Los Angeles Times Courts ESPN’s Kevin Merida for Top Editor Role In Competitive Market (Exclusive)

The Los Angeles Times is courting Kevin Merida, the editor in chief of ESPN’s The Undefeated, for its open executive editor role, TheWrap has learned. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, his wife Michele B. Chan and their daughter Nika Soon-Shiong have spoken to Merida about the position and are keen on him to replace Norman Pearlstine, who stepped down in December, according to an individual with knowledge of the interaction. Members of the newsroom have also expressed their support for Merida, with at least seven reporters and editors personally contacting Merida to convince him to come to Los Angeles, according to the individual. The newsroom guild and members of the editorial staff previously requested that the new editor come from outside the paper, as TheWrap has reported, with the guild insisting that “a fresh perspective” was needed after a year of strife over conflicts including pay-to-play issues, harassment complaints and plagiarism. Also Read: The Los Angeles Times in Crisis: Stalled Subscriptions, Drowsy Leadership, Slack Channel Trash Talk (Exclusive) Advocates for Merida in the newsroom say they favor him because of his breadth of editorial experience, his combination of print and digital chops, his reputation and his affinity for Los Angeles. Merida,...

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