TO OUR READERS

We are announcing today our decision to discontinue publication of Our Times. This was a difficult decision that we reviewed very carefully before concluding for both journalistic and financial reasons to cease publication, effective immediately.

When the Los Angeles Times announced this initiative about two years ago, it was hoped that Our Times would attract the readership and advertising to make them financially successful. That did not happen, and now we have decided to refocus our resources and attention on building the core newspaper as Southern California’s foremost source of in-depth local and regional news.

We also are moving to make significant improvements in other parts of the newspaper. These include the recently launched Work Place section, published every Sunday, and the upcoming Tech Times section that will highlight personal technology and related issues each Thursday. Extensive changes in section B, which covers local and regional news, are being planned for early 2001.

We thank you, our readers, who supported the Our Times local news supplements in the West County, Simi Valley-Moorpark and the Conejo Valley. We assure you that we will continue to work hard to provide strong city and countywide coverage in meeting our responsibility to you as our region’s leading newspaper.

JOHN PUERNER

Publisher, Los Angeles Times

JOHN S. CARROLL

Editor, Los Angeles Times