*LAT gets smaller

The Times will be trimming the web width of its paper to 44 inches from the current 48 inches (that translates to about a 12-inch page). Chicago Tribune columnist Phil Rosenthal says all the Tribune papers are making the switch (the company's Baltimore Sun has had the reduced width since February). Changeover should happen in the coming months.

Web width is a measurement of the size of a roll of paper for the presses, and for consumers it translates to the width of four broadsheet pages. By reducing the web width, the papers should realize a cost savings because less newsprint is required.

The conversion isn't expected to impact content. Not that many years ago the industry standard was 54 inches.

*Continued rumbles in the LAT newsroom about another round of cuts. Numbers I've heard range from 15 to 40, with the national and foreign desks being most vulnerable. Current LAT magazine staff also might be hit, given that the newsroom is taking that over. Again, it's just chatter at this stage.