Readers were surprised to see reports in Thursday’s LATExtra section of Universal Studios’ destruction. The cover story was labeled “advertisement,” and the section was lettered AD as opposed to AA, but those distinctions were missed by many readers, at least on first blush.

What appeared to be news was in fact advertising copy for Universal Studios’ new King Kong attraction. The four-page advertising section was topped by the LATExtra section flag, while the actual LATExtra news section appeared inside.

Many readers wrote to The Times to say they were unhappy about being misled.

“I was frightened as I started to read about Universal Studios.  When I realized it was a hoax, I was furious. How could you be so irresponsible?” said Joan Richmond of Claremont.

“Your advertisement wrap on the Thursday LATExtra section was irresponsible. Trying to make an ad, especially one that discusses devastation, look like real news is horrible,” wrote Sam Giamendi of Los Angeles.

“The clever advertising hoax played with the trust your readers have developed over the years. Please don't toy with that trust again. What reader wants to be made to feel like a nincompoop because he or she believed what was on the front page of the L.A. Times?” asked Janet Weaver of Huntington Beach.

“Next time put the red ‘Advertisement’ notice at the top of the page in letters that can’t be missed, and do it on all the inside pages as well.  What a lousy joke,” said Stan Greenfield of Woodland Hills.

And Bob Niccum of Buena Park wrote, “In the original ‘King Kong’ film, a promoter sought to make his fortune by bringing a monster into the city. But he didn't foresee the damage that the monster would cause. Point made.”

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors weighed in as well Thursday with a letter to Sam Zell, chairman of the Tribune Co., which owns The Times. “We urge The Times to stop selling its front pages to advertisers, especially in such an offensive and alarming manner,” the letter signed by all five supervisors said.

In an article in Friday’s LATExtra section, Times Publisher Eddy Hartenstein stood by the advertising section. “Our readers understand the ad-supported economic model of our business, which allows us to provide the outstanding journalism they rely upon 24/7.”

— Deirdre Edgar

Photo: Thursday's advertising section, left, and the LATExtra news section.

In this edition of Pacific Time:

Arizona is preparing to enforce its new immigration law starting July 29. Reporter Nicholas Riccardi talks about officers' training and what they will and will not have to do under the law.

The discovery that California's recipients of government assistance could access their funds in casinos and strip clubs across the state came as a surprise to many. Reporter Jack Dolan talks about how he came across the story in the first place.

And finally, you think your phone is so smart, don't you. Well, reporter David Sarno explains that it might be too smart for your own good. He offers some tips in Sunday's Business section on how to be more safe than sorry while using your phone.

Listen to this episode by clicking below, or subscribe here.

In this edition of Pacific Time:

How do you tackle a sports controversy at Caltech? You use the scientific method, of course. An international group of soccer fans in the aeronautics department put the controversial Adidas soccer ball being used in the World Cup to the test. We hear from David Wharton about the test and their findings. 

Also related to the soccer fields in South Africa, reporter Hector Becerra talks about how the Mexican flag, which has taken on a rather polarizing tint over the years, is making a return to the streets of Los Angeles on the cars of soccer fans cheering on their national team. 

Last week, another team in another sport was victorious. Remember the Lakers? Columnist Sandy Banks wrote about an evening's experience of wandering with fans juiced about the game but with nowhere to watch. She talks about the surprising response her column garnered. 

And finally a contest of another sort begins in Washington on Monday. The Senate begins the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan. Reporter David Savage has covered the court for more than two decades. In a two-part offering from David, we hear about Kagan, the person. The second part will be available on Monday.

Listen to this episode by clicking below, or subscribe here.

Reader Tom Kelly noticed a discrepancy between the air-quality reports on The Times' weather page and those on the website of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which is cited as the source of The Times' forecast. 

"If you check the air quality on the AQMD website today, you will see it is drastically different from your weather page," Kelly wrote in an e-mail Wednesday.  

He was right: The air-quality map on Wednesday's weather page (above) showed yellow dots, or moderate air quality, for every city except Poway, which was green. However, the AQMD's forecast for Wednesday showed the coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego, plus all of Orange County, as green, or good air quality. 

Graphics Editor Les Dunseith, whose department is responsible for placing the weather page in the paper, said the information on the page is compiled by a vendor, Weather Central.

After Dunseith asked about it, a Weather Central representative reported Thursday afternoon that an error had been found that was causing some of the dots on the map to be colored incorrectly. He added that the error had been fixed.

A check of Friday's weather page versus the AQMD forecast appears to bear that out. (The AQMD's forecast is on a dynamic map that changes daily, so Wednesday's is no longer available, and Friday's will only be visible on that day.)

