Readers of MediaNews Group’s Long Beach Press-Telegram saw this editor’s note:

To our readers …

Because of major computer and system failures, Thursday’s editions of The Press Telegram and other newspapers in the Los Angeles Newspaper Group were abbreviated and missing features and certain sections. The problems have also affected our ability to post some of our news online.

We hope to have the issues resolved today.

LA journalist Gary Scott says the switchover to a faster Internet server wreaked havoc across Dean Singleton’s SoCal empire.

I’m told the morning papers look as though they were written on typewriters and that Unisys, the database reporters and editors use to actually create the paper, continues to be off-line as well.

Scott also posts this e-mail from Tim Berger of the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group:

There was a major failure with the main Unisys system last night and there is no indication yet when it will be restored. IT is working to bring up a backup system which, I’m told, has a lot less capacity and power than the main system and a limited number of users is allowed. Newsrooms please prepare ahead of time who is most necessary to be logged in. For now, reporters can likely write and edit stories using desktop software and e-mail them to editors. The photo department will be logged into SII for photo assignments. Send an SII message to SPEDS when you need something.

LA Observed’s Kevin Roderick points out that Singleton has laid off a large share of his workforce and attempts to do everything on the cheap. “I guess they’re learning there is such a thing as cutting too much,” Roderick writes.