LA Times X’s Out Brand X But Expands Community Coverage to Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel

The Los Angeles Times is pulling the plug on Brand X, a website and print insert with event and cultural coverage aimed at young adult readers.

Today marks the final print version of Brand X, while the website will cease to exist after July 8.

Some good news for Brand X editors and photographers who now have to polish up their resumes: the Times Community News (TCN) empire is expanding, with new papers coming to Aliso Viejo, Laguna Niguel and Pasadena.
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Since Brand X moved last year from the daily's feature department to
TCN, the website's writers and photographers may already share break-room
coffee with their potential new bosses.

Kevin Roderick at LA Observed shares the Los Angeles Times Media Group memo sent to employees:

Colleagues:
Having local, community-based reporting in the mix of news and
information we deliver continues to be of great importance. As is our
need to regularly assess our portfolio to ensure our editorial and
advertiser solutions are connecting as intended. As a result, we are
rolling out plans for Times Community News' (TCN) second expansion of
the year and ceasing publication of Brand X.

TCN's Glendale News-Press, Burbank Leader, La Cañada Valley Sun,
Huntington Beach Independent, Daily Pilot, Coastline Pilot (Laguna
Beach) and Sunday News-Press & Leader (Glendale, Burbank) have
proven to be community news leaders and go-to marketing solutions for
area advertisers. Together with The Times, they are providing in-depth
local coverage across Southern California and greatly extending LATMG's
overall reach and depth.

This is an area of growth and success we can celebrate. The Los Angeles
Press Club recently honored The Times' Jeff Gottlieb, Ruben Vives and
Team Bell with its first-ever Public Service Award and TCN's Editor Dan
Evans received nominations in both the Journalist of the Year category
for the Glendale News-Press and for his Burbank Leader column this week.
It is clear; we are delivering on our commitment to being Southern
California's number one source for news and information.

TCN's expansion will bring its roster to nine titles, including the
following additions:

• Pasadena Sun: a new Friday publication featuring political,
  sports and public safety news debuting August 5th.
  

• Sunday Valley Sun: a new publication combining La Cañada's
  Valley Sun and the new Pasadena Sun to serve both communities with a
  Sunday edition beginning August 7th.
  

•   Coastline Pilot: currently serving Laguna Beach, it will
  expand its distribution and coverage to include Laguna Niguel and Aliso
  Viejo beginning Friday, August 12th.

Brand X is a product we should all be proud of, and look to as an
excellent example of LATMG trying new things. However, it did not find
the right level of success. In order to invest our resources in areas
of development, today's print edition will be the last and
thisisbrandx.com will shut down on July 8th. Our Brand X talent will
transition into similar roles elsewhere in the company.
These changes reflect our market leadership and entrepreneurial spirit.