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L.A. Times publisher Eddy Hartenstein and USC just jointly announced that next year's Festival of Books will be moving from UCLA, where it started and was held for 15 years. "After 15 years on the Westside, we are very excited to move the Festival of Books to its beautiful new home and have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with USC to ensure we grow bigger and better in the future," Hartenstein says in the release. “Attendees and exhibitors can expect more to see, do and experience in addition to great access and a refreshing change of scenery.” I was somewhat privvy to the negotiations between the Times and UCLA over this past April's festival, and they were especially contentious given the desire of both the paper and the university to cut costs. Only time will tell if the crowds follow the festival to USC. Hartenstein's memo to the newsroom is after the jump.
Added: Times' early story
* UCLA says: "Disappointed but not surprised to learn today that the Los Angeles Times was ending the partnership...Before this year’s event, the newspaper expressed a desire to increase profits from the event and reduce costs. At the same time, UCLA expressed concern about subsidizing the event...This year, UCLA provided $176,000 in services and funding to help stage the festival...At the time of the newspaper’s announcement about a venue change, UCLA and The Times were engaged in negotiations on a contract regarding the 2011 festival." Full statement
Sent: Wednesday, September 22, 2010 12:58 PM
To: zzTrbAllHandsLAT; zzMediaGroups
Subject: Festival of Books Announcement
Dear colleagues -
We’ve got very exciting news to share with you today. Our next Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held at USC’s University Park Campus, marking a change of venue and geography as we head into our 16th year of bringing Southern California the largest public literary festival in the country.
Please feel free to check latimes.com, which just broke the news, and we’ve also included the press release below.
eddy
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books’ 2011 Change of Address
Moves to University of Southern California Campus in the Heart of L.A.'s Downtown Arts and Education Corridor
LOS ANGELES, September 22, 2010 — The Los Angeles Times and the University of Southern California today announced that the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, one of the Southland’s most cherished and engaging weekend celebrations, will kick off its 16th storied year in a brand new home at USC's University Park Campus April 30-May 1, 2011. Angelenos of all ages interested in famous authors, celebrity appearances, speaker panels, superstar chefs and local musicians will have something extra special to look forward as the celebration debuts downtown.
“After 15 years on the Westside, we are very excited to move the Festival of Books to its beautiful new home and have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with USC to ensure we grow bigger and better in the future,’ said Times Publisher Eddy Hartenstein. “Attendees and exhibitors can expect more to see, do and experience in addition to great access and a refreshing change of scenery.”
“We are thrilled that the Festival has a new home here,” said C. L. Max Nikias, president of USC. “The Times Festival of Books is known for sparking just the kind of intellectual curiosity and energy that are at the heart of USC’s mission. The Festival is a great fit for our world-class faculty authors and writing programs, as well as for our literacy work in the community. USC and the Los Angeles Times are two of the oldest institutions in Los Angeles, and it's fitting that we would be joining together for this event that is so important to the intellectual life of Southern California."
The move allows for increased attendance due to USC’s central location, proximity to public transportation, abundant parking and newly enhanced campus facilities. The Times and the university will work together to best utilize the University Park Campus to expand programming, provide exhibitors and sponsors with the benefit of more usable space for activation and offer sampling, pouring and concession opportunities. The Festival of Books was previously held on UCLA’s campus in Westwood.
Last year, more than 140,000 people enjoyed the nation’s largest public literary festival, where over 400 authors blended with hundreds of exhibitors representing booksellers, publishers, literacy and cultural organizations. Poetry, mystery, politics, Young Adult, comic book, graphic novel and manga all flavor the Festival’s author readings, book signings, intimate Q&A’s, comedy, children’s activities and more. The free-to-the-public event delivers an exciting and diverse celebration of all the written word inspires.
General event information can be found at latimesfestivalofbooks.com. Information is also available on the Festival of Books Facebook Fan Page and through the official Twitter stream (@latimesfob).
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About the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was created in 1996 to promote literacy, celebrate the written word, and bring together those who create books with the people who love to read them. Between 130,000 and 140,000 people attend the event annually.
General event information is available online at latimesfestivalofbooks.com or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK. Detailed speaker and event information will be provided in the official festival program, to be published in the Los Angeles Times in April 2011.
About the Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times (http://latimes.com) is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 2 million and 3 million on Sunday, and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.5 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 128 years and the fast-growing latimes.com draws more than 10 million unique visitors monthly.
The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates also include The Envelope (http://theenvelope.com), Times Community Newspapers (http://www.latimes.com/about/mediagroup/portfolio/#timescommunitynews), LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine (http://latimes.com/magazine), Brand X (http://thisisbrandx.com) and Hoy Los Angeles (http://vivelohoy.com) which, combined with the flagship Los Angeles Times, reach approximately 5.4 million or 40% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News as well as Tribune Direct’s west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country’s leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at http://latimes.com/aboutus.
About the University of Southern California
Established in 1880, the University of Southern California is one of the world’s leading private research universities. The university is the largest private employer in Los Angeles -- with more than 21,000 employees, and an annual economic impact of nearly $5 billion. USC enrolls 35,000 students at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels, and hosts more international students than any other U.S. university. With a strong tradition of integrating liberal and professional education, USC fosters a vibrant culture of public service and encourages students to cross academic as well as geographic boundaries in their pursuit of knowledge. There are nearly 300,000 living alumni in the Trojan Family. While nearly three-quarters of them live in California, USC alumni can be found in positions of leadership all over the world.