GM Resumes Buying Advertising in The Times

General Motors Corp. has resumed corporate advertising in the Los Angeles Times more than three months after withdrawing its ads from the paper in a dispute over coverage of the company.

GM pulled its ads in April after a column by Times automotive critic Dan Neil called on the automaker to oust Chief Executive Rick Wagoner. At the time, GM executives said they had concerns beyond Neil’s column but declined to publicly air them.

Although corporate advertising was withheld, individual GM dealers were free to continue advertising in The Times, and many did so.

Times spokeswoman Martha Goldstein said Monday that the paper has “had productive conversations with GM, and while we didn’t see the need to run a correction, we listened to their concerns.” She declined to comment on the financial cost to the paper of the lost GM advertising.

GM spokesman Brian Akre said the automaker and Times executives “have respectfully agreed to disagree on some of the issues” that caused the rift. “We appreciate [The Times’] ongoing willingness to listen.”

Akre said the decision to resume advertising was made by GM’s Western region manager, Michael Jackson, “in line with our current newspaper strategy for the region.”

On Monday, the automaker ran a full-page ad trumpeting its 2006 Pontiac Solstice roadster.

The Times is owned by Chicago-based Tribune Co.