Exclusive: LA Phil in executive turmoil
OrchestrasWe’re hearing that the LA Phil’s interim chief executive Daniel Song has awarded six-figure pay rise to four or five executives to stop them following his predecessor Chad Smith to Boston.
Each of these lucky execs has been updraded with a ‘chief’ title – Chief Seatwarming Officer, Chief Hollywood Bowl Cleaner and the like.
Neither the players nor less staff have been apprised of these improvements. Few were sad to see the departure Smith, whose management style verged from abrasive to caustic, but his former top team never expected such a payday.
We reached out to the LA Phil for an official response and got this:
Dear Norman,
The information you have listed below is inaccurate.
We have no news to announce at this time. When we do, we will be sure to reach out.
Note that weasel word ‘inaccurate’. It means that a piece of information is substantially true, except for an insignificant detail. To give a current example: The BBC has admitted that its report of Coutts Bank closing down Nigel Farage’s account for political reasons was ‘inaccurate’. The established truth? Coutts closed the account because it didn’t like Farage.
Expect further unhappiness at Walt Disney Hall.
It would be unwise not to defer to your expertise when it comes to “weasel” words, Norman, but you do appear to have misrepresented what happened on the BBC/Farage axis. Surely the BBC’s “inaccuracy” in that regard had to do with reporting that his account with Coutts had been closed because he failed to meet their financial eligibility criteria, not, as far as I’m aware, because it had reported that this had happened “for political reasons” (as you state). In fact, we now know there was more to it than that. I have to wonder, though, why you’d want to sully the reputation of SD by dragging Farage into it: a man of considerable privilege now posing as a victim, and one whose behaviour has had the effect of ruining the career of a highly regarded woman, not to mention the CEO of Coutts. And yet, of course, these are very far from the only examples of damage with which he is associated, and far from the most major. Surely you’d best keep him off SD?
Your tabloid is pure lunacy and you should have better things to do with your life
MJA: “….failed to meet their financial eligibility criteria, not, as far as I’m aware, because it had reported that this had happened “for political reasons” ”
Huh? Not liking Farage’s politics very much affected what’s going on. If people hate his ideology, they should be happy. If
they don’t, they’re getting a hint of what has gone on for decades in places like Beijing.
As for NL’s sarcasm about “Chief Seatwarming Officer,” I’m not sure if that means this particular blog entry therefore has either more or less substance below the surface.
Did Norman pry someone related to LA Phil for information and get titles like “Chief Seatwarming Officer” and “Chief Hollywood Bowl Cleaner” in the reply???
I find it a bit hard to believe that an “interim” CEO would have the sole authority to give 6 figure pay raises to “four or five executives.”
I wouldn’t bet against NL being right on the mark in the essentials. And as a local I’m loving this inside dish and hoping for more of it.
This news doesn’t surprise me at all. Having worked at the LA Phil for many years, I’ve seen this firsthand. When Deborah Borda left, all of the senior team were given money in order to keep them from going to the NYP with her. The money was made in periodic payments in order to ensure that they remained.
What is truly troublesome is the fact that mismanagement is being rewarded. Fiscal responsibility has been thrown out the window, and the reality is that the organization is top-heavy with too many people more concerned about their (undeserved) titles than they are in fulfilling the LA Phil’s mission responsibly. Departments are understaffed, overworked, and underpaid. And the leadership is having a “let them eat cake” moment with raises and promotions.
I hoped that Dan Song would have been a welcome change from the fear-fiefdom of Chad Smith. While Mr. Song is a smart, affable leader – he has too many C-level voices whispering in his ear (while holding their hands out for cash and new business cards). I hope that the Phil isn’t beginning a slow circling of the drain, but this news doesn’t bode well for anyone except that top layer of bureaucracy put in place by Smith, and now increased by Song.
OK – you’re just stirring up nonesense. LA is friggin expensive place to live #1. And people get raises all the time so that they don’t leave…it’s called employer retention tactics. Daniel Song is one of the most down to earth, nice and SMART people in our business. This is the wrong tree to bark up.
Oxford English Dictionary online lists synonyms for ‘inaccurate’ as “not accurate, inexact, imprecise, incorrect, erroneous.” Interesting because ‘inexact’ and ‘imprecise’ are different from ‘incorrect’ and ‘erroneous.’
Thus ‘inaccurate’ can indeed be used as a weasel word (“an equivocating or ambiguous word which takes away the force or meaning the concept being expressed”).
We are all rooting for you, Dan Song!
“Six figure pay rises” Were the rises of $100k+, or did the rises simply take the beneficiaries into the six-figure pay band?
Oh, honey, executives of a major orchestra are already into six figures….