Bill Sing Is Named Times Business Editor

The Los Angeles Times on Thursday named Bill Sing business editor and appointed business columnist James Flanigan to the newly created post of senior economics editor.

Sing, who had been deputy business editor since 1991, succeeds Robert Magnuson, who was recently named president of the newspaper’s Orange County Edition and a vice president of The Times.

“Bill’s a first-rate journalist who brings a wealth of editorial leadership and savvy to this position,” said Shelby Coffey III, editor and executive vice president of The Times.

Sing, 38, said: “Our goal is to provide our readers with groundbreaking, riveting and compelling coverage. We plan to set the agenda on business issues and show readers how the economy, business and technology affect their lives.”

A 17-year veteran of The Times, Sing will now oversee the staff of 55 reporters and editors who produce the newspaper’s daily business coverage.

Before being named deputy business editor, Sing was one of the newspaper’s assistant business editors. Earlier, as a business reporter, he covered a variety of industries for The Times, including banking, personal finance, airlines and agriculture.

Sing is also a co-founder and past national president of the Asian American Journalists Assn. and a former vice chairman of the Task Force on Minorities in the Newspaper Business. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford University in 1979.

Flanigan, 60, is an award-winning columnist who will now advise The Times on ways to strengthen its economic coverage throughout the newspaper. He will continue to write two columns a week.

“Jim’s understanding of and unique perspective on business and economic issues will strengthen our coverage of these important issues throughout the paper,” said Michael Parks, The Times’ managing editor.

“Economics is a crucial part of every story, not only in Southern California, but nationwide and around the world,” Flanigan said. “We’re going to reflect that in the newspaper and tell our readers more about how they are affected by economic trends.”

After beginning his career as a reporter for the New York Herald Tribune, Flanigan served as bureau chief in several cities for Forbes magazine before joining The Times as a columnist in 1979. He returned to Forbes as assistant managing editor in 1980 and came back to The Times in 1983.

Flanigan, who has a bachelor’s degree in history and English from Manhattan College, won the columnists category of the John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism in 1988.