Dan Neil Column to Debut Sunday in Los Angeles Times Magazine

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24, 2005 - Dan Neil, the first automobile critic to win a Pulitzer Prize, adds his unique voice to the Los Angeles Times Magazine in a new column, “800 Words,” debuting on Sunday. Neil, who continues to write his “Rumble Seat” column for The Times’ Highway 1 section, will write about pop culture for the magazine.

“We are pleased that Dan will expand his contributions to the newspaper by writing a weekly column for the magazine,” said John Montorio, Los Angeles Times deputy managing editor. “He will apply his lively, fresh voice to the arts and pop culture, emphasizing connections – high and low, avant-garde and old guard, ancient and modern.”

The addition of Neil is the first of more changes coming to the magazine in 2005.”We recently announced that Rick Wartzman, who has successfully led our business staff since 2002, has been appointed editor of the magazine. Initially, Rick will focus his attention on a thorough rethinking and retooling of the magazine in preparation for a formal relaunch later this year,” added Montorio.

Neil was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2004. Before joining The Times in 2003, Neil wrote for automotive, travel, arts and sports magazines and at several newspapers. He earned an M.A. degree in English literature from North Carolina University and a B.A. degree in creative writing from East Carolina University.

Prior to his appointment as Times business editor, Wartzman was on The Wall Street Journal staff for nearly 15 years. He edited feature stories for The Journal, wrote a monthly column and was the founding editor of The Journal’s weekly California edition. Recently, he and The Times’ Mark Arax co-authored the book, “The King of California: J.G. Boswell and the Making of A Secret American Empire.” Wartzman earned a B.S. degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

The Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing company, is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country and the winner of 35 Pulitzer Prizes, including five in 2004 – the second-largest yearly total in the history of the awards. The Times publishes five daily regional editions including the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange and Ventura counties, the San Fernando Valley, and an Inland Empire edition covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties as well as a National edition. Additional information about The Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

Contact:

Martha Goldstein
213-237-3727
martha.goldstein@latimes.com