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L.A. Observed is pleased to introduce a new Premium Sponsor: The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. The community paper is published weekly on Fridays. Click on the logo at the the top of the right-hand column to read the latest issue, which has a front-page story on local Jews at the Democratic convention and a Q-and-A with the departing Israeli consul general in L.A.
This gives me an opening to encourage other publications, companies and institutions to look into becoming a sponsor. Here's the pitch. On the tangible side, sponsors get their name and weblink — and a message if they wish — posted prominently on every page. It will be seen by Los Angeles media types, communications professionals, public officials, writers and others engaged in L.A. life. The July traffic log shows the average weekday audience surpassed 3,400 "unique visitors." For the month they made 696,132 hits on the pages here. I'm thrilled by the numbers, but it's the rarefied nature of the readership that should be valuable to advertisers. L.A. Observed is read in the mayor's office, in the editor's office at the L.A. Times, and in most of the newsrooms and public relations shops in town.
Sponsors also enjoy the less tangible benefit of helping support L.A. Observed as the site expands as a community resource. In that vein, I'm offering a couple of new sponsorship levels. In addition to Premium Sponsorship, I welcome media, literary and community organizations that are non-profit and wish to support L.A. Observed to contact me about alternate arrangements. Also, through BlogAds, authors, independent bookstores, bloggers and other friends of L.A. Observed may now announce their latest works and events at a special reduced rate. For the details on all ad opportunities, see Be a Sponsor.
Nothing to advertise? You can still help support L.A. Observed. Click on the PayPal button below to make a voluntary subscription. As the site grows, the cost of storing the archives and buying bandwidth keeps increasing. If you need a little nudge, consider this: it's a one-person operation that is updated days, nights and most weekends and holidays. (Though there may be a short summer hiatus coming up—stay tuned.)
Finally, on the right you'll see a new BlogAd from the Hertzberg campaign for mayor. It showed up unsolicited, a total surprise. He's on other blogs, but I'm a journalist who is actively covering the race for mayor here and offline. I discussed it with several people and decided to accept the ad and others like it, based on my conclusion that blogs are both a news medium like TV, radio and newspapers, which run campaign ads, and also a new form of media where the rules need to adapt.I don't think I can make this next part too clear: Campaign ads here do not represent an endorsement. I'll accept tasteful ads from any of the candidates, but I won't solicit them. Hertzberg et al need to know that their decision to advertise here or not changes nothing. I'll still cover their good points and bad, and give my take on how they are doing where I feel it serves readers. (My August 5th take on Hertzberg is that he's a wild card in the race but probably won't win. Hahn probably will, but who knows come March 2005.) That's how I try to approach campaign reporting, and it's easy in this case because I truly don't care who wins. Thoughts on my ad policy are welcome by email or in the public comments.
For those following the mayor's race, don't miss my new links to the candidates' websites in the left-hand column. Look for more enhancements soon.
You must get hungry at some point...
And how about ammunition?
Posted by: Joe Angeleno at August 5, 2004 10:14 PMCongratulations on landing the sponsorships. I think you tend to be pretty aboveboard.
Your explanation and disclaimer notwithstanding, and no matter whether you live up wholly to your word, a mayoral ad here -- especially if that's the only one -- could create certain perceptions in some people's minds, the kind you don't want people to have. Perception is reality.
In a few days, your explanation will drop into the archives and we will be left staring at his face.
The problem is amplified because it's one of the few pieces of art/graphic elements on the page, and colorful, so it will jump out at everyone who signs onto the page.
Good luck managing the perception.
Obviously, I wasn't one of the people whose advice you sought. I guess that would be difficult because you don't know who I am, or how to contact me. I would have advised you against it. Next time, should you need some ethical advice, feel free to put a little red flag into the potted plant on your balcony and I'll contact you, knowing that you need me.
Posted by: Triple Threat at August 5, 2004 10:23 PMYou hit on one of the real concerns I have -- managing the perceptions.
Man, the picture does really pop, doesn't it.
Posted by: Kevin Roderick at August 5, 2004 10:29 PMKe-vin's a sell-out, Ke-vin's a sell-out!!
Just kidding. You know, to assuage the "perception" concerns from the likes of Triple Threat (*do* tell us about the self-regard behind that pseudonym some day, will you TT?), you can re-jig your BlogAds template to include a big fat disclaimer on the bottom.
But in general, the day the Daily News runs a regular disclaimer on page two saying something like "just because we've got a lot of Valley car dealership ads, DOESN'T mean that we'll bend over backwards whenever a story involves them ... necessarily," is the day you really need to fret about your church/state policies. This is a transparent medium, and it's more than enough for me, for one, that you make a brief note saying you'll continue to call Hertzberg a "venal clown-boy" or whatever you please despite the $75, and then move on.
Posted by: Matt Welch at August 5, 2004 10:40 PMI wonder if television networks engaged in this sort of hand-wringing in their formative years.
Posted by: Andre Pineda at August 5, 2004 11:10 PMI wonder if television networks engaged in this sort of hand-wringing in their formative years.
Edward R. Murrow's forced, cringing smile when he uttered the words "Alcoa Aluminum" every week was so obviously painful to him that it never fails to make j-students laugh when they see it watching old tapes of See It Now.
Often cigarette smoke from barely off camera wafts into the frame.
Posted by: joseph at August 5, 2004 11:50 PMPop? More like, his hand really does appear surgically attached to his face at an awkward angle to cover up the effects of a horrific accident.
Posted by: Robert Parry at August 6, 2004 10:30 AMI've noted, with some amusment, the number of Kerry/Edwards flashing campaign ads on newspaper sites (wash post.com, for example). I don't really consider for a moment that the paper is endorsing Kerry, so the ads don't bother me (except for the flashing distraction part). Of course, I support Kerry, so maybe they'd never bother me.
I noticed the new BobAd BlogAd - but the whole column is labeled "sponsors" or "Ads" etc. I never considered it more than an ad - and I'm a Hahn supporter interested in the race, so I'd think it would bother me more. But it doesn't.
Hopefully, other candidates will take Bob's cue and shovel some cash your way - it's a fantastic site, they should want to be here.
Posted by: cd at August 6, 2004 11:45 AMIn response to: "...the day the Daily News runs a regular disclaimer on page two saying something like "just because we've got a lot of Valley car dealership ads, DOESN'T mean that we'll bend over backwards whenever a story involves them ... necessarily," is the day you really need to fret about your church/state policies"
Perhaps the Daily News should not be the first example one cites of a potential role model in regard to media ethics .... perhaps, if one were to choose a role model in regard to media ethics, it would not be the Daily news ... perhaps -- Oh, I think I've made myself clear ....
Monica Almeida has the perspective of a native Angeleno who photographs Los Angeles for an East Coast newspaper: the New York Times.
of LA Observed
I'm thrilled by the numbers, but it's the rarefied nature of the readership that should be valuable to advertisers.
I never spend a nickel on anything but alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
Posted by: joseph at August 5, 2004 09:39 PM