L.A. Times Building Welcomes New Tenant

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The Los Angeles Times is now sharing space with VXI Global Solutions, an I.T. call center company.

The company moved into the second and third floors of the Times building on First Street in Downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. The move is the latest in a series of cost-cutting tactics by the newspaper.

"This building is a beautiful building. It's an upgrade for all of us," Eva Wang, the CEO of VXI said. "Plus we got a good deal."

Wang said the company may rent more of the building as it continues to grow, including several empty floors in the basement.

USC Journalism Professor Andrew Lih said cuts and business deals like this are becoming commonplace for newspapers.

"Continuous news and web publishing has made for a lot more efficient, streamlined news operations," Lih said. "You don't actually need as many folks in the same physical space anymore."

Times reporters and administrators used to fill the ten-story building when the paper was booming. Now a call center will inhabit two of its floors. USC Professor Dana Chinn said good times made it possible to ignore the business end of things, but the L.A. Times has had a wake-up call.

"It's a matter of good business practices becoming a part of their everyday lives, as opposed to not really paying much attention because they don't have to," Chinn said.

But, Chinn added, sharing spaces with a company raises ethical questions.

"If you are the tenant of somebody, are you going to cover your landlord in the same way?" Chinn said. "Are they losing their independence?"

VXI said it plans to rent part of the building for the long term.