Robservations: Jim Kirk returning to L.A. Times as editor-in-chief

Jim Kirk

Robservations on the media beat:

Ten days after Jim Kirk was named interim editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News, he’s being tapped to return to Los Angeles to become editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times, sources said Sunday. Tronc, Chicago-based owner of both newspapers (as well as the Chicago Tribune) will announce Monday that the seasoned Chicago journalist and media executive will replace Lewis D’Vorkin, who became L.A. Times editor in October. D'Vorkin, who’s been the target of staff complaints and the subject of highly critical stories, will shift to a new role as chief content officer of tronc. Kirk joined tronc in August as senior vice president of strategic initiatives after five years as publisher and editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times. Until his brief move to the Daily News, he had been interim executive editor of the L.A. Times.

Richard Roeper

Not all of Richard Roeper’s 226,000-plus Twitters followers are real. The veteran Sun-Times columnist and critic was identified in a New York Times story Sunday among celebrities and other prominent people who have bought followers from a company linked to a "black market" of bogus accounts. Just last week the Sun-Times announced it was bringing back Roeper as a news columnist in addition to his role as film critic. Roeper declined to comment.

Pamela Jones

Pamela Jones, former reporter at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2, is the newest voice on news/talk WGN AM 720. Jones just joined the Tribune Broadcasting station as Sunday afternoon news anchor and a key fill-in anchor/reporter, according to Todd Manley, station manager and vice president of content and programming. In 2015 Jones was not renewed after 10 years at CBS 2. The graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism also worked for CLTV and stations in Omaha, Nebraska, and Columbia, Missouri.

Friday’s best comment: Bill K. Walsh: Bringing Roeper back with Mitchell, Brown, Steinberg and Sneed is like buying a luxury liner and bringing the crew from the Titanic back to helm the ship. Of course the Sun Times, after their great journalism sold for a dollar. Ponder please.