• Jon Fine poo poos Rupert Murdoch's attempts at a business channel.

• Jon Friedman opts for Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart as Time magazine's Person of the Year. To be fair: Not an original idea.

• Ed Bradley, remembered.

• Ex-P6er Ian Spiegelman is prepping his first screenplay. Fittingly, it's horror.

• Former LAT scribe Anita Busch links Mike Ovitz to Anthony Pellicano, which means the threats and intimidation aren't ending anytime soon for her.

• Collegiate blog IvyGate hasn't decided whether they're for or against the Ivy League. Just that there's plenty more Aleksey Vayners out there.

• Today show senior producer Tom Mazzarelli is named exec producer at Fox's in-development morning show. His farewell party last night, we sadly missed.

Time magazine is a title you know plenty about, but never read. It's okay, we won't tell John Huey that you don't have time to flip through its flimsy pages. As it turns out, you're not the only one: Time is about to cut its rate base – the paid circulation number guaranteed to advertisers – by 750,000 readers to a "mere" 3.25 million. Or – since Time is just shocking the newsweekly niche already with its Friday publication date – the mag will also offer advertisers an "audience-based model" of 19.5 million readers. What the hell kind of forumla is that? It's based on the model that TV networks use to sell ads. Something about the total reach of the magazine. And that's not all the changes being ordered from the top: The newsweekly is also raising its cover price to $4.95, ensuring there's not a chance in hell you're going to risk getting newsprint on your white Thomas Pink button down.

In the latest round of "Ideas Jon Friedman Swears Were His First," the Marketwatch columnist advises Time Inc.'s Time.com to break news on its website first. Oh, and avoid snark. This advice comes immediately after Time finally listened to him, and only him, and decided to publish the magazine on Fridays.

That's all. Carry on.

How Time.com can make 'venerable' seem cool [Jon Friedman, Marketwatch]

You know it's August, when, within mere seconds, the entire media meta clusterfuck is in a tizzy over a publishing schedule change.

Maybe because it's Time, and they throw the best party of the year, and they have a little bit of pull in this industry that makes people care. We don't really get it, but, here the big, breaking, Earth shattering, stick a spoon in your mouth so you don't bite your tongue off news.

Time magazine is expected to announce this morning that it will shift its Monday publishing schedule to Friday, with a mid-week close, according to a Time Inc. insider. Meetings on the edit and business side to discuss the news are happening now.

The move follows the appointment in March of new managing editor Rick Stengel.

Are your legs shaking? Just a little? No? Well, maybe this will rock your world. Jon Friedman actually suggested this as an option a little over a month ago. We're almost positive Friedman could not have been the first to insinuate this brilliant idea. (Think about it. It's Friedman.) However, we find that 1% chance that he actually said something relevant to the media industry to be much more thrilling and breaking news than a little publishing date change.

Time to Change Publishing Schedule [Lisa Granatstein, Mediaweek]
How Time magazine can stand apart [Jon Friedman, MarketWatch via Romenesko]

Former Nick Denton employee, Wonkette editor Ana Marie Cox, has been named Washington Editor of Time.com. Richard Stengel, managing editor of Time, announced Cox will assume the position July 31, 2006 after contributing to the mag since March. (You remember — it was right after she was schmoozing it up at Jim Kelly's house.)

"Ana Marie is a sharp and witty observer of the Washington scene and has the ability to spot political angles in surprising places," says Stengel. "In her new role, she'll bring her great web instincts to covering the hot topics of the day."

Yes, Cox has uncovered angles in some very surprising places indeed — most notably, the limousines, bedrooms, and country houses of Washington's political players.

ANA MARIE COX NAMED WASHINGTON EDITOR, TIME.COM [Romensko Letters, Poynter]

Just as we were about to launch into a marathon of lambasting Jon Friedman for his column today brimming with suggestions for Time magazine, byline candy Seth Mnookin notifies us he's already pulled the release on the guillotine. In his column today, Friedman has the "truly revolutionary" idea to move the paper's publication date to midweek instead of Monday. Unfortunately, like his other suggestions to improve the Time Inc. title (and his suggestions to improve most any aspect of media), it's already been done before. Reports Mnookin:

As Friedman asks, “Does it really make a lot of sense for the final two/sevenths of a newsmagazine’s cycle to encompass Saturday and Sunday, when little of consequence happens?”

