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Los Angeles Times to Publish Guide to Nation’s Largest Anime Trade Show

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LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2006 – The Los Angeles Times on June 25 will publish its first advertising supplement focusing on the internationally popular Japanese art forms of manga and anime: an exclusive 16-page guide to Anime Expo 2006, the largest trade show of its kind in the United States. The event will be held July 1-4 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The supplement was developed by The Times and PLAY magazine, one of the leading U.S. publications covering video gaming and anime. PLAY is providing all content for the expo guide. The Times will publish and distribute the guide to more than 1.2 million Sunday subscribers and retail customers, reaching 3.3 million readers in the newspaper’s five-county circulation area.

“Together, manga – black-and-white comics and print cartoons – and anime – color animation – are the fastest-growing genres in the U.S. publishing industry,” said Colin Thompson, Times senior manager, advertising development. “To satisfy growing reader demand, booksellers are devoting ever-increasing shelf space to accommodate these titles. For The Times, this represents an ideal opportunity to reach new and younger readers and the adults – parents and professionals alike – who are spurring this tremendous growth.”

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In response to growing reader interest in manga, The Times’ comics section introduced in January its first manga comic strip, “Peach Fuzz.” In July, it will launch a new manga strip, “Van Von Hunter.”

“Mainstream anime coverage in the U.S. is long overdue, so we’re beyond excited to be working with the Los Angeles Times on the Anime Expo guide,” said Dave Halverson, PLAY magazine editor-in-chief. “This year’s expo will showcase content that bridges the gap between what anime is perceived to be and what it really is: great animated entertainment for all ages.”

Halverson added that anime, like manga, also has made an impact on the U.S. market, with Showtime, HBO Family, 4Kids TV on Fox, Cartoon Network, Family Channel, Sci-Fi Channel, Starz Action and Nickelodeon regularly broadcasting anime series.

The Anime Expo 2006 guide will feature:

  • First Time at the Anime Expo? – Follow the evolution of manga and anime, from an exclusive, eclectic hobby to a burgeoning popular art form now popularized by American publishers and television.
  • What is Manga? – A basic overview of manga: its broad scope and universal appeal and comparison with American comics.
  • What is Anime? – Debunks common myths about anime and looks at how the art form mimics the advanced lighting and camera techniques of film and television.
  • Company Round-up – Profiles of the hottest domestic and international anime and manga companies, and the inside scoop on what each will unveil at the expo.
  • Artist Profile – CLAMP, a four-woman team of Japanese artists and writers, are the reigning international queens of anime, with more than 20 highly popular manga series published worldwide since 1989.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of nearly 2.2 million and about 3.3 million on Sunday. With its media businesses and affiliates – including latimes.com, TheEnvelope.com, Times Community Newspapers, Recycler Classifieds, Hoy, and California Community News – the Los Angeles Times reaches approximately 7.6 million or 58 percent of all adults in the Southern California marketplace every week.

The Los Angeles Times, which this year marks its 125th anniversary covering Southern California, is part of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB), one of the country’s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

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Contact:
Bill Bonner
213-237-6107
bill.bonner@latimes.com

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