While the Chicago Tribune's Nara Schoenberg takes a stab at examining the state of the magazine industry – first mistake: giving Samir "Mr. Magazine" Husni any consideration – it's the quotes from top editors that make the piece worth reading. There's Rolling Stone managing editors Will Dana on trends ("you can't be bland and you can't suck"), The Week's EIC Bill Falk also on trends ("shorter stories"), and this one from Us Weekly's Janice Min about influential editors: "One of the most influential editors - and I'm not just saying this because I work for him - is [Rolling Stone founder] Jann Wenner."
On an absolutely unrelated note: How are those contract negotiations going?
In the wake of tense negotiations (or lack thereof) between Jann Wenner and Us Weekly EIC Janice Min, staffers have expressed mixed feelings about the possibility of their top girl departing. "Everyone definitely wants her to stay," one Us vet tells us. "It would be a huge loss if she left. Everyone loves her." Chimes in another: "She can't go … [the magazine] would fall apart."
But at least two long-time Us staffers who spoke to us are ready for a regime change.
When your contract's up with Jann Wenner, history would indicate that you're pretty much screwed. After years of practice, Wenner's got the cutthroat routine down pat, from skipping meetings with you in favor of long weekends at Fire Island, to waiting until the last possible second to enter into "salary negotiations," to ultimately lowballing you with not-insignificant pay cut, the tacit implication being "final offer, take it or leave it."
But this time, Jann "Ebineezer" Wenner's evidently had a change of heart. And word on the street has it that he's reached deep into his seersucker suit pockets and come up with an impressive $1.2 million renewal contract for US Weekly EIC Janice Min.
Even more surprising? She might not take it.
Today's New York Times blows the lid off of Rolling Stones' purported use of environmentally safe paper, explaining that there are different gradations of green, and thus Jann Wenner's music mainstay is, at best, a faint shade of chartreuse.
"The magazine will be printed on what it calls 'carbon neutral paper,' because it is made through a process that the magazine claims adds no carbon dioxide to the atmosphere," explains the Times.
But it (unfortunately) doesn't stop there.
"What neither an editor's note in Rolling Stone nor a press release sent by the magazine mentions, however," continues the Times, "is that the new paper has no recycled content."
The Grey Lady then paused dramatically, for optimum comedic effect, and added, "you know, except for the articles."
We flipped through this new issue of Us Weekly once this afternoon, and it caught us off guard. We couldn't tell what it was, though, but after our third page-by-page skim, it was clear. CONTINUED »
We were, quite honestly, willing to let Janice Min's fourth straight week of fingering the competition's errors get a pass this week.
After all, if the Us Weekly EIC (fueled by the rage of Jann Wenner) is intent on making the other tabs look bad while ignoring her own mistakes week after week, who are we to stop the self-humiliation?
It was all fun and games in the beginning. Nobody was getting hurt, except maybe the Bauer tabs.
But in the issue that's been sitting on newsstands for the better part of a week, Janice insisted on not just slamming her rivals at In Touch and Life & Style (and obvious punching bag OK!), but Star as well. (It's worth noting, however, that the Star cover she chose was last week's — helmed by new EIC Candace Trunzo, and not her former mentor Bonnie Fuller.)
And still, we thought, "Just let the lady rage!" That was, until, we read Howie Kurtz's piece this morning. CONTINUED »
Normally, we don't feel so bad for Nat Ives. The AdAge magazine industry beatboy has a pretty decent gig, though no, perhaps not as much as Freeloader. But there are certain instances when the likable lad needs a more free-wheeling outpost.
Like today, when he broke news of Neal Boulton's exit from Men's Fintess. We all know Neal has been carrying on a kind of relationship with – and likely leaking about – Jann Wenner. Wenner, meanwhile, has his wife and boyfriend to think about. (Neal, also, has a wife and kids that might be of some concern.)
So when Nat read the official release – that the 2.5 year veteran EIC is leaving, after a brief leave of absence, to "to write a book and pursue his humanitarian issues, such as obesity" – you knew he had to clench his teeth, bite back any urges to throw in a "canoodling," and settle for merely mentioning that Neal has been "subject of tabloid gossip when the New York Post's Page Six recently claimed he had been 'spotted around town' with Jann Wenner."