Now, various execs at Time Inc. have advocated moving Time’s publication to mid-week for a while; hell, I know that and I haven’t down regular media reporting since 2003. Friedman, in the midst of “propos[ing]…something truly revolutionary” apparently hasn’t done the reporting to uncover what I’ve picked up in idle chatter. (The reasons for such a move wouldn’t be the two that Friedman suggests–to improve morale and encompass more of the weekly news cycle–but because there’s a good case to be made that these days, people are more likely to have time to read a newsweekly on the weekend.) What’s more, Time, like Newsweek, closes on Saturday, not Sunday; the only way it can get news that breaks on Sunday into the magazine is to rip up an issue that’s already at the printers. [...]

That’s not the only groundbreaking suggestion Friedman has; he also recommends that Time put up exclusive web content. “The American media are missing a good bet to attract greater numbers of readers” by “provid[ing] exclusive content geared only to online readers,” he says.

Except that, you know, Time.com already does that.

How Time magazine can stand apart [Jon Friedman, Marketwatch]
Amazingly, there are some j-school grads who don’t have jobs [Seth Mnookin]

• Leonardo DiCaprio is on the road to becoming the next Jude Law. [Mollygood]

• We understand citizen journalism, but, uh, citizen advertising? Elle magazine is just taking things to the way next level. [Mediaweek]

• If you crash one party this year, seriously make it this one. Maer Roshan and Steve Garbarino in a swanky underground get together is guaranteed to equal meta media gossip. [Page Six]

• Patricia Arquette marries her "actor boyfriend." Between her hairdo and Nicole Kidman's dress, wedding glamour is really starting to deteriorate. [People]

• Time magazine has a mission, and they'll use every gimmick possible to execute it. And now Fishbowl has a mission to take on Rick Stengel in a pick-up game … we sure do hope they'll tape that, too. [FBNY]

We are a bit confused by Min's explanation of Jim Kelly's time at Time. The article is quite flattering, going on to say what a gem of a guy Kelly is (we agree), has an Ivy degree, and made great connections with his staff.

And then they run this timeline:

Yeah, yeah, we know — all newsstand sales were down everywhere, and these numbers are still pretty good, and all that. But, come one, you'd think they'd leave out the chart if the purpose of their article was Jim Kelly is our god.

At least it explains the reason for all those "pours" … maybe everyone was just too jolly and drunk to notice the plummeting circ numbers?

JIM KELLY HAD A "TIME" MANAGING EDITOR REIGN TO REMEMBER. [Min Online]

Well, those newspapers sure predicted this one correctly. The new managing editor of Time magazine has been announced! Yay! The only managing editor in history to ever be paid attention to, Jim Kelly, made this position one that basks in a spotlight … but now that sliver of space in the sun belongs to someone else.

And that someone is Richard Stengel.

Who is Richard Stengel? Well, besides the guy who is replacing Jim Kelly as the 16th manager in Time history.

Stengel was a Rhodes scholar, a senior writer, essayist, and culture editor of Time, and has written for the New Yorker, the New Republic, and the New York Times. We guess that's pretty impressive. He is also the man who will be explaining the world to you on a glossy, weekly basis.

The full press release is after the jump … though it leaves out the part that explains whether or not there will be more blogger parties or how much champagne is being poured over at the Time building. We're going to guess anywhere between four and nine bottles.

CONTINUED »

Dear Blog Reader,

Print media painfully realizes they can't be fast enough to keep up with internet information. So while they know Time will be announcing a new managing editor today, they don't who yet. Well, neither do we, but the newspapers want you to know, they will be just as ready as we are when that news is announced.

The newspapers got a scoop. And have no fear — they're prepared.

From WWD this morning:

By the time you read this, Time magazine may already have a new top editor.

At today's 10 a.m. editorial meeting, Time Inc. editor in chief John Huey will introduce the newsweekly's staff to its new managing editor, the identity of whom was still a well-guarded secret as of Tuesday night. Jim Kelly, managing editor since 2000, enacting a decades-old ritual, will consummate the change of command by handing over to the incoming editor a pewter pencil cup that originally belonged to Henry Luce, Time's founding editor.