--Deirdre Edgar

Washington bureau reporters David Savage and James Oliphant will be covering the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, which begin Monday. Savage has covered the confirmation of every Supreme Court justice since Antonin Scalia's in 1986 -- which means that with the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens, he will have covered the confirmations of all current justices.

Savage and Oliphant will be chatting with readers at 1 p.m. Friday. Ask them your questions about the confirmation process, the hurdles Kagan may face, and how the politics of an election year may affect the process.

Photos: David Savage (left); James Oliphant

Times national security reporter David Cloud will be chatting with readers at 11 a.m. Thursday about the change in leadership in the Afghanistan war.

Cloud, who wrote a news analysis about the future of Gen. Stanley McChrystal for Wednesday's Times, is the co-author of a book on Gen. David Petraeus and the other three generals who have served in Iraq.

Some Times readers were surprised and disappointed to find no mention of the Lakers’ victory on the front page of Friday’s Times.

Sharon Spira-Cushnir of Los Angeles asked, “Is it actually possible that today’s paper has no mention of the Laker victory on the front page?

Gene Aker of Los Angeles wondered the same thing: “Why wasn't there ANY mention of the Lakers on Page 1 of Friday's newspaper?”

The front-page question is one that has come up since the introduction of the LATExtra section on Feb. 2. LATExtra is designed to contain the day’s breaking news, and it and the Sports section have the latest deadlines. The front page and the rest of the main news section have one of the earliest. Times Publisher Eddy Hartenstein explained the changes in a note in January.

In Friday’s editions, a special NBA Finals section carried the Lakers news. That section was wrapped around the rest of the paper so that it would be seen first.

Also, a Lakers special section will be published Monday to coincide with the team’s victory parade.

--Deirdre Edgar

The day after the Lakers win the NBA championship is an especially bad day for readers to not receive their newspaper.

As the LA Now blog reported earlier, serious pressroom problems overnight resulted in late delivery of Friday's paper. And many papers that were delivered were missing the Sports and LATExtra sections.

A memo from Barbara Thomas, the newsroom’s production director, said papers didn’t reach the distribution centers until about 5 a.m. -- the time that papers usually begin landing on driveways.

Publisher Eddy Hartenstein said in a statement that 95% of papers had been delivered by 9:45 a.m. As of 1 p.m., some readers in Orange County were still awaiting replacement papers that contained LATExtra and Sports.

In this edition of Pacific Time:

Where you live can be the source of some controversy, we're finding, when it comes to borders. There's a debate brewing at our Mapping L.A. feature. Ben Welsh talks about where some of our readers say the Westside ends.

Up north in Salinas, there have been 31 killings in the last 15 months – and every one of them was gang-related. The city has 3,500 gang members. Reporter Scott Kraft talks about what he learned reporting the story.

And planes and automobiles get a lot of focus when it comes to summer travel. But trains are a fine way to make tracks. Travel Editor Catharine Hamm offers some options for travelers.

Listen to this episode by clicking below, or subscribe here.

-- Michelle Maltais

Times reporters and columnists can be heard on the air tonight and tomorrow here:

Thursday

7 p.m.: KCRW’s “Which Way, LA?”

89.9 FM / live online

Carol J. Williams on the Mahony deposition

Podcast will be posted

10 p.m.: KTLA Prime News

David Lazarus in The Times Consumer Confidential segment

Bill Plaschke calls in on Lakers-Celtics Game 7

Mike Bresnahan calls in on Lakers-Celtics Game 7

Friday

8 p.m.: PBS’ “Washington Week”

KCET Channel 28 (locally)

Doyle McManus on Afghanistan

Video may be posted

The Jacket Copy blog reports on a new role at The Times for David L. Ulin, who was been editor of the Book Review section for the last five years.

Ulin will become The Times' book critic, an assignment that Assistant Managing Editor Alice Short called "a natural step" considering his background as an author and an editor. 

Thursday afternoon, The Times asked its followers on Twitter, "16 yr anniversary: Where were you when O.J. Simpson was being 'chased' in his Bronco through LA in 1994?" A post on the Comments Blog asking the same question had drawn 68 responses as of Thursday morning.

Twitter followers were quick to weigh in:

missxtatti: It interrupted the Knicks vs Rockets basketball game :(

ilovechomsky: absolutely no idea!

john_decker: I was in Vancouver visiting. Turned on the tele and witnessed what was happening back home. #LA

cdnolympian: I was at home mad because TGIF on ABC was pre-empted due to OJ's bronco escapade.