We're sorry, Nat. We know it can be rough out there with corporate bosses.
You're going to hear a lot about the Ellies for the next 24 hours, perhaps even 48, until the floodgates break open about whether NBC renews Scrubs.
So let's just get through the talking points you'll need to know this week as we sum up yesterday evening's event at Lincoln Center.
CONTINUED »
Well, it's been a few days since we last heard from Men's Fitness EIC/Jann Wenner's makeout buddy, Neal Boulton, so we figured it was time for the obligatory update. Fortunately, veteran drinker media columnist Keith Kelley has one in today's NYP! And according to Kelly, the still-recovering Boulton has been (temporarily!) replaced by former Savoy head honcho Roy Johnson.
As for Boulton himself, when last we saw him, he was lying in a hospital bed, being visited* by publishing maven/alleged canoodler Jann Wenner, and joking about his marriage being over (hilarious!) Now Kelly reports that he's checked out of St. Vincent's, and is currently recuperating from surgery at home, where he is—presumably—being attended by his loving wife, with whom he has had sexual relations at least twice, as evidenced by his progeny.
CONTINUED »
Jann Wenner's circulation scheme to have Us Weekly hit its rate base comes at such an inopportune time. Well, inopportune time for him — he's got two ill fellas to juggle. For us? It's perfect timing to pounce on the tabloid while it's down.
So here's how it goes: Jann wants to bring Us' guaranteed circ to 1.85 million to stay competitive and/or bolster his ego. (You guess the more likely scenario.) Sadly, he doesn't have that many real readers. So he writes a cheque to Hachette Filipacchi for the 409,000 names from Premiere magazine, which just folded, paying about $2 per name to drop them on Us's roster. All this on the heels of a scramble to meet its previous 1.75 million rate base — a goal met by ramping up the number of "verified" copies, bringing the total to 1,751,709.
With Premiere's readers, he'll easily be able to hit his new target. So on to the next dilemma: Janice Min's contract negotiations, which we hear are still on-going.
Just as we get done reporting a rumored sighting of Jann Wenner visiting maybe-lover and Men's Fitness EIC Neal Boulton at St. Vincent's Hospital comes word that actual Jann BF Matt Nye is "VERY SICK." We're told Nye has been in and out of the hospital of late, which means those flowers Jann brought to St. Vincent's could've been meant for Nye. Or half were for Nye, half were for Boulton.
Or the flowers were for Jann, a gift to himself for all this stress he's under.
Jann Wenner has been checking in with Neal Boulton, the Men's Fitness EIC who came down with food poisoning courtesy bad sushi and the stress of dating an egomaniac while being married with two kids. Not that we're judging him.
A tipster of the unconfirmed variety claims Jann was seen, on Tuesday evening, "going into St. Vincents with a giant basket of flowers." And again, "apparently a few hours ago."
To be clear, Jann was not seen entering Neal's room. Just visiting the hospital he was staying at. With flowers in hand. Not that we're suggesting anything.
All of which is quite impressive, given that Jann has 40 years of going from tip-top to irrelevance celebrating to do.
That he didn't sell Rolling Stone to MTV is one of Jann Wenner's biggest regrets. As he celebrates the 40th anniversary of his music mag – special edition covers! archives on CD-ROM! – Jann has made public his reflections on his storied career. And while most of us only care about Jann these days in how much more of a role he'll have in Neal Boulton's life, let's pause for a moment of assholeness:
And Wenner could have become one of the richest men on the planet if he had accepted an offer years ago to sell the magazine to MTV in return for a 25 percent stake in the fledgling music cable channel.
"I would never have had the wisdom or foresight to hang onto it and own more of (MTV parent) Viacom than (Viacom's billionaire chairman) Sumner Redstone," he said.
Instead, Wenner will have to survive on his hundreds of millions. And knowing that when he finally did agree to do a deal with MTV, it ended in utter humiliation.
Well, it's been exactly one day since Page Six accused Neal Boulton** of "brashly embracing and kissing" Jann Wenner outside the Time Warner Center, and naturally we're ready for an update. Fortunately for us (and, um, Neal's wife!) the Sixer's have an addendum in today's paper.
