Biz journalist Bel Bruno to edit Company Town at LA Times

John Corrigan, assistant managing editor for arts and entertainment at  the Los Angeles Times, sent out the following staff announcement on Wednesday:

Joe Bel Bruno, a seasoned business journalist with deep experience in highly competitive news environments, is the new editor of Company Town.

Joe has been a deputy business editor at The Times for nearly three years, directing our coverage of financial markets and earning respect for his news judgment and his enthusiasm for ambitious stories.

Before joining The Times, Joe ran markets coverage for the Dow Jones news wire and the Wall Street Journal. He was an award-winning reporter at the Associated Press in New York, where he anchored coverage of the financial crisis. He spent three years in London  as senior correspondent for Knight Ridder Financial/Bridge News.

As Company Town editor, Joe will lead a team of reporters who regularly break major Hollywood news and cover the biggest stories in entertainment and media. He will help the team build on an enviable track record and further extend the reach of their journalism on the web.

Joe succeeds Charles Fleming, who is taking on a new assignment in Business writing on autos, motorcycles and green energy. Since joining The Times in 2011, Charles has distinguished himself as a creative and innovative editor, shepherding dozens of stories to Page One and helping Company Town bolster its digital presence.

Charles is also an elegant writer, notching two Column Ones in the past few months and writing the popular L.A. Walks column. His new assignment takes advantage of his skill and expertise, to the benefit of our readers.

Please join me in congratulating Joe and Charles on their new assignments.