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That four-page ad for Universal's King Kong attraction in the Los Angeles Times this morning really drove the Los Angeles County Board of Supevisors, well, ape. All five elected supervisors signed a protest letter that calls on the Times to "stop selling its front pages to advertisers, especially in such an offensive and alarming manner. The cost of this distasteful practice to the people of Los Angeles County is far greater than any short-term gains by the Tribune Company." The letter, which originated with Mark Ridley-Thomas, is addressed to Sam Zell. It's pretty bad when the Supervisors, who are usually the ones shirking their duty, feel the need to lecture the Times about its duty: "Today's mock section makes a mockery of the paper's mission." The whole thing is after the jump.
* Response: Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein is quoted in a blog item posted at 10:38 p.m. on the LAT website: "The Universal Studios Hollywood ad wrapping Thursday’s LATExtra section met our advertising guidelines, including a large, red ‘advertisement’ notification on top of the page,” he said. “Our readers understand the ad-supported economic model of our business, which allows us to provide the outstanding journalism they rely upon 24/7.” Nothing yet from the paper's Readers' Representative.
