New Times LA
| Company type | Alternative weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 1996-08-22 |
| Defunct | 2002 |
| Fate | Discontinued due to non-competition agreement |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
Key people | Rick Barrs (editor-in-chief) |
Number of employees | 100 |
| Parent | New Times Media |
New Times LA was an alternative weekly publication operating in Los Angeles, California, produced by New Times Media between 1996 and 2002.
History
The inception of New Times LA occurred on August 22, 1996, following the acquisition and integration of the Los Angeles View and the Los Angeles Reader. This merger led to the dismissal of personnel from both original publications.
Throughout its lifespan, Rick Barrs held the position of editor-in-chief. Among its contributors was writer Jill Stewart, known for her provocative political commentary.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, New Times LA often targeted its competitor LA Weekly with criticism, while Howard Blume of LA Weekly characterized it as "a quirky and inconsistent, yet valuable, journalistic voice." Despite these attributes, New Times LA faced challenges in securing a dominant market share.
In 2002, New Times Media entered into a non-competition agreement with Village Voice Media, agreeing to discontinue New Times LA alongside Village Voice's Cleveland Free Times to prevent market overlap. The primary competing publication in Los Angeles was the LA Weekly. New Times Media continued publishing other outlets such as Miami New Times, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, and Phoenix New Times.
This pact prompted an antitrust inquiry by the U.S. Department of Justice, culminating in a settlement that mandated both firms to divest certain assets and newspaper properties to potential rivals.
Items sold included office machinery, distribution licenses, archival materials in print and digital formats, client databases, agreements, and credit information.
At the time of its shutdown, approximately 100 employees worked for New Times LA.
The newspaper’s assets were purchased by Southland Publishing, Inc., which utilized them to establish two new regional publications: Los Angeles CityBeat and ValleyBeat. Among these assets were news racks that supported distribution efforts.