Tronc’s typos

Word that Chicago-based tronc, owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune, wants to get into the celebrity news business by buying supermarket glossy Us Weekly from Rolling Stone publisher Wenner Media for $90 million, has not gone over particularly well at tronc-owned Los Angeles Times, which prefers to take a higher brow approach to show-business journalism.

The putative acquisition may also cause discomfort at the U-T, which saw its editorial staff shrink by another seven positions last month, barely a week after tronc CEO Justin Dearborn stated at an investors conference that the company would “attrit” its worker ranks companywide. But tronc is currently hiring over at the Del Mar Times, one of the U-T's satellite papers purchased by Tribune Publishing (now tronc) in May 2015 as part of its $85 million Union-Tribune takeover deal with local Republican kingpin and hotel developer Doug Manchester.

“Make your mark at the award-winning weekly Del Mar Times,” says a typo-filled job notice for a reporter recently posted online. “We are seeking a full-time reporter for our Solano beach [sic] location.” The successful candidate must be able to “connect with the community through storytelling and outreach with the ablity [sic] to turn out at least six thru [sic] seven stories a week,” and be “comfortable covering various council, school board, and government meetings.” A “college degree in journalism” or “2-3 years of journalism, reporter or editorial experience” is also required. In addition, “the ability to shoot story-telling photos is a must.” The not-so-good news: “This is a fulltime position that pay [sic] $15/hr.”