Times are changing for Los Angeles
Written: Mar 13 '01 (Updated Mar 14 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Quality of news coverage: |
 |
|
| Quality of editorial content: |
 |
|
|
Pros: A few Sections are okay
Cons: Changes layout and increases prices regularly
The Bottom Line: They do not cover the entire city and cater to the rich and famous who live on the westside.
|
|
|
| bonniesayers's Full Review: Los Angeles Times |
In November of 1998 I ordered cable for my residence and received a special rate through them for the Los Angeles Times . The price was $1.50 per week to be billed quarterly $36.00. This intro discount was broken down to .28 cents for Monday through Saturday and Sunday costing .82 cents. The bill also reflected the standard rate being .46/$1.38 so this was a great savings I took advantage of.
I learned a few years later that the TV Guide is different for those subscribers than purchasing the Los Angeles Times at a store. The subscribers received a more detailed cable listing with all the channels.
Also on each bill was this statement, “ Per Title 18, California Code of Regulations, section 1628: The amount of the new activity charges attributable to transportation costs is $6.56 or two months $13.13”. The billing was done for one or two months as I received both ways. It would depend on when you sent in your last payment. You were also billed for the following month, so you were being billed for papers not yet received.
Los Angeles Times now accepts credit cards over the phone or send in the information at the bottom of your bill. The toll-free customer service number is 1-800-252-9141.
Once the introductory period was over my bill increased $11.00 each month. I telephoned about the new rates and was informed that the year was over for the fixed rate and I was offered another rate that was about $5.00 more. I continued for a few more months and they never confirmed a credit card payment that I called in, so I canceled my subscription.
I will pick up the Sunday Los Angeles Times once every few weeks so I can get some coupons and read a bit about the city I reside in. The cover price is $1.50, and designated areas are higher. I have no idea what those areas are. You can go to your local corner store, grocery or drug store on Saturday afternoon and find the Sunday Los Angeles Times . It depends on which place you purchase the paper as to if coupons will be included prior to Sunday. The only change is the front page which will say Sunday Final .
For Sunday, March 11, 2001 there were 616 pages and Monday had 94 pages. I specifically picked up Monday paper for a story in the Health section profiling Autism. I could not believe the price is now fifty cents (.50) for a daily paper. The last time I purchased a daily paper it was thirty-five cents (.35). I actually picked up the Sunday paper on Monday and there was no difference in the price.
There are many communities in the City of Los Angeles and not all areas are covered in the Los Angeles Times since this paper is geared toward those who live on the westside. The Homes of Westside is an advertising supplement in Friday and Sunday’s papers. This consists of approximately 64 colored and white pages of estates for sale broken down into Real Estate Companies. There are always profiles of the highest seller for many of these companies and can be found by going to http://www.latimes.com/homes.
The Travel section is in Sunday’s paper with tips and tours, cruises and readers recommended places to visit. There are colored pictures and classified inside as well. You can find this by going to http://latimes.com/travel.
In the Metro found listed as Section B in both daily and Sunday edition there is the lottery, weather and obituaries. This will be some local police stories, like Rampart Division.
The Business section is C and found daily and on Sunday which covers the market roundup and key rates. This could be found at http://latimes.com/business. The Book in Review in the Sunday Edition covers about ten various books with a calendar of appearances for the coming week and the best sellers lists for hard cover and paperback in fiction and non-fiction.
The Sports section is daily and Sunday known as Section D also available by going to http://www.latimes.com/sports. Inside this section will be the adult type classified ads too. Everything from golf, horses, basketball, baseball and other sports both locally, nationally and college.
Section M is the Opinion available in the Sunday edition with analysis and times interviews. Westside Weekly is on Friday and Sunday with stories about happenings in Venice, Santa Monica, Culver City, Century City and the beach communities.
Section E is Southern California Living available weekdays and Sundays. The changes that took place over the past few years in this section contributed to my lack of interest in the paper and no longer subscribing. The columns have changed and the focus has gone from the family to alternative lifestyles being showcased throughout the paper more frequently. There is Ann Landers and Dear Abby plus the horoscope and the Kids Reading Room.
Calendar is Section F with the tv listings and reviews, art reviews, movie listings and letters. The Sunday edition is thicker and similar to the freebie La Weekly available on Thursdays around the Hollywood area and record and book stores. If you want to know more about the nightlife in Los Angeles the Calendar will have the clubs listed and who is playing.
The Classified appears every day and Sunday. There is a separate Career Opportunities with specific industries profiled during the week. You will find ticket centers, used appliances, general announcements, lost and found among this section. To place an advertisement, contact http://www.latimes.com/placead or call 1-800-234-4444 from the hours of 7am – 7 pm pacific time. To view the ads check out http://www.latimes.com/classifieds. The fax number is 1-800-234-4444 ext. 7315. The costs for internet only ads are as follows:
Recruitment, $175.00 for 30 days
Rentals, $35.00 for 7 days
Pets, $35.00 for seven days
For rates for autos for sale are $42.00 for 4 days with 3 lines
For merchandise it is $45.40 for 4 days with 3 lines
The Work Place is in the Sunday Edition and has the careers and managerial positions profiled and the listings from A-Z. This section has changed in the previous years and looks nicer. Their executive marketplace is found in Business on Wednesdays and Sundays.
The Real Estate Section is in Sunday. I like reading the letters in Ask the Inspector and Rental Roundtable. There is always a Hot Property, which is some celebrity selling their home and stories of who is buying this house or that estate.
The front page covers California and the Midwest, the Nation, The World in Brief and with the Race for Mayor some political ads and profiles of who is running.
Since I have a computer I prefer to just read the news online and can find what interests me elsewhere than picking up the Los Angeles Times. The city is so diverse in cultures and spread out with the Valley, westside, ocean communities or South Bay area, Hollywood and the Entertainment industry and downtown.
I do like reading it occasionally for specific stories that are of importance to me but for fifty cents a day when just a few years ago it was twenty-five cents. There is another paper called The Daily News that is geared for the Valley and I like their Sunday offerings better. While the Los Angeles Times Sunday edition has the Parade and the Los Angeles Times Magazine, the Daily News has the USA Weekend section with more family information in their life section.
The current rates for delivery are $2.50 a week, which is 44% off the regular newsstand prices. This offer expires June 2001. For credit card offers it is billed every eight weeks for 26 weeks. If you are interested in receiving just Sunday, the cost is $1.00 a week, a savings of 33% off newsstand price. You will occasionally receive a weekday paper at no additional cost.
The offer is SP002366/Sales Origin FM7 or call 1-800-252-9141. There was a time when Los Angeles had many newspapers and football teams but those days seem to have been long gone!
Recommended:
No
Describe the newspaper's political views: It is liberal
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
bonniesayers
|
 - Top 50 |
|
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 842
Trusted by: 1198 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.