L.A.'s Jewish Journal gets boost with provocative articles, big donations

Few newspapers or magazines escaped 2009 without losses, and the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles suffered like many others.

Operators of the weekly news outlet trimmed staff. They cut salaries 20%. Still, they worried whether the Journal — chronicler of a variety of topics including Torah portions, sexual mores, Mideast politics and entertainment industry chatter — would make it to its 25th anniversary next year.

But by banking hard on two of the most robust growth trends in 21st century media — niche journalism and philanthropy — the Jewish Journal appears to have extended its life expectancy and expanded its coverage of Jewish life in Southern California.

If the experience holds lessons for other ethnic and religious-oriented publishers, it's that you can do good by being good. But it's just as important to have a business plan, friends in the right places and a target audience with a lot of disposable income.

The Journal, its related website and a nascent monthly magazine recently nailed down a critical $800,000 donation that should rejuvenate the organization and guarantee its viability for the foreseeable future.

The money came from four philanthropists — Westfield mall Chief Executive Peter Lowy, Internet executive and venture capitalist Art Bilger, cooking oil maker and long-time Journal board member Irwin Field and a fourth, anonymous, donor.

Read James Rainey's full column here.

Photo credit: Jewish Journal

Comments

[John E McCue]

Still, I am in shock on how some of the Jewish press attacked the University of California, Irvine after a group of Muslim students, and perhaps Muslims that were not students, in a mean spirited way, disrupted a talk by a Jewish ambassador.
It was like attacking the family of a mentally ill criminal, which family was already in shock about the behavior of one of their members. It was like watching idiots at a place where scholars were supposed to be.
Then for reporters to show them self to be the intellectual equal of Glen Beck or Sarah Palin was a bit much.

[ladyofargonne]

Quentin Tarantino? They went from stodgy to jerk?

[ABG]

Yes, it's so hard to figure out how students who repeatedly yell and scream a bunch of racial canards at a political figure brought to campus for a presentation of thoughts, experiences, and opinions can be considered tramplers of the 1st Amendment.