This post told you about the abrupt shutdown of OCLNN (Orange County Local News Network), an online local news generator for the Los Angeles Times that lasted but four months.
And this post told you some of the dirty details about the way full-time staffers were informed of their sudden unemployment.
But OCLNN also relied on several freelance contributors. After the jump is the Dear John letter they received–electronically, of course.
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From: Chris Jennewein <Ch*************@sd**.com>
Cc: Barbara Bry <bb**@sd**.com>
Sent: Mon, May 24, 2010 2:56:09 PM
Subject: OCLNN to Cease Operations
Dear Colleagues,
I'm sorry to have to tell you that the Orange County Local News Network
has been forced to cease operations effective immediately. Barbara Bry
and I met with the full-time staff earlier this afternoon.
Thank you all for doing a superb job supporting the site over the past
four months.
If you have any outstanding invoices, please forward them to my
attention as soon as possible.
Please let Barbara or me know if we can help in any way.
Chris
—
Chris Jennewein
President
U.S. Local News Network
8253 Ronson Road
San Diego, CA 92111
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.