Tribune rolling out local city sites

Cory Bergman July 10th, 2007

Tribune just took the wraps off LosAngeles.Metromix.com, a “fresh and dynamic new site for young and socially active Angelenos looking for the latest in pop culture, local trends and the newest spots to hit on the scene.” New York is next, and Tribune plans to roll out similar sites across all of its newspaper markets. You may recognize the Metromix brand — it launched in Chicago a decade ago, and Metromix sites already exist in Orlando and Baltimore. (Via PaidContent). Press release follows below the screen grab…

LOS ANGELES, July 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Los Angeles Times Media Group today announced the launch of Metromix http://losangeles.metromix.com/, a hip, fresh and dynamic new site for young and socially active Angelenos looking for the latest in pop culture, local trends and the newest spots to hit on the scene. Through a searchable database of up-to-the-minute entertainment listings, user-generated content and edgy coverage of the city’s hottest new restaurants, bars & clubs, events, music, movies, TV and style scenes, Metromix helps answer that burning question: “What are you doing tonight?” Headed by editor Deborah Vankin, who has spent much of her career covering LA’s food, nightlife and shopping scenes, Metromix features a distinctly LA-centric point-of-view from a staff that includes the area’s top tastemakers and leading experts.

“Our database is deep and current, with nearly 7,000 listings for LA restaurants, bars and clubs, as well as reviews, features, neighborhood guides, trend pieces, blogs and video tours,” said Vankin. “We have an incredible team of writers-editors who not only know the scene, but are very much of it and will provide true insider coverage — on everything from underground art events to off-the-radar sample sales to how best to get past the ubiquitous velvet rope.”

The Metromix editorial team includes:

— Deborah Vankin, Editor - Formerly both Restaurants and Books Editor at
LA Weekly and Senior Lifestyle Editor at Variety, Vankin was also a
freelance arts and lifestyle writer for the New York Times, Los Angeles
Times and Swink Magazine.
— Alexandra LeTellier, Manging Editor and Bars/Clubs Editor - Formerly
managing editor at LA.com where she also covered bars and clubs,
LeTellier was a celebrity reporter for In Touch Weekly and professes to
have frequented every bar and club in LA.
— Alie Ward, Events Editor - For the past eight years, Ward has immersed
herself in LA’s art and music scene as a former freelance columnist for
LA Weekly and contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She claims to
attend 2.7 events per night.
— Scott T. Sterling, Music Editor - Born in Detroit and raised on
everything from Motown to Iggy Pop, Sterling has covered music for the
Los Angels Times, LA Weekly, Details, BPM, Remix, Surface, Sweater,
Code and URB.
— Jiyeon Yoo, Restaurants Editor - As a former freelance lifestyle writer
for Los Angeles Magazine, Yoo recently maintained a fashion blog as
editor for RevolveClothing.com.
— Caroline Ryder, Freelance Style Editor - As a London transplant living
in LA, Ryder brings a Euro-chic perspective on fashion and has covered
style, art and music for LA Weekly, URB, Swindle, Angeleno and The Book
L.A.

“Metromix is an exciting, new online addition to our portfolio of products, directly engaging younger users and local advertisers in a targeted way,” said Robertson Barrett, general manager of latimes.com and vice president of the Los Angeles Times Media Group. “With this launch, we’re bringing L.A. an intuitive search engine and great writing by some of the best young talent in town.”

This week’s launch of Metromix in Los Angeles and New York is part of Tribune Company’s plan to expand the web site across all of its newspaper markets. Metromix has been a staple of Chicago’s entertainment scene for the past decade, capturing the highest online engagement among local entertainment guides, per comScore, has been recognized with numerous awards including the EPpy Award for Best Entertainment Site and the Digital Edge Award for Best Advertising Program and is also available in Orlando and Baltimore.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 2.2 million and 3.3 million on Sunday. The Los Angeles Times and its media businesses and affiliates — including latimes.com, The Envelope/theenvelope.com, Times Community Newspapers, Recycler Classifieds, Hoy, and California Community News — reach approximately 8.1. million or 62% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times, has been covering Southern California for over 125 years and is part of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB - News), one of the country’s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at http://www.latimes.com/mediacenter.