6 lagunabeachindy . com JULY 5 , 2024
HOME
By LB Indy Staff
Arizona-based Times Media Group ( TMG ) has acquired Firebrand Media as of July 1 .
Firebrand Media is the publisher of the Laguna Beach Independent , the Newport Beach Independent and the Coast Real Estate Guide , as well as regional publications Laguna Beach Magazine and Newport Beach Magazine .
“ I couldn ’ t be more thrilled to add the Firebrand team and its great products to Times Media Group ,” said Steve Strickbine , TMG ’ s founder and president in a release . “ Firebrand ’ s commitment to excellence and good journalism makes them a perfect fit for partnering and moving forward with our overall growth plans . Add to that the custom publishing arm of their business , and Firebrand introduces a whole new set of opportunities for us to bring value to our advertisers and readers .”
Steve Zepezauer , the founder and general partner of Firebrand Media , will join TMG as its director of custom publishing . Zepezauer has lived in Orange County for more than 20 years , launched Laguna Beach Magazine in 2007 and acquired the Laguna Beach Independent in 2009 . Shortly after , he launched the Newport Beach Independent , the Coastal Real Estate Guide and other custom publishing projects . “ Hyper-local journalism and targeted , branded content is at the core of everything we do ,”
said Zepezauer .
Times Media Group , based in Tempe , Ariz ., owns more than 35 weekly publications in Arizona and California . In August of 2023 , it acquired Picket Fence Media , home of the Dana Point Times , San Clemente Times and Capistrano Dispatch .
“ Every week , more than a million readers in communities large and small turn to our pages and websites for the news and happenings in the neighborhood they call home ,” Strickbine said . “ Ten years ago , I never would have imagined we ’ d grow to have such a large footprint and so many loyal readers . We are honored to be the stewards of that trust as a true source for news in a rapidly changing media environment .”
theIndyPoll
LAST WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Do you think downtown businesses could find the city ’ s new beautification incentives beneficial ? - Yes 65 % ( 13 votes ) - No 35 % ( 7 votes )
TOTAL VOTES : 20
JOIN OUR LAGUNA LOCALS LIST !
Get your news alerts , events , and community updates
Insert email address
SCAN QR CODE
THIS WEEK ’ S QUESTION
Is pedestrian safety a concern in Laguna Beach ? - Yes - No
SIGN UP
TO VOTE , VISIT THE POLL TAB AT LAGUNABEACHINDY . COM . SUBMIT POLL QUESTIONS TO CLARA @ FIREBRANDMEDIAINC . COM .
The LagunaBeachIndy . com poll is conducted using Crowd Signal polling software . To minimize fraudulent entries and votes , the software is set to block duplicate votes by cookie and IP address . While we cannot control users who change locations and use separate devices on different networks , this measure is the most stringent way to deter participants from voting multiple times . No polling software available online can block all attempts at fraudulent voting , as there are ways around most blocking methods . For this reason , we can ’ t fully verify the accuracy of this poll . Language from Crowd Signal ’ s software settings : Voting in a poll is rate limited by IP , even when no blocking is enabled . This means that a large number of votes coming from a single Internet address will trigger a cooldown block to help prevent cheating . Sometimes this is tripped by many people at one location ( for example in schools and offices ) voting in a short period of time .
Staff
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Clara Beard clara @ firebrandmediainc . com
DESIGN
DESIGN DIRECTOR Tracy Powell
SALES
ADVERTISING SALES TEAM Carol Josepher Chris Mattingley Adrienne Kruse Mara Hertel
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION MANAGER Tina Leydecker tina @ firebrandmediainc . com
ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION : Tel : 949 715-4100 ; Fax : 949 715-4106
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Tiffany Thompson
MAILING ADDRESS :
900 Glenneyre St ., Suite B Laguna Beach , CA 92651 Tel : 949-715-4100 ; Fax : 949 715-4106 www . lbindy . com
A publication of
PUBLISHER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Steve Zepezauer
CREATIVE & MARKETING DIRECTOR Tracy Powell
PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING Scott Sanchez
CITY HALL MEETINGS :
July 9 - Laguna Beach City Council meeting at 5 p . m . July 10 - Administrative Design Review Meeting at 3 p . m .
HOW TO CONTACT THE CITY COUNCIL OUR LETTER POLICY
Sue Kempf Mayor skempf @ lagunabeachcity . net
DESIGN REVIEW BOARD
Alex Rounaghi Mayor Pro Tem arounaghi @ lagunabeachcity . net
SECOND AND FOURTH THURSDAYS , 5 PM LOUIS WEIL : lweil @ lagunabeachcity . net KRISTINE THALMAN : kthalman @ lagunabeachcity . net DON SHERIDAN : dsheridan @ lagunabeachcity . net JESSICA GANNON : jgannon @ lagunabeachcity . net TOM GIBBS : tgibbs @ lagunabeachcity . net
George Weiss Council member gweiss @ lagunabeachcity . net
Bob Whalen Council member bwhalen @ lagunabeachcity . net
PLANNING COMMISSION 1ST AND 3RD WEDNESDAYS , 6 PM STEVEN KELLENBERG , steve @ kellenbergstudio . com KEN SADLER : 616-0517 , ken . sadler @ cox . net JORG DUBIN : 497-2618 , jdubinart @ cox . net STEVE GOLDMAN : 203-554-2290 , steveg415 @ ymail . com SUSAN McLINTOCK WHITIN : 838-6317 , whitinsusan @ gmail . com
Mark Orgill Council member morgill @ lagunabeachcity . net
Ann Marie McKay City Clerk amckay @ lagunabeachcity . net
Laura Parisi City Treasurer lparisi @ lagunabeachcity . net
OTHER ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES :
REP . KATIE PORTER ,, 1113 Longworth House Office Building , Washington , DC 20515 . 202-225-2415
ASSEMBLYWOMAN DIANE DIXON , 19712 MacArthur Blvd . Ste . 150 , Irvine , CA 92612 . 949-251-0074
FIFTH DISTRICT SUPERVISOR KATRINA FOLEY , 333 W . Santa Ana Blvd ., Santa Ana , CA 92701 714-834- 3550 , Lisa . Bartlett @ ocgov . com
E-mail letters to : Clara @ firebrandmediainc . com
Letters strengthen community ties and provide a community forum open to all . Due to space constraints we ask letter writers to limit their topics to local concerns , make their submissions exclusive to the Indy alone and be of 400 words or less . Letters should be submitted by Tuesday , 5 p . m . They may be edited for clarity , length or appropriateness as needed .
We decline to publish letters that we perceive as personal attacks , even of public figures . We strive for civil discourse over ideas and issues , not personalities .
Letter writers must supply their name and contact information . Published letters will only use the writer ’ s name and city of residence . E-mail letters are preferred .
FOR DELIVERY QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL 949-715-4100 delivery @ firebrandmediainc . com