OBLIGATORY TITLES Former Time Inc. chief and current Carlyle Group hand Norm Pearlstine is heading to Bloomberg LP, where he will assume the role of chief content officer. [Dealbook] Which begs the question: WTF is with these "chief content officers"? Netflix has one; so does PBS; so did the Cartoon Network. Is management not already stuffed with CEOs, COOs, CTOs, CFOs, and CPOs (that one is "chief privacy officer") that we need to reassign the responsibilities normally spread among top execs to a new high-earning title grabber?

May 12, 2008 · posted by david · Link · Respond

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Karen Leigh's saga continues. The new editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly – who landed the gig hovering over Lori Majewski's desk thanks to Norm Pearlstine being Karen's godfather – continues to miff EW veterans.

Hiring Karen "was definitely NOT a good move," says an insider, "especially considering they nearly forced loyal staffers to move on as to make room for people like Karen. … Karen's hiring pissed a lot of people off."

Like say, for example, freelancers who maintain a revolving door at the magazine (thanks to Time Inc.'s 1,100 hour cap for stringers) that are begging for a masthead position.

But screw them. The good fortune belongs to Karen, who, says another source, is known for her sense of entitlement.

CONTINUED »

Mar 14, 2007 · posted by David Hauslaib, Jossip · Link · Respond

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Turns out Lori Majewski's new assistant at Entertainment Weekly isn't the most welcome addition to the family at 1675 Broadway. Karen Leigh, the 21-year-old goddaughter of Time Inc. EIC Norm Pearlstine, just began her gig as Lori's minion — and already there's resentment.

"No one likes her," says one well-placed insider. "I'm seriously wondering how long she'll last."

We're told that previous to Karen's gig at EW and her stint at Time in London, Karen's accomplishments include dropping out of college. Tattles a source: "EW is so snooty in its hiring process that the execs won't even hire EAs that don't have years of experience and editor/staff writer titles under their belt, but they'll pick up an incompetent little twit without a degree simply out of fear of her ex-stepfather who no longer works at Time Inc.?"

So how long will Karen last? Not very, wishes our insider, who hopes that being Lori's underling will "knock a good dose of reality/humility into her."

Mar 13, 2007 · posted by David Hauslaib, Jossip · Link · Respond

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After all that shuffling around – from exec editor at Us Weekly in '03 to managing editor of Teen People in '05 to exec editor at Entertainment Weekly in September – Lori Majewski certainly needed somebody to handle her calendar. Lucky, then, that Karen Leigh was available to take on the job as her assistant.

Karen who? That'd be Karen, goddaughter of Norm Pearlstine, Time Inc.'s chief. Ah, nepotism.

This much we know: Karen is 21, and just returned to the New York after a stint at Time magazine in London. And, naturally, she has ambitions to one day be an editor-in-chief. Quick, someone subscribe her to that ED2010 thing the kids are crazy about.

Mar 13, 2007 · posted by David Hauslaib, Jossip · Link · Respond

The new Nightline

• Without Ted Koppel, the new Nightline looks more like 20/20. And without Barbara Walters, the new 20/20-esque Nightline looks like decoupage. [USA Today]

• Get Eliot Spitzer's heart medication. Not only is the radio industry engaging in payola tactics, but now the U.S. military is buying off Iraqi newspapers to publish favorable stories penned by American soldiers. [LAT]

Brian William's nightly news lead continues to grow, thanks to all that viewer email he's responding to. [AP]

• At John Huey's super secret succession initiation at Time Inc., where Norm Pearlstine finally moves on out, guests were treated to hot water-revealing mugs of Huey's, ahem, mug. [Gawker]

• Since the U.S. is far too flooded with celebrity weeklies, they're now invading Canada. British tabloid Hello will set down across the northern border next August, where it'll hope to beat native Bonnie Fuller at her own game. [Toronto Star]

• Blogger Panopticist goes way too far with the half-assed satirical rumor of the New York Times buying Gawker. Way. Too. Far. [Panopticist]

• Obligatory note: NBC makes official Steve Capus' position as NBC News president, a role he's filled since September anyhow. [NYT]

Nov 30, 2005 · posted by David Hauslaib, Jossip · Link · Respond