From the Observer this morning:

Dear Reader: If you’re really curious, leave this newspaper, go straight to our Web site, www.observer.com, right now, and behold the new managing editor of Time magazine! Time Inc.’s editor in chief, John Huey, as we went to press Tuesday, May 16, planned to name him or her Wednesday morning.

The current managing editor, Jim Kelly, is moving on to an executive position with Time Inc., in which, among other things, he will navigate the legal shoals of contemporary First Amendment law.

Isn't it just the best when you're already reading news on the internet instead of through print media and a website tells you to go their website. That's, like, more meta than blog on blog. That's like dotcom going down on itself.

Time Takes A Huey: Editor Kelly Rises,Successor Chosen [Tom Scocca, New York Observer]
Memo Pad: Time's Up [Jeff Bercovici, WWD]

Break out the mini bottle of champagne you keep strapped under your desk for super special occasions. Jim Kelly has been promoted from managing editor of Time magazine to managing editor of Time Inc.

The secret spot filler is still in the works, but Kurt Andersen and executive editor of Time Priscilla Painton are front runners in Mediaweek's eyes. No mention of Tina Brown or Robert De Niro.

At today's 10 a.m. meeting, Time managing editor Jim Kelly dropped a big hint to staffers that they should be around for a "pour" later today, according to Time insiders.

There has been much speculation over the past two weeks about Kelly moving to a corporate position, and while still not fully clear, it appears to be a position similar to that of Martha Nelson, formerly managing editor of People, who is now editor of the People Group.

From Time Inc.'s press release on the matter of Jim's new position:

Having watched Jim navigate all manner of crises at Time over the years, including the never-ending Valerie Plame saga, I was convinced he was the person for this job. As I described it to him, the job would entail both proactive policymaking and pre-publication vetting of controversial stories, but crisis management as well. In addition, I asked him to become involved with me in the recruitment of big-time outside talent for our company.

Agreed. When the crises of too many gossips hanging around his flat into all hours of the night arose, he found some tiny hands to flick the lights and get us scooting. Crises averted indeed.

Time Changeover Set for Today: Kelly to Oversee Editorial Cluster; Successor to be Named [Stephanie D. Smith and Lisa Granatstein, Mediaweek]

Earlier: Is Jim Kelly Running Out of Time?

In New York magazine's media gossip edition (first Robert De Niro buying the Observer and now this?) Tina Brown is latest to go through the rumor mill of possible replacements for Jim Kelly over at Time magazine.

In addition to considering Newsweek’s Jon Meacham, Slate’s Jacob Weisberg, And Michael Kinsley, Huey’s been doing due diligence on Brown, floating the idea in conversations—though insiders insist he’s not serious about her.

Dawn Bridges, spokeswoman for Time Inc., downplayed the replacement talk as “speculation,” though she noted that part of Huey’s job was to talk to people like Brown (though Brown says she hasn’t talked to him).

So, even the insiders think Jon Huey isn't actually going to hire Brown, and Brown doesn't remember having a conversation with Huey. Wow, that's some really great gossip. Especially since Lloyd Grove adds in that New York EIC Adam Moss might be considered, but says "no way" he would ever go there.

So basically we're at the same place we were last week, except now we have more arbitrary guesses and the knowledge that Kelly gets his staffers drunk off Graydon Carter approved champagne.

Could It Really Be ‘Time’ for Tina [Geoffrey Gray, New York]
Time Might Be Right For Tina [Lloyd Grove, Daily News]

• Maybe our newfound prophet can help tell us where to hide for the second coming.

• According to Time there are people besides Anderson Cooper who influenced the world. 99 others to be exact. Of course we only care about Coop and Martha Stewart … and the fact that Stephen Colbert doesn't read news or know who we are.

• And the tuxes served double duty (but thankfully Jann only broke out the cords once) when magazines were awarded for their content, design, and EIC's hot behinds.

• Lindsay Lohan works harder than anyone else. (Except, of course, her publicist.)

• Meanwhile, Nicole Richie has no ass left to lose. Her shoes on the other hand? Those are dunzo.

• Keith Kelly wastes a ton of trees getting a lot of information wrong. And Maxim gets a new daddy.

