LA Times taps ESPN’s Kevin Merida as new executive editor

The Los Angeles Times named former ESPN executive Kevin Merida its new executive editor on Monday, making him the second person of color to head the newsroom in its 140-year history.

Merida, a 64-year-old veteran of the Washington Post in addition to Disney’s ESPN sports network, had been long rumored to be the front runner in the race to succeed Norm Pearlstine, who stepped down officially in December and had been involved in the search for a replacement. Merida — who will be the second black person to head the LA Times since Dean Baquet did a brief stint at the helm in 2005 and 2006 — takes over a newsroom that has been roiled by internal turmoil tied to issues of race, as well as a pandemic that sliced into advertising and circulation.