Ken Brusic

Ken Brusic has been appointed managing editor of the Orange County Register. He succeeds Tonnie Katz, who was earlier appointed editor. Brusic has been an assistant managing editor at the Register for two years.

Ken Brusic has been appointed managing editor of the Orange County Register. He succeeds Tonnie Katz, who was earlier appointed editor. Brusic has been an assistant managing editor at the Register for two years.

Early this year, Orange County Register executives approached officials at three local universities with an offer they couldn't resist - weekly, six-page sections packed with positive news about their schools. For $275,000 apiece, UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Chapman University were promised a half-page ad in each of 45 sections over the next year, along with feature stories, events coverage, personality profiles and other light fare produced by Register staffers. The schools jumped at what one UCI marketing official called "an exciting new partnership.

Orange County Register Editor Tonnie L. Katz has resigned from the Santa Ana-based newspaper to spend more time with her family, the company said. Katz, 57, had just concluded a four-month personal leave of absence when she announced her resignation on Friday. She joined the Register in 1988 as assistant managing editor and became managing editor a year later. She was tapped for the paper's top editorial position in 1992.

Citing a shortfall of more than $20 million in advertising revenue, the Orange County Register said Friday that it would offer voluntary buyouts to employees to help reduce its workforce. If enough people do not accept buyouts, layoffs will be likely, said N. Christian Anderson III, publisher and chief executive of the Santa Ana-based newspaper. He declined to specify the target savings and denied staff members' reports of $5 million to $8 million.

Facing steep declines in profit, the Orange County Register is laying off staff, reducing the amount of news in the paper and taking other steps to cut costs. Starting Thursday and continuing this week, staffers have been tapped on the shoulder and asked to leave. Management at the Register declined to comment Monday. Insiders estimated the number of layoffs would be 20 to 35. A dozen had already been laid off by Monday, including longtime reporters and a part-time artist.

Descendants of R.C. Hoiles, a onetime newspaper publisher whose brand of libertarianism was given voice in the Orange County Register and for decades helped define the character of a region, have agreed to put the company he founded up for sale. The decision to sell the Register and the other newspapers and television stations owned by Freedom Communications Inc. was announced Thursday and came after years of bickering among family members.