It looks like LAT Editor Jim O'Shea will be around a while - or as he put it in a memo to staff, "as long as people in the newsroom will have me." He has nice things to say about Sam Zell and notes that a "fresh shot of new thinking is not going to hurt us, along as we remain committed to what is really important, our coverage of the news."

This is a great newsroom with great journalists. I am proud to be your editor. The challenges we face are steep and will likely involve some more pain. But we will succeed. One year, three years, five years from now we will still be producing a great newspaper every day. I will be with you every step of the way.

O'Shea's tenure will depend, of course, on how much Zell chooses to tinker with the goods. So far, the word from Tribune is that CEO Dennis FitzSimons will be hanging on for a while - and perhaps much longer. That would probably secure O'Shea's position. But heck, who really knows at this point? Already, there are rumbles about David Geffen wanting to get at the LAT through some sort of joint venture with Zell. Nikki Finke says that the two guys are Malibu beach buds, and that Geffen has been yapping at Zell about getting his mits on the paper (and presumably dumping a bunch of the higher-ups in the process). Sounds like a bunch of malarkey to me - even though Geffen is chattering to the LAT about wanting to maximize value. We'll be hearing lots of that crazy stuff over the next few weeks and months. Frankly, I'm not sure Zell realizes what he's gotten himself into.

O'Shea memo on jump

To the staff:

I know a lot of people in the newsroom are concerned about today's news regarding the acquisition of the company by Sam Zell and an ESOP. The deal announced by Dennis FitzSimons is complex and raises many questions about the future, particularly since we remain in the early stages of the transaction. I'm almost five months into the job of editor of this great newspaper and I hope my decisions since I've started have earned me some credibility. If I thought this was a bad deal, I would say so. I don't. As with any change of ownership, this transaction carries some risk. We are assuming a heavy debt burden and the problems we face have not disappeared. But Sam Zell is a creative thinker and an inventive entrepreneur. A fresh shot of new thinking is not going to hurt us, along as we remain committed to what is really important, our coverage of the news. Mr. Zell also says he believes in the future of the news business. That is certainly good to hear. We need leaders who think growth is not only possible but within our grasp. Journalism remains the core value of this newspaper and this company, regardless of who owns it.

Since I've arrived, many people have asked me how long I intended to stay. With the announcement of this deal, I can say (sic) for a good long time, or as least as long as people in the newsroom will have me. This is a great newsroom with great journalists. I am proud to be your editor. The challenges we face are steep and will likely involve some more pain. But we will succeed. One year, three years, five years from now we will still be producing a great newspaper every day. I will be with you every step of the way.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please drop in to see me, stop me in the newsroom, email or call. I'll be happy to discuss them.

Regards,

Jim