SteveJoyner: Rappelling out of helicopters with the 101st Airborne

Hilldawgg: I was babysitting!

lindseyrosin: At All American Burger with @KevinBrettauer

itsallovernow: I was in the kitchen of the busy restaurant I worked at trying to get the cooks to stop watching the chase & get my food order out.

easygoer132: Watching the Knicks - Rockets #NBA #Finals game in a bar in Locust Valley, NY.

FrenchieBirdie: I was watching him drive pass from freeway exit in OC, on the TV, very surreal.

adamgolub: Driving from Boston to Long Island.

ChrisHangsleben: I never even heard about OJ, until about a week after it happened.  I had been hitchhiking through Oregon. found out @CarlsJr

mark_gonzales: video store renting naked gun. seriously

megneverlands: In my 2nd grade classroom...

As for my own memory of that day, I replied on Twitter, too:

latimesdedgar: Watching from window of @ocreggie newsroom. 

How about you? Leave your responses on the Comments Blog.

--Deirdre Edgar

Lakers beat writer Mike Bresnahan chats with readers at 11 a.m. about Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Times reporters can be heard on the air tonight and tomorrow here:

Wednesday

10 p.m.: KTLA Prime News

David Lazarus in The Times Consumer Confidential segment

Gary Klein calls in on Reggie Bush’s reaction to USC’s sanctions

Brad Turner calls in on Lakers-Celtics Game 7

Thursday

Early a.m. (TBD): WSCR’s “The Score”

670 AM (Chicago) / live online

Grahame Jones from Johannesburg on the World Cup

8:30 a.m.: ESPN Radio

1430 AM (Central Valley) / live online

Lisa Dillman on Lakers-Celtics Game 7

Podcast will be posted

4:44 p.m.: KCRW’s “All Things Considered”

89.9 FM / live online

John Horn co-hosts the weekly “Hollywood Breakdown” with the latest in entertainment business news

Podcast posted

  

The Times' Lakers beat writer Mike Bresnahan will be chatting with readers at 11 a.m. Thursday about Game 7 of the NBA Finals. 

In his last chat, Bresnahan predicted that if the Finals match-up were Lakers-Celtics that the series would go to seven games.

Will the Lakers win another title? Come back to latimes.com/readers to ask him your questions. 

Photo: Mike Bresnahan

Photo: Ben Fritz

Company Town reporter Ben Fritz, who previews the new 3-D Tron game and who wrote about the declining tie between games and movies, will be chatting from the E3 convention at 11 a.m. Wednesday. 

Fritz and colleague Alex Pham also reported the news from Microsoft's E3 news conference that ESPN3 content would be available over the Xbox 360.  

Fritz, Pham and Mark Milian are blogging and tweeting from E3, which began Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles. 

Come back to latimes.com/readers to chat with Fritz. 

In this special edition of Pacific Time:

We take a look at a small Arizona town’s earlier efforts against illegal immigration. As Arizona prepares to enact SB 1070, the controversial new immigration law, many Latino residents of one Arizona town say they are reminded of five terrifying days in 1997 -- and fearful of a repeat of the past. Reporter Anna Gorman covers immigration issues.

On Thursday, government scientists said that as many as 40,000 barrels of oil have been flowing daily from the blown-out BP well, doubling earlier estimates and significantly expanding the scope of what is already the largest spill in U.S. history. The effect on people living in the region has been profound. Video journalist Sachi Cunningham was dispatched to the region and profiled a Cambodian shrimper hired to aid in cleaning the oil spill.

The week in tech began with Apple’s big announcement -- the makeover of its iPhone -- and ends with a glimpse toward E3, the gaming expo here in L.A. next week. I chatted with tech reporters David Sarno and Alex Pham.

And finally, late last week, legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden passed away at the age of 99. Sports editor Mike James talks about Wooden's legacy. The Times will publish a special section on John Wooden in Sunday’s newspapers.

-- Michelle Maltais

As the World Cup kicks off (pun intended), Foreign Editor Bruce Wallace returns to chat about soccer and South Africa.

In response to requests from readers, the weekly TV Times section is being revived.

It will begin appearing this Sunday, June 13, in newsstand sales. Those subscribers who want to receive the section will be able to add it to their subscriptions. It will be available in home-delivered papers beginning Sept. 5. 

The section is planned as a 44-page tabloid and will include 24-hour TV listings, a feature that readers often request. 

Assistant Managing Editor Sallie Hofmeister, who oversees arts and entertainment, said the section would be "a great addition to our lineup of entertainment news and information.”

Weekly TV listings are also available for downloading and printing on the ShowTracker blog.