Hearst is buying up building around its HQ – July: "a 21,000-square-foot apartment building at 811 Ninth Avenue for $17.1 million"; June: "a four-story building across the street for $4.9 million at 828 Ninth Avenue"; May: "an 8,100-square-foot building at 304 West 56th Street, a block from its skyscraper headquarters, for $7.6 million" – but won't reveal why. They swear they're not planning to build a new glass monstrosity, and onlookers suggest it might just be for tax purposes. Or, maybe they're keen on snapping up lots that will look even more appealing to a developer willing to pay a premium.
Who cares, the new Good Housekeeping is here! [NYO]
There's only one way the Hearst Entertainment's (huh?) new show No Guts No Gloria could get better: It be renamed No Jerkoffs No Judith and feature the esteemed Ms. Regan. But for now, we'll settle for liberal women's rights acrobat Gloria Allred in the starring role. The "take-no-prisoners attitude and unconventional tactics" show, currently being shopped around to networks, pairs Allred with people who are "angry and out for justice." How very Lin Wood, very Erin Brockovich. Slap on a guest appearance from Amber Frey and we've got magic, people.
What were Cathie Black and Jann Wenner discussing over lunch at the Hearst cafeteria today? (Jann was having "chocolate covered somethings.")
Neal Boulton, we hope!
Okay, so OfficePirates.com didn't work out so well for Time Warner. But that doesn't mean Hearst can't make a go at online properties — especially those geared at men in the office who aren't so much interested in poorly executed The Office rip-offs as they are T&A. Which is why Hearst finally wrapped up two years of back-and-forth negotiations for an estimated $100 million buy of UGO Networks, which claims 11 million visitors interested in its online games, movie reviews, and, as Forbes puts it, "hot girls." UGO (that's "Under Ground Online"), meanwhile, has spent the last nine years losing investors, firing staffers, and selling off assets. It just screams "sound investment."
While Conde Nast mourns the loss of Jane and Bauer buries the fetus of Cocktail Weekly, Hearst is stumbling through some problems of its own.
Atoosa Rubenstein's replacement at Seventeen may not be faring too well, indicates a well-placed Hearst source. Since Ann Shoket took over in January, as we first reported, she's watched as editor after editor has walked out the door while, as one tattler notes, she's "turned Seventeen into CosmoGIRL! Lite, packed with celebs, cartoonish layouts and fluff."
You can see where this is headed. CONTINUED »
• "A businessman seen fleeing from a hug" in Borat is now suing Sascha Baron Cohen. The man says his civil rights were violated, then reaffirms that he's totally, 100% not kidding.
• Bonnie Fuller, Star readers, are convinced Paris Hilton got preferential treatment. Shocking!
• Also, apparently Fuller spoke at some sort of Ed2010 happy hour event Wednesday night, and refused to answer questions about Janice Min's recent "Faux Biz" attack and tried to "steer clear" of discussing the recent retouched Star cover. Who knew??
• Not only is Martin Dunn not "done" at the Daily News…he's still going around firing people at random!
• Hearst papers want names of steroid dealer's MLB clients. Meanwhile, Barry Bonds just wants his testicles back.
Given our somewhat tired/hungover state this morning, we only glanced at today's Media Pad, and thus missed a veritable gem about Hearst Magazines prez Cathie Black. It seems Black was on the view recently (sometime after the Rosie/Elisabeth splitscreen screaming match, hence after we decided to care) and she apparently had a lot to say about, well, everything.
Most of it was boring forever (tips on salary negotiations, blahblahblah) until we got to the part where she explains the very best way to fire someone.
Black explained her approach to dismissing employees (perhaps if they ask for too much money?). "If you do have to fire someone, you have another person in the room, because we live in a much more litigious world today. You don't get into ‘he said, she said.' You make it very short, and ideally you make it somewhere else, not your office. Why? Because it's harder to get up and leave your own office and leave a person sitting there. Whereas if you're in a conference room, you can say, ‘You know, I think it's finished.'" If only the conference rooms at the Hearst Tower could talk.
One hundred five. That's the number of new magazines announced this year, says the Magazine Publishers of America. It's a four percent increase, if you're interested in that kind of thing. But more interesting is what types of magazines are on the horizon.
We'll give you a hint: CRAP! CONTINUED »
What do you need to make you feel like there's a better tomorrow? A new Cosmopolitan website, that's what. Relaunched this week, the gals at Hearst are bringing you a whole new look to match covergirl Ashlee Simpson's nose. Exciting features abound, including "Hot Guys," "Celebs & Gossip," and, because it's all about You this year, "You, You, You." (That's where you'll find the Cosmo Quiz, just so you know.)
Naturally, we know you're clicking on the first tab mentioned. It's there that you'll find the photo feature "Guy Without His Shirt." And because Cosmo is sooo with it, they're bringing you a new guy every month! Just think, a new hottie to oogle with the same frequency as their print product. Oh happy day.
