Baquet quits as editor of LA Times

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Dean Baquet announced Tuesday he is resigning as editor of the Los Angeles Times.

Baquet sent an e-mail to editorial employees confirming the news, the Wall Street Journal reported. He remained at the newspaper after Jeff Johnson was forced out as publisher last month.

Both Johnson and Baquet refused demands earlier this year by the Tribune Co., which owns the Times, for deep cuts in staffing.

"Believe me, I didn't want it to come out this way," Baquet said in his e-mail.

The Tribune Co. -- which also owns the Chicago Tribune and Newsday, as well as several TV stations and the Chicago Cubs -- is trying to sell off its assets.

Three Los Angeles business tycoons have each suggested interest in buying the Times -- David Geffen, who made his fortune in entertainment; Eli Broad, a real-estate king; and Ron Burkle, who got rich in supermarkets.