Tim Rutten 'Surprised But Not Shocked' by LA Times Layoff

The official clock-punch time for those affected by the latest round of LA Times layoffs is midnight, tonight. As first reported by FishbowlLA, one of those who got thrown under the Sam Zell bus this time around was media columnist Tim Rutten (pictured).

Rutten spoke with KPCC-FM 89.3 morning host Madeleine Brand about the end of a very long downtown LA run. There have already been a number of eloquent farewell emails from similarly affected colleagues. Rutten tells Brand he knew he was on shaky ground:

“Whatever the merits of your work, to be older and to be collecting a relatively large paycheck was to have a kind of target on your back,” he says, admitting that he was surprised but not shocked by the news…

“After the paper was acquired by Tribune in 2000, there’s been an unbroken record of disaster. It’s now a shell of what it was 10 years ago. Readers get less and less for more money.”

Rutten says he still has “a few good pieces” left in him. FishbowlLA looks forward to reading the first of those in the near future.

Previously on FishbowlLA:
Breaking: Major Layoffs at the LA Times
More Carnage at the LA Times