• Anderson Cooper inspired us to adopt Fernando Gil and then ask him all sorts of crazy questions.

The Ellies came and went, easily trumped by news of Britney Spears' already known pregnancy — but even that couldn't stop David Zinczenko and his hot ass.

And unlike previous years, the 2006 winners were spread out among many a media outlet.

While each of these mags received two awards, no publications (not even The New Yorker or the Virginia Quarterly Review) won more than two little elephants.

Two awards each went to Time Inc.'s Time, Wenner Media's Rolling Stone, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Hearst Magazines' Esquire, Harper's Magazine, New York and, yes, The New Yorker from Conde Nast Publications.

Besides confirming that Jann Wenner has convinced everyone that Rolling Stone is good again, and Graydon Carter wore pants that weren't plaid, Jim Kelly made notable appearance number two at Jazz at Lincoln Center last night.

His two ASME awards included best single copy issue for Hurricane Katrina coverage and a general excellence award. And the award for most famous managing editor amongst a sea of EICs. Oh, and a confused Meg Ryan showed. Nat Ives' full list of winners, after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Jim Kelly knows how to party. You saw the beer in his bathtub at his fete for Andrew Sullivan, yah? Now repurpose those antics for Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People party at Jazz at Lincoln Center (at, ahem, the Time Warner Center) and throw in actual A-listers instead of Peter Kaplan and his Observers (though we'd much rather hang with those types) and you've got media personalities – usually so eager to fawn over themselves – crowding around Jennifer Lopez to watch her blink.

We were there for the free bubbly, but people watching being our favorite sport, it would've been rude for us not to show off.

• The affable Stephen Colbert revealed he had no idea C-Span demanded his White House Correspondents Dinner speech be pulled off YouTube. "I've got a two week break," he told us. "My assistant is collecting all the newspaper articles."

• Vanity Fair coverboy Anderson Cooper shaking hands with Regis Philbin, and, we imagine, making no mention of mama Gloria Vanderbilt's alien feet in the VF photospread.

• Bill O'Reilly brushing up on his expressions of deep thought while chatting with Mort Zuckerman. Shortly thereafter, O'Reilly professed to us he doesn't read "those Internet things" so no, he doesn't follow our meta coverage of him.

• A glam Jennifer Lopez and her surprisingly unfrightening husband Marc Anthony acting puzzlingly social. We showed up immediately after these two, trailed them on the red carpet and rode the elevator upstairs with 'em. Her giggle lets her off the hook for those conspicuous grey hairs.

• Harvey Weinstein running around looking for Will Smith. Not once did we see Harvey touch a silver tray of hor d'oeuvres.

• Will Smith shaking hands with anybody who approached, but not letting them walk away before introducing his brother. He told us he was most excited to meet Nancy Cox (he's all giddy about flu pandemics, given his filming of 2007's bio-thriller I Am Legend). He also mentioned the only time he gets pissed when people sing "na na na na na-na-na-na" from "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" was at black tie events. We didn't spot Jada Pinkett Smith, so we assume she was off making wickedly bad music with Wicked Wisdom.

• Martha Stewart was very appreciative when we brought up Blueprint. Very appreciative. Did we mention the very part of her appreciation?

• Arianna Huffington, doing what Arianna Huffington does best: giggling with enthusiasm.

• Ann Coulter mulled about acting as liason between good and evil.

• The rest of the rest: Queen Rania, looking royal. George Lucas, looking important. Lauren Bush and David Lauren, looking like they're ready for Hamptons season to kick off.

We're sure there was more to be seen at the actual dinner (like Condoleeza Rice denying she's making a presidential run), but we had to split to watch David Blaine succeed in making an ass out of himself.

Ok, just when you thought everyone had their shot at Time's totally ridiculous picks for persons of the year, Jon Friedman throws his views out there, only about three days later. At least he agrees with us that "weather" is a more interesting category than Bill and Melinda Gates. Somehow (and this really is inexplicable) Jon himself seems to be more interesting than Bill and Melinda Gates.

