically the Daily Pilot and the Orange County Register. I share their concern and feel our community needs and deserves a credible local news source.

ONLINE ALL THE TIME - IN PRINT ONCE A WEEK
Although they are still tinkering with their business model, it looks like they are aiming at a 24/7/365 online presence with, perhaps, a one-day-a-week print edition. As I mentioned in an earlier posts, HERE and HERE, there are examples of this kind of a business model almost within arm's reach - San Diego and in South Orange County.

LOOKING FOR MONEY
The big push now is for MONEY. Johnson and Lobdell are actively seeking investors to fund their plan. They've run the numbers and have a very good idea of just what it's going to cost to launch and grow a new publication using contemporary technology combined with proven journalistic practices. Their best guess is that it's going to take a million bucks to begin this new venture. Yikes! Still, having seen their projections, that number seems realistic.

TOUGH TIME, BUT A GOOD IDEA
Now, I certainly realize this is a tough time to be launching any kind of a business. However, with the decline and possible demise of print journalism throughout our country, the plan Johnson and Lobdell are proposing seems like a good way to perpetuate the availability of accurate and timely information in our communities. I hope they are successful.

MY PREFERENCE - BUY THE DAILY PILOT
My personal preference - as I've told Johnson and Lobdell - would be for them to purchase the Daily Pilot and morph it into whatever business model seems right. I would hate to lose the Pilot and it's century of archival and cultural significance in our community. I know Johnson has been attempting to acquire the Daily Pilot from the bankrupt Tribune Company and will continue to do so.

FOLLOW THEIR PROGRESS AND SEND THEM MONEY
You can follow their progress on their blog, Operation Local News, and can help them kick off this very impressive plan by aiming all your wealthy friends to them. Johnson and Lobdell hope to have their plan finalized and funding available by March 1st. If that happens they will begin publishing in May.

Operation Local News

As reported in an earlier post, two former Daily Pilot honchos have joined forces to create a brand new news source for the Newport-Mesa area. Former publisher Tom Johnson and former editor Bill Lobdell sent the following letter out yesterday announcing their venture:


Dear Friend and Neighbor,

For some 100 years, the Daily Pilot has acted as a watchdog and uniting force for our communities. Recently, however, newspapers have come under financial siege, including our local paper. The Tribune Company, owner of the Pilot, recently has filed for bankruptcy, and the Pilot’s staff has been cut to the bone.

As the days go by, we have become concerned about the Pilot’s future. We’ve asked if the Tribune Company would be willing to sell the Pilot, but received no response. So we’ve decided to explore what we believe is a very viable and exciting alternative.

Simply put, we want to create a daily community newspaper that would operate online and in-print as an independent nonprofit. Believe it or not, it’s being done in other markets (including a very effective operation called the Voice of San Diego that has returned quality local journalism to that community; you can read a New York Times story about the Voice of San Diego here).

We have put together a business plan. The idea is to generate revenue through two means: advertising sales and donations. It’s a financial model based on National Public Radio and PBS.

Our plan calls for a news operation that would effectively cover this community in more depth and creativity than ever before. You’d get everything you’d expect and more: your favorite columnists, community watchdog coverage, opinions and editorials, a complete community calendar, local sports, photos, videos and more.

Together, we took the Pilot from its dark stages in the early ’90s--when the paper was losing $250,000 a month--to its being a financially viable operation, a focal point of the community, and honored as the best community daily in California. We believe we can do it again and better with this new product.

We need your help in two concrete ways. First, help us spread the word locally by forwarding this e-mail to your friends and neighbors. It’s important we get the word out.

Second, let us know if you’d support us as a non-profit in this venture. We’re looking for corporations, foundations, and individuals to make an annual pledge. In addition to $200,000 in start-up costs, we’ll need to raise about $200,000 a year outside of advertising to provide Newport-Mesa with a first-rate news gathering team. (Our ultimate goal is to create a local media nonprofit that can live on through an endowment long after we are gone.)

To review, please forward this e-mail to everyone you know and hit the reply button on this e-mail (here’s the address, operationlocalnews@yahoo.com, if you’re reading a forwarded copy) and make a pledge--or an appointment for us to show you our business plan.

In the spirit of this new enterprise, we’ve started a website called Operation Local News to allow the community to watch our progress and to contribute the ideas on everything from coverage to the paper’s name. We’ll also keep an ongoing tally of the dollar amount of our pledges. Everything will be transparent.

It’s our guess that the Newport-Mesa community would support a quality news operation, and this is our chance to prove it. If the money isn’t raised, Newport-Mesa will likely end up with, at best, an anemic non-daily paper. That would be a sad day, and it doesn’t have to happen.

Yes, we know. It’s new, it’s different, but it’s also very exciting and the future.

Thanks. Tom Johnson (former publisher of the Daily Pilot/17 years)
949.244.2583, tomjohnson.jmg@gmail.com

Bill Lobdell (former editor of the Daily Pilot/10 years)
949.887.2541, williamlobdell@yahoo.com

MY PERSONAL PREFERENCE - BUY THE DAILY PILOT
As I've said before, my personal preference would be for them to find a way to acquire the Daily Pilot, including its archives, and then morph it into this new model. One would hope that is not a dead issue.

However, Johnson and Lobdell are moving forward. I hope you will forward this link to others who may be interested in this new, exciting venture.