Tribune Co. fires LA Times publisher

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The publisher of the Los Angeles Times was fired Thursday, several weeks after he refused to draw up a budget that would include drastic staff cuts.

Scott Smith, president of the Tribune Publishing Co., named David Hiller, currently publisher of the Chicago Tribune, to replace Jeff Johnson, The New York Times reported.

"Jeff and I agreed that this change is best at this time because Tribune and Times executives need to be aligned on how to shape our future," Smith said in a statement.

Dean Baquet -- the LA Times' editor who went public with Johnson on Tribune's call for cuts -- agreed to stay. Staffers suggested that he believes he can convince the new publisher cuts should not be as deep as the company demanded.

Janet Clayton, another editor, announced Johnson's departure to LA Times employees in a brief memo.

"Sorry to tell you that we are told that Jeff Johnson is out as publisher of The Los Angeles Times," Clayton said.