Hearst chief Cathie Black has seen the numbers. "What numbers?," your innocent soul asks. The ad page numbers for the first half of the year, including those of Seventeen. It's not that Cathie isn't aware of how her magazines are faring at any single timestamp. But when it's put out there for all to see, as it is in today's Women's Wear Daily – that under Ann Shoket's editorial direction, Seventeen's ad pages fell 9.5 percent, while Teen Vogue climbed 1.5 percent – it's hard not to get a little pissed at your hand-picked Atoosa replacement. Especially when a magazine like Real Simple (looked upon with disdain by any book that has any attachment to fashion) leverages its television partnerships for a nearly 20 percent page gain, while Seventeen's relationship with America's Next Top Model has proven as useful as Tyra's repetitive script.
When you're slaving away at Hearst Magazines, everybody wins! Oh, and by "everybody wins," we actually mean "everybody** receives a useless trophy title (i.e. "Best Makeover Package!" and "Best Innovation!") at a mandatory—yet wholly irrelevant—awards ceremony, presented by (wait for it!) Hearst Magazines."
All of which almost makes the impossible hours, next-to-nothing pay and nepotist hiring practices almost bearable.
Almost.
**Except for Cosmopolitan and Redbook.
• Could all the Democrats dumping Fox News signal an actual change on the left?
• David Carr will tell you exactly where Don Imus went wrong.
• Hearst jumps on "all things green" bandwagon, making us thisclose to getting pissed off with the environment.
• Teen Vogue offering scholarship to breed unhealthy body images at a younger age.
CONTINUED »
• Twelve weeks and counting for Us Weekly EIC Janice Min and boss Jann Wenner to reach a new deal before her contract runs out.
• Bravo buys TelevisionWithoutPity, tries to keep on screwing the freelancers.
• Meanwhile, Bravo's Project Runway re-ups with Tim Gunn as host. Nice negotiating with those rumors of begin too busy, Gunn!"
• That Page Six plugs corporate cousin HarperCollins is news now relegated to a footnote.
• Fox TV and Hearst team up for web videos you won't watch, be able to find.
• Salon gossip aggregator Scott Lamb tires of checking RSS feeds. So does that mean the celebrity category is or isn't saturated?
• Mr. Magazine names Relish the "Launch of the Year." We name Mr. Magazine the "Needs to Give Up That Hack Name" of the decade.
CONTINUED »
In the latest digital play by a major print publisher, Hearst Magazines acquired eCrush.com, an entertainment and community network for teens and young adults. The eCrush properties include eCrush.com, which allows users to anonymously find out whether someone they like feels the same way; eSpinTheBottle.com, a profile-based flirting site that screens young people's submissions before they go live; and High School Style Board, a photo-rating site with categories like "best hair," "hottest overall" and "most emo."
All of which is Hearst's way of saying: If Conde Nast can do this whole Internet thing, like omg, bring it on, bitch, 'cause we can too — even if Atoosa Rubenstein totally ditched us to do it better.
When we ran this item seeking to explain why Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles was suffering so much bad press, we received a prompt note from Hearst's PR department insisting we remove the item, since it was wildly inaccurate. Naturally, we declined. And asked to be invited to Hearst's next soiree.
Now Nat Ives pops in at AdAge today with a report on how Marie Claire's brass are handling all the bad press. What bad press?, you ask. The bad press where Joanna is consistently doubted as a leader of the magazine, targeted for trying to publish a "smart" women's title, and overall unimpressiveness. While we're perfectly willing to accept some of the blame, Radar gets dumped on as being the source of an article that's being passed around to MC advertisers as a warning against buying ad pages from a woman who knows not what she's doing.
But, claims MC publisher Susan Plagemann, the "poison pen letter" has had the reverse effect!
"This undermining mailing has had such a positive effect on my business, and has had the complete reverse effect that the person or persons behind it wanted it to," Ms. Plagemann added. "It motivated people to call me in droves in full support."
Glad the troops could offer an ego massage but ad pages this period versus last year are, uh, down. Get back to work, Susan.
If you've ever reached the end of a Cindy Adams or Liz Smith column, you know how dreadful a party report can be. The hue of the red carpet might be the lede, while the way Barry Diller shakes hands turns into a three paragraph anecdote of how Cindy learned to tie her laces. But a James Brady party report reads appropriately like a fly on the wall — and what else would you expect from Page Six's creator? Writing for Forbes, James files copy from Hearstette Cathie Black's holiday party. Granted, Cathie's bash at her townhouse took place before Thanksgiving and the article took until today to find its way online, but you know how the Internet works these days: things take forev to post. Those "Save" buttons are tricky.
CONTINUED »
When Atoosa Rubenstein steps out of 300 West 57th this afternoon, it'll be her last exit from Hearst's tower as the editor-in-chief of Seventeen. No more town car. No more expensed lunches at Michael's. No more meetings with Cathie Black.
