Editor, reporter join arts and entertainment staff

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Assistant Managing Editor Sallie Hoffmeister and Arts and Entertainment Editor Craig Turner have announced two additions to the arts and entertainment staff:

Randall Roberts has joined the arts and entertainment group as pop music editor, overseeing the popular Pop & Hiss blog and coverage of the fast-evolving recording industry, the vibrant local scene of bands and hit-makers, and national and international artists from country and jazz to hip-hop, pop and rock ‘n’ roll. Randall, who will start March 15, comes to us from LA Weekly, where, as music editor for the last three years, he established the paper as a rollicking authority on local music both online and in print through a freelance network as well as with his own blog posts, stories and columns. Randall moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis, where he spent nine years as music editor, then a staff writer and beat reporter at the city’s alternative weekly. A 2009 USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism fellow, Randall’s articles on music, history, food and cocktails have been honored by the Assn. of Food Journalists, the James Beard Foundation, the National Assn. of Black Journalists and the L.A. Press Club.

Jori Finkel will join the staff to cover art and architecture, beginning April 5. Jori is an experienced arts reporter who since 2005 has covered the Southern California art scene as a freelancer for the New York Times and as contributing editor for Art + Auction magazine, where she previously worked as senior editor in New York. She has taught at Stanford University and the Otis College of Art and Design, and she has lectured at art fairs and museums on topics ranging from Dada and Surrealism to the contemporary art market. In her new assignment, she will illuminate the Los Angeles art scene, which is among the most dynamic and closely watched in the world, and keep readers updated on national and international art trends. In addition, Jori will cover the politics, personalities and economics of museums and galleries.