I maintain, though, that Time, a NEWS magazine, erred by effectively diminishing the importance of Hurricane Katrina, easily the biggest news story of 2005. Taking a brave, contrarian view, Time's editors could argue that Bono and Mr. and Mrs. Gates exhibited a generosity of spirit that can serve as a metaphor for the Good Samaritans of New Orleans, too.

It's by saying things as boring as that, that Jon continues to entertain us. Amazing, right? We totally feel he could've totally won that cover. If only he could take a better picture.

Time, Newsweek made the wrong calls [Jon Friedman, Market Watch]

Earlier: All Jon Friedman coverage

Could Time's choice for 'Persons of the Year' be any more boring? Bill Gates and his wife? Blech! But, we should've figured they would pick someone like Bono. It seriously takes some people about 10 years to catch on.

Persons of the Year 2005

Cover Story: The Good Samaritans For being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic and then daring the rest of us to follow, Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono are TIME's Persons of the Year.

It's too bad that "The Weather" wasn't the "not actually a person" person of the year,. Katrina and Wilma were hella more interesting that Bill and Melinda Gates.

The Good Samaritans [Nancy Gibbs, Time]

Related: Time Person of the year leaked by bets

Has Time magazine's Person of the Year already been leaked? After a series of "suspicious betting activity" on Sportsbook.com, the online wager house shut down betting on who (or what) would be the issue's cover subject. Further investigation revealed bets placed through accounts tied to a PR firm (names, people, names!) that reps Time Warner, publisher, of course, of Time.

And just who were all those bets for? Mother Nature. (Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year was also correctly rumored to be Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, based on the suspicious betting.)

Sportsbook.com, the world's largest online sportsbook, has been forced to halt wagering on Time Magazine's Person of the Year and Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year due to suspicious betting activity. Upon further investigation by Sportsbook.com, the first and only sportsbook to offer odds on the annual designations, it appears employees of a public relations agency linked to Time Warner have used inside information to place the maximum allowable bet on this year's winners.

On the afternoon of Friday, December 2, a number of suspicious wagers, originating primarily from New York and New Jersey, were posted on Mother Nature to be named Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2005. These wagers have been traced back to e-mail addresses of a New York-based PR agency that lists Time Warner as one of its clients.

At least we can get a jump start on all those "Time 'Not Actually a Person of the Year" jokes in time for the Dec. 18 official reveal.

Sportsbook.com halts wagering on TIME Person of the Year [PR Newswire]
Did a PR Firm Leak Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" — and Worse? [Idea Grove]

• Donald Trump, not content with having a reality show and a magazine tout his ego, now wants to get into TV shopping. Prepare for lots of gold chyrons. [WSJ]

• Tonight, you might actually have an excuse to watch Donny Deutsch's CNBC show. He's announcing I Want Media's Media Person of the Year, a feat that could bring total viewership up to 20, maybe 24 people. [I Want Media]

• Thanks to Judith Miller, is Arthur Sulzberger Jr. the new Howell Raines? Leave it to Seth Mnookin to overanalyze. [Lowdown]

• The U.S. military admits to paying for editorial in Iraqi newspapers, and suddenly Armstrong Williams doesn't look so bad. [NYT]

• Richard Branson is taking on Rupert Murdoch, while Rupert Murdoch is taking on Craig Newmark. [Daily Telegraph]

• Lewis Lapham has been hanging around Harper's only to, ahem, harp on President Bush. [NY Mag]

• For four seconds, you too can be Time's Person of the Year. [Page Six]

• "Mother Nature" as Time's Person of the Year? First they change it from Man of the Year, now it's Whatever The Fuck Goes of the Year. [Reuters]

• Meanwhile, I Want Media is searching for its own "Media Person of the Year," so while we're bending categories, why not name MySpace.com? [I Want Media]

• Why you would ever be intersested in what's going on at CBS News behind the camera will forever confuse us, but thanks to these new things called blogs, every newsroom is your newsroom. [LAT]

• Friendster, having quickly lost out on the "cool social networking site" race, is looking to unload itself on an unsuspecting, deep pocketed mogul. [News.com]

• Desperate to stay relevant after his ouster at CNN, Aaron Brown says he'd gladly plop down in the anchor chairs at CBS or ABC, so long as they Febreeze Peter Jennings' old seat to get rid of that smokey smell. [Philadelphia Inquirer]