Tribune's reassertion of control over The Times appeared to put a damper on hopes by some in Los Angeles that the paper could be returned to local ownership.
Beginning more than a year ago, three Los Angeles-based magnates -- entertainment mogul David Geffen, supermarket investor Ron Burkle and philanthropist Eli Broad -- said they would be interested in buying The Times.
Several prominent civic leaders said they were concerned about Johnson's ouster and the hardening of the Chicago company's position against a sale. The changes at the paper "just add to the anxiety and worry here," said Antonia Hernandez, president of the California Community Foundation, one of the region's largest charitable groups.
The wider journalism community also expressed concern about changes at The Times.
"We have gone from a business model where there were some preserves for the public interest ... to one where it's ever more driven by Wall Street and the bottom line," said Orville Schell, dean of UC Berkeley's graduate journalism school.
Johnson's ouster brought The Times' newsroom to a standstill. Reporters and editors knew Johnson could be in trouble but had hoped he might survive at least until Tribune resolved the larger questions about the future of the corporation.
"The staff is universally upset about Jeff Johnson's firing," said Sue Horton, an editor for The Times' California section. "Every member of the staff I've spoken to is understandably nervous. We all know that Dean has drawn a line he won't cross with regard to cuts."
The announcement of the top-level changes came relatively late in the trading day on Wall Street. Tribune shares closed down 9 cents at $32.88.
Although Johnson's fight with Tribune came to a head over proposals to cut newsroom staff, the dispute was more deeply seated -- in a clash of cultures between the Los Angeles paper and its Chicago parent.
Previous managers in Los Angeles had complained about being micromanaged and hemmed in by their Midwestern bosses. Tribune insiders protested that The Times was flabby and in need of tighter management, even if it did produce award-winning journalism.
Several people inside the company drew parallels between Johnson and his predecessor, John P. Puerner. Both were sent to The Times as publishers after distinguished careers at Tribune and both grew to love the paper, which earned 11 Pulitzer prizes during Puerner's tenure. Both grew weary of repeated rounds of budget cutting, leading some inside Tribune to see them as "going native."
