The frothy L.A. craft beer industry has a new print publication, Beer Paper LA.
The free monthly paper was launched this year by Long Beach resident Aaron Carroll, who teaches English at Santa Ana College, and Rob Wallace, who works at L.A. coffee firm Farmer Bros. Carroll and Wallace together invested about $20,000 to launch the paper.
Carroll said he was inspired by underground music ’zines from the pre-Internet days. He had previously written about beer online, but felt a standalone craft beer newspaper would help connect brewers and fans, and help build a community in the face of L.A.’s sprawl.
“The main point is to expose people to more of what’s going on,” he said. “I started talking to friends in the industry and a lot of these businesses felt isolated.”
Carroll had frequented local breweries for years and in the process became friendly with owners at craft brew fixtures such as Beachwood BBQ in Long Beach.
But even as more brew shops popped up, Carroll noticed a lack of community. That notion was cemented when he attended a beer festival in San Diego last year and saw a more cohesive scene.
He was able to use the work of beer writers, including his girlfriend, Sarah Bennett, and Daniel Drennon, both of whom have written on beer for the LA Weekly. He also recruited John Michael Verive, who has written about beer for the Los Angeles Times. Carroll pays the writers, but acknowledged it’s not much.
The paper debuted in May. About 20,000 copies are printed at Southwest Offset Printing in Gardena and distributed to craft breweries and other locations in Southern California each month.
Carroll said revenue from ad buys from breweries, bars and restaurants allows the paper to break even.
He had planned to launch earlier, but put it off for about two years due to concerns that print publishing was no longer financially viable. He’s found the niche approach to be effective for selling ads.
“It’s hitting somewhere between 15,000 and 30,000 sets of eyes, and every one of them is interested in craft beer,” he said. “Advertisers can see the value in that.”
On Its Feet
When Time Warner Cable cut carriage of low-performing channels last year, the cable provider told arts channel Ovation of Santa Monica that it had lost its standing in the lineup.
At issue were low ratings and a lack of original programming.
After an overhaul at the channel, Time Warner announced last week that it is bringing Ovation back in January, giving it another chance to make the grade.
Chad Gutstein, chief operating officer at Ovation, said getting back on Time Warner is a vindication of the channel’s efforts.
“We continue to invest in our product,” Gutstein said. “We’re doing what we have done, and we’re doing more of it.”
In all, Ovation has promised Time Warner it will have 200 hours of arts programming next year, and more in the future.
The channel has ramped up production through its in-house Ovation Studios division. The unit has made shows such as “Art Of,” which looks at nontraditional art forms including tattoo work and graffiti. Its second season will premiere later this month.
New offerings include British series “A Young Doctor’s Notebook,” starring Jon Hamm, which debuted this month. It is based on a book from Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov. Also new to the channel will be “Fashion Fund,” a competition show featuring Anna Wintour that will debut in December, plus a forthcoming series with James Franco.
Other cable channels that were once focused on the arts, such as A&E and Bravo, have found success by shifting to reality shows and other pop-culture fare. Gutstein said that shift narrowed the competitive field for Ovation.
The channel is available in about 44 million households. Getting back on Time Warner, the second-largest cable provider in the country, will add millions more.
When severing ties with Ovation last year, Time Warner said in a statement that it had paid the channel more than $10 million in fees over the course of several years. Terms of the new carriage deal were not disclosed.
Comings and Goings
Vanessa Kromer was promoted to vice president of communications at L.A. venue operator Nederlander Concerts. … Thom Hinkle was hired as vice president of comedy for cable network TBS in Los Angeles. … Sportswriter Mark Heisler has departed the Los Angeles Times and has joined the Orange County Register.
Staff reporter Jonathan Polakoff can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 226.