Turns out Boulton's been hospitalized—apparently something triggered his gag reflex—and he's spent last day or two distracting himself from dizzying bouts of nausea by cracking amazingly well-timed jokes about divorcing his wife.
All think considered, we think he's doing pretty well under the circumstances.
Earlier:
• Wenner & American Media's Cross-Species Man-Love
**who's "married, to a woman, with kids!"
To be clear, it appears Men's Fitness editor Neal Boulton is here – with Real World alum Landon Lueck and, uh, another good looking fella who probably shops at Paul Smith – at a work-related outing. But in light of recent events, it's fair to say this gathering takes on a whole new context.
Neal Boulton is canoodilng with the competition. The Men's Fitness (an American Media Inc. title) editor has been spotted around town with Jann Wenner (of, uh, Wenner Media), reports the Sixers, despite Jann's long-term relationship with Matt Nye. And the fact that Neal is married, "to a woman, with kids."
The publishing mogul claims the hug and kiss at the Time Warner Center were nothing more than affection shown toward a "friend." But it was plenty, we imagine, to make Wenner underling and Men's Journal editor James Kaminsky jealous. At least when James isn't revamping the Adventure issue with breakthrough ideas like … a wine column. But perhaps he can make Jann a recommendation for his next date?
• 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 »
We rarely have much to say about Men's Journal, and that's for a couple reasons: 1) It's not Men's Health; 2) It's edited by Jann Wenner. Okay, Reason No. 2 should actually give us plenty reason to gab, so maybe it's just the single rationale.
But alas, someone with enough time to pour over Audit Bureau of Circulation data files a report with us that says Men's Journal's numbers dropped by 26 percent on the newsstand in '06. While total circ was 710k, 92,000 of that were "public placed." Sans those numbers, the book was actually 12 percent below the 700k rate base. Sounds like some make goods are in order.
Us Weekly. January 8 issue. Page 49. That's where the whole mess between Jann Wenner and Steve Bing began. It was there and then that Wenner's tabloid printed an item in "Hot Stuff" (picked up by the New York Post, among others) that alleged Heidi Fleiss set up a meeting for newly single Pamela Anderson to enjoy a meal with producer Bing, who you might know as the father of Liz Hurley's son. Said the item:
"He kept telling her she was beautiful, but that doesn't work with Pam," says a source close to Fleiss. Anderson, who split from Kid Rock in November, "likes guys who are a little rough with her," says the insider. Indeed: She was home by 9:30 P.M.
Only problem: Bing never had dinner with Anderson, and didn't care to have that rumor spread.
So outraged was the Hollywood power player, an insider tells us Bing sent a cease and desist to Wenner Media, demanding a retraction. In this week's issue, he receieved it. From page 18:
In the January 8 issue [Hot Stuff, page 49], we reported that Steve Bing and Pamela Anderson went on a dinner date, and that Bing had once denied being the father of Elizabeth Hurley's child. This date did not occur. In addition, Bing never denied paternity, and, in fact, he initiated paternity proceedings in order to establish his right to provide financial support foro the child. Us regrets the error.
Not only did Jann agree to have Us print the retraction, but an insider tells us he called Bing personally and apologized "profusely."
First, there's the bit about Heidi Fleiss not even knowing Pam Anderson. Then there's the part where the Us item is set up to make Fleiss – a very good friend of Bing – look like the source of the Us plant. Neither made Bing very happy.
Meanwhile, we're told, Bing is also going after the Post for picking up Us' item. Though we've got a feeling that unlike Jann, Rupert Murdoch doesn't seem as likely to say he's sorry.
Update: It's been brought to our attention that some of this information was reported yesterday. You know, not by us.
• Not only did most newspapers have Gerald Ford's obit ready to go, the NYT had all sorts of fancy Flash animations set to post.
• Newly unemployed Judith Regan announces plans to get drunk, Irish-style.
• Who says math has no practical real world applications?
&bull: Despite masterminding, casting, starring in new Rolling Stone reality show, Jann Wenner is not the purported breakout "star."
• It's been less than a week since Alan Hevesi resigned and murders in NYC are already way up. Coincidence? We don't belive in coincidences.
• GalleyCat demands new sci-fi editor for NYTBR. We hear teetotaling Judith Regan is available.
Editorial Director
