Editorial
After investment mogul Warren Buffett bought 63 daily and weekly newspapers in the Southeast for $142 million from Media General last May, he explained why he was a staunch believer in the business we pursue with great vigor and dedication here at the Palisadian-Post. ’In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper,’ said Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He later emphasized that his company will continue to focus ‘on small and mid-sized papers in long-establish communities.’ We know, of course, that Mr. Buffett failed to establish a beachhead in California when he missed his opportunity to purchase the Post last month. But he would appreciate the young entrepreneur who shares his love of the printed newspaper and chose to acquire our paper from the Small Newspaper Group. Alan Smolinisky, 33, grew up in Pacific Palisades and now lives here with his wife and young family. He has long been an exuberant fan of the Post and is now dedicated to preserving its editorial integrity and economic success so that the community will always have a newspaper. ’My bottom line is content, content and content,’ Smolinisky said. ‘As we cut various business costs and grow circulation revenue, I’m going to reallocate resources into our editorial coverage.’ One month into ownership, Smolinisky has worked with our staff to come up with numerous ways to improve our paper, without changing its core essence: focusing on the people, events and issues in Pacific Palisades. Here are a few examples: 1. More Two Cents Worth each week, by expanding the column all the way down the right side of page 2. Said our owner, ‘When people stop me on the street or I meet them out in the community, they always tell me, ‘I love the Two Cents column’why can’t you have more?” So help us out by calling (310) 454-1321 or e-mailing editor@palipost.com. 2. Color on our inside pages. Thanks to the modern presses at our new printer in Gardena, we are going to have at least four additional pages of color every week (assuming each section is at least eight pages), meaning a minimum of eight pages a week’and more if we receive advertising support. 3. Ann Cleaves, our longtime editorial cartoonist, will now focus entirely on Pacific Palisades and City issues, and her cartoons will alternate with an ‘Out of the Past’ photograph from our extensive archives. 4. Meanwhile, we are bolstering our online coverage by offering real-time coverage and free Breaking News e-mail alerts that readers can subscribe to via our Web site (PalisadesPost.com). This means that when something important has happened in town’a traffic accident that closes Sunset or PCH, or a fire breaks out’we are going to respond quickly and professionally to get the news out real time. 5. We’re working with the U.S. Postal Service to expedite delivery of the Post to subscribers outside 90272. In Santa Monica Canyon, for example, readers should soon be able to count on receiving the paper in a more timely fashion. 6. Beginning next week, each issue will have a flashback quote or paragraph from our newspaper CD files, a treasure trove of wonderful community history dating back to 1928. (In this spirit, our office has been remodeled with huge historical black-and-white photos celebrating the paper’s history). After a month of meetings and brainstorming, we’re eager to implement these changes, but we also need to hear from our readers about what they believe the Post could be doing better. Please send your ideas to editor@palipost, or stop one of us on the sidewalk!
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