Today is Big Momma's last day atop the masthead, so we popped on over to the glass tower to eavesdrop at her staffer goodbye luncheon at Hearst's cafeteria (the quietest we've seen it since we dined there the first week it opened). The 'Toos donned what many would call a funeral ensemble colliding with a smattering of S&M: all black with straps-a-plenty. The mood was calm, somber, reflective. A mix of air kiss goodbyes with authentic farewells. Staffers, meanwhile, head into their Thanksgiving holiday without any idea who will be taking the reigns as their leader heads off into the world of "multimedia."
Goodbye, Atoosa. We'll be seeing you … on MySpace.
Hearst's Good Housekeeping will have to work a bit harder than re-energizing its stamp of approval to generate the type of interest Domino barely needs to lift a finger to come by, but it looks like the staid (though highly read) mag is making an earnest stride back toward relevancy. Accompanying the launch of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute – located on the 29th floor of Hearst's new glass tower, which means Dysons and Swiffers are commanding about $2,500 a square foot – is the resuscitation of GH's approval seal. Launched in 1909, the seal is the magazine's little way to say "we tested the shit out of this thing so you didn't have to buy it, return it, and pay a restocking fee." But not any marketer can snag a GH stamp, even if its product can withstand the rigor of the lab's environmental chamber:
The lab is important because, in a bit of circular self-promotion, no product can earn the seal or advertise in the magazine unless it passes the lab’s tests, and advertisers using the seal must agree to buy a minimum number of ad pages, typically as much as they would buy in Good Housekeeping’s competitors.
Which, as critics note, is a glorified version of pay-for-play. But someone's gotta help finance the four test kitchens and 7,000X microscope that'll turn your mother's greying chin hair into a science fair project.
Exclusive
After three years at the helm of Hearst's teen (tween?) title and 13 years spent inside Hearst's hallways, we're told Atoosa Rubenstein is leaving the House of Seventeen. Yep, the Today show fixture, the MySpace maven, the Big Momma (we'll stop now) is walking out the door. We hear that she's staying on through the end of the year, but already put Hearst chief Cathie Black on notice that she's done editing the title.
Which leaves so many questions: Where is she headed? What will happen to the CosmoGIRL staffers that came with her? Will the lip gloss recommendations change?
Not entirely sure, who knows, and god, we hope not! From what we understand, Atoosa is branching out of the staid world of print and embarking on something multimedia, though that's the same excuse Lloyd Grove gave while TMZ.com was turning him down. (And, just like Lloyd appears to own LloydGrove.com, Atoosa looks to be in control of Atoosa.com. AtoosaRubenstein.com, meanwhile, remains in Hearst's hands.)
Atoosa's contract expired in August, we're told, and she's been a free agent ever since. And that hasn't sat well with Cathie Black, whose Hearst house has been left in disarray ever since the 'Toos announced her impending exit — and refused Black's pleas to stay.
Thus far, Black hasn't yet found a successor to Rubenstein, though one insider's instinct suggests Jane's Brandon Holley (if only so Hearst can say they traded one EIC for another), or perhaps Seventeen's own Gina Kelly, the fashion director whose career began at the magazine.
And while Atoosa and Cathie are said to be parting ways on good terms, one insider wanted to make sure we didn't over look last month's spat of nasty Page Six items aimed at the 'Toos. Plants from the Hearst queen's executive suite?
On a related note, we're told Seventeen.com editor Sara Lieberman (a Gear refugee) split – on good terms – for the New York Post last week. And those rumors going around about Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles being the Hearstie making the surprise exit? False, we're told.
Meanwhile, one insider told us Atoosa had already told several of her staff members in recent weeks that she'd be leaving at the end of this month; that theory has been shot down by multiple tattlers — and, if it's true Atoosa hasn't told her underlings, the entire Seventeen team will be waking up to this news of their leader's departure. Now make like a MSNBC staffer and start printing those resumes.
• Keith Olbermann's online provocateur KarmaBites1 claims she'll unload another 100 or so emails between her and the MSNBC host, all because he won't publicly acknowledge he's like any other guy: quite complacent with a one night stand. [P6]
• Culture + Travel owner Louise MacBain visits the New York offices of LTB Media. For the first time. [NYP]
• Dan Bova pogos from exec editor to EIC at Stuff, replacing Maxim jumper Jimmy Jellinek — and, perhaps, some of his staffers? [FBNY]
• Victoria Hearst is fingered as the nut who left the creepy religious message at the Hearst Tower dedication. How do you know she's crazy? She's anti-Cosmo. [WWD]
• Time Warner stock moves .. upward. Jon Friedman wets self. [Marketwatch]
• Tom Freston and Peter Chernin are smart men. Smart enough to let someone else write their jokes. [Radar]
• Believing a Harvard Crimson columnist would lift an item from Slate would requires two sets of beliefs: 1) Harvard enlists fucktards; 2) Slate publishes worthwhile material. Okay, not such a hard conclusion. [Boston Globe]
Editorial Director
