It's hard to believe, but Eddy Hartenstein, who spearheaded the creation of DirecTV, will be the LA Times' new publisher.
I interviewed Hartenstein a few years ago after he had retired from DirecTV. He was personable, articulate and forthright. Maybe he'll make a good publisher. I don't know.
One thing is for sure, Hartenstein is ambitious and a risk-taker. That's probably what's needed to revive the flagging LA Times as well as the rest of the newspaper industry.
Below is a short AP piece on Hartenstein.
(AP) -- The Los Angeles Times is getting a new publisher.The paper's Web site says Eddy Hartenstein -- the former head of DirecTV -- will assume the post on Monday.
He'll be taking over at a newspaper that has cut hundreds of positions as it struggles with falling circulation and declining ad revenues.
The former publisher, David Hiller, resigned last month on the same day that Chicago-based Tribune Co., which owns the Times, began implementing more staff cutbacks.
Hartenstein, who has no newspaper publishing experience, will be the Times' fourth publisher since Tribune acquired it in 2000.
Hartenstein was chairman and CEO of DirecTV from 2001 to 2004.
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