‘Los Angeles Times’ ousts top leadership

Levinsohn to replace Maharaj as publisher

SAN FRANCISCO In a major shake-up for the Los Angeles Times, Tronc has ousted four top editors including editor and publisher Davan Maharaj and named veteran digital media executive Ross Levinsohn as its CEO and publisher as it pledges to invest more resources in accelerating the newspaper’s digital transformation.

“Ross is a visionary and innovative executive who is the ideal person to lead the Los Angeles Times into its next stage of growth. We believe his longstanding ties to Southern California and passion for news, coupled with his deep experience in technology and media, make him uniquely qualified to accelerate our growth across the entire company,” Justin Dearborn, CEO of Tronc, the parent company of the Los Angeles Times and eight other daily newspapers, said in a statement.

Levinsohn, 54, was interim CEO of Yahoo before the appointment of Marissa Mayer and at Fox was president of Fox Interactive Media. He also played a key role in the formation of online video streaming service Hulu.

He went on to serve as CEO of Guggenheim Digital Media, where he managed assets including The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. Most recently, Levinsohn was co-founder and a partner at Whisper Advisors, a media and technology advisory firm, and a senior adviser at Boston Consulting Group.

The Los Angeles Times could present one of his biggest challenges yet. He inherits the stewardship of one of the nation’s most prized journalistic enterprises that has won prestigious awards for its reporting while struggling to compete in the digital world.

Levinsohn was a director of Tribune Co. and remains on the board of Tribune Media. Tronc, formerly Tribune Publishing, was created in 2014 when the Tribune Co. split into two. Television stations are now part of Tribune Media Co.

“I am honored and humbled to lead this world-class media enterprise,” Levinsohn said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the talented teams to expand our footprint, advance Tronc’s digital transformation and further cement our role as a trusted source of news and information.”

Jim Kirk, who was publisher and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Sun-Times until Tronc hired him this month, was named interim executive editor and will work with Levinsohn in the search for a new editor in chief, the company said.

Maharaj had worked at the Los Angeles Times for 28 years. He was named publisher in 2016 in addition to his role as top editor.

Also leaving are managing editor Marc Duvoisin; Megan Garvey, deputy editor for digital; and Matt Doig, assistant managing editor of investigations.

MIKE NELSON, EPA The Los Angeles Times said Monday that it is replacing four of its editors.