As many of you already know, the Orange County Register was recently sold to a fellow named Aaron Kushner. You can google his name and find out more, but the initial buzz is promising, with the proviso that you never know. We were told a couple of weeks ago that the deal will take about 30 days to close.
The question I’m most often asked by friends and family is whether or not I’ll be able to return to my former beat as a music critic. I’ve been writing the celebrity column, and related online features, closing in on two years now, and have been only able to write a smattering of music criticism during that time, some of it as a freelance.
The short answer to the question is “I don’t know.” I would certainly like to. Music criticism is what I do best. But whether or not I will be able to return to that beat depends on a number of factors and unknowns (which I won’t bore you with here). I will certainly speak up about it if given the opportunity, or even a little opening in the door.
Classical Life 
Thoughts, prayers, and best of luck, good sir.
As much as I can appreciate your amusingly caustic take on the celebrity scene, The OC — and, really, the entire California music scene — would be much better off if you could be a full-time music critic again.
Let’s hope the new management sees the light.
I’d love to have you back full-time as a music critic, Tim! But at this point in time, I guess we should be grateful to have you part-time, there are so few of you left in the country. Newspaper owners and editors don’t realize that for some of us, reading about the arts and arts reviews are one of the main reasons we still subscribe to the paper.
Best of luck from here, too. California needs a third full-time classical music critic (again) to go with Mark Swed and Joshua Kosman.
Allow me please to join your other loyal readers and fans to wish the best for you and to express my personal hope that what happens is exactly what you would like to happen. And that is not because we “need another music critic to go with” others but because you are better than most of them, in some cases much better. You are a real deal and it’s a real shame to waste such talent by exploiting it for anything other than the full-time classical music criticism.
Thanks to all of you for your kind words and support, as always. My mother always told me, “Be careful what you wish for.” I’m not holding my breath about this, nor am I overly hopeful. I do think it would be for the best. I can’t do it without the full support of my employer and colleagues at the paper, however. They have to convinced that me being their music critic is for the best. They have to want it.
Here’s another vote in favor of convincing the new management to see the light, right a wrong, and show the world that the OCR is a serious paper in an important market …
It would be nice to see the Register become a serious paper, rather than the joke it is now. Good luck, Tim, I hope they put you back on your beat.
Pulling for you with brain waves from Chicago, Tim!
Rooting for you from the other coast, Tim!