Times Names Three to Top-Level Editorial Positions

Investigative journalist Doug Frantz and Deputy Managing Editor Leo Wolinsky on Tuesday were named managing editors of the Los Angeles Times as part of top-level management changes by new Editor Dean Baquet.

Frantz and Wolinsky will share the No. 2 spot in the paper’s editorial department, which was left vacant when Baquet became editor in August after John Carroll retired.

In addition, Baquet elevated Deputy Managing Editor John Montorio, who oversees the paper’s features and entertainment sections, to associate editor.

“I wanted an aggressive way to address the issue of declining readership, to have someone focus on it,” Baquet said of the appointments. “And I wanted someone to run the newsroom day to day. For a newspaper of our scope and complexity, this would be enough work for more than one person.”

Frantz, The Times’ bureau chief in Istanbul, Turkey, will oversee the paper’s major news operations, including coverage of foreign, national, California, business, sports and science news. He will begin the transition to his new position immediately and become a full-time managing editor in November.

Wolinsky, who joined The Times in 1977, will continue to run the paper’s front-page operation and will assume responsibility for efforts to attract more readers and gain circulation. He will work with the entire Times organization to expand readership and oversee newsroom resources, including staffing and budgeting.

Montorio, in addition to continuing to manage the features sections, will be responsible for a variety of special news projects, including the development of more profiles in the main news section and improved coverage of trends.

All three editors will report to Baquet. The promotions come amid declining circulation and pressure from The Times’ parent company, Chicago-based Tribune Co., to cut costs.

Frantz, 56, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of several books, worked as a Times staff writer during the late 1980s and early 1990s before leaving for the New York Times, where he held several positions including investigations editor and reporter. He returned to the Los Angeles Times in early 2003.

Wolinsky, 56, joined The Times as a staff writer and has held several editing positions, including executive editor, managing editor of news and deputy managing editor, his current position. During the 1990s, Wolinsky headed the Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Los Angeles riots and the Northridge earthquake.

Montorio, 57, who joined The Times in 2001 after 15 years at the New York Times, launched the Home and Outdoors sections during his tenure and overhauled the Calendar, Food and Health sections.