hmmm nothing here about the LA times printing another fine piece by usted hoy.

Before you start swinging with your usual attack-the-reader approach to even the most civil of questions, please let me preface that I am just seeking information here:

Why is Excelsior a success with a free circulation of 25,000 and OC Post a failure with a paid circulation of 33,000?

Clearly, the Post is laughably below original forecasts, but is Excelsior really better off? Do you have any information on ad revenue, expenses, ROI, etc?

I'm sure you have valid reasons for your conclusions, but readers would like to know on what they are.

The Post is a joke, Squeeze was a joke, ochigh? the new mota site is a joke. The good ol' hoiles family should just sell to Singleton before their trust funds are all dried up.

Grendl2000: Read my post again--layoffs, Squeeze's death, expanded Excelsior. Read your comment--OC Post is a failure. And ask yourself: why did I ask that question?

Good gravy, man. I thought it might be possible for you not to be a raving a-hole for even a second. Obviously, that was my silly error.

Anyone besides Arellano have an idea on where to seek out genuine information on the state of OC media?

How am I an asshole? The answer was self-evident, good man! If you want stats, call the Orange County Business Journal or OC Metro Business (or whatever its calling itself these days).

I really didn't want to get into a big hash over this, but since you ask, I will point out the rather obvious problems with your original post:

1) Just because an add-on to a product is launched, that does not mean the original product is a huge success, nor that the new product is a guaranteed success. By that logic, the launch of OC Post would have been irrefutable evidence that all was well in Freedomland. The new Excelsior product is just as likely to be an act of desperation as it is a sign that things are great. How do you know it is one and not the other? The most probable explanation is that Expresso is simply some executive's idea to try to drum up additional revenue - and not any indication at all of the health of Excelsior.

2) Just because a product falls short of projections, that doesn't mean it's a failure. If OC Post wasn't the screaming hit the late great Chris Anderson predicted, does that mean it isn't making any money? Does that mean it makes less money than Excelsior? To put it in the terms you might understand, if your book fails to sell as many copies as "The DaVinci Code" does that mean it is a bust?

3) If after 15 years or so, Excelsior is still a weekly with 25,000 unpaid circulation, how is that supporting your contention that "the company is succeeding on just one level: its Spanish-language weekly Excelsior"? Do you have any evidence of this other than the appearance of the new insert? Are the ad pages growing? Is the journalism getting better?

No need to answer the questions; I leave them for others to ponder. I do expect more of the small-minded abuse you are so fond of laying on the readers, though, so have it, amigo.