Revolving Door Newsletter: 12.06.11

Newsday Goes Digital; Al Jazeera's Latest Move

December 6, 2011

Here's some good news: Newsday plans to hire 25 people to staff up a new digital operations center focusing on Westchester County. The paper is planning iPhone, iPad and Android apps dedicated to providing the region with a hyperlocal spin. Diane Goldie will edit the digital products and have a staff of more than two dozen editors, reporters and "digital content specialists" under her. The move is clearly a play for the vast amount of advertising dollars in the Westchester area, but jobs are jobs, you know? Best of luck to the new venture...

Al Jazeera expands its American footprint. The network is opening a bureau in Chicago, the fifth one in the United States. ABC News veteran John Hendren will oversee the effort. There is no coincidence the newest location just happens to be the home city of President Barack Obama... Fox Business Network snags CNBC's Melissa Francis. The co-anchor of Power Lunch first appeared on TV when she was one year old... Current TV chops the staff for its Vanguard series... The CBS Sports Network recruits Dan Weinberg as senior vice president, programming. He had been vice president of licensing at Major League Baseball... Matthew Barnaby finally runs out of lives at ESPN. The Worldwide Leader cut the former hockey player after a DWI arrest in Clarence N.Y. He was driving a Porsche Cayenne that had only three tires. Meanwhile, ESPN hires former Red Sox manager Terry Francona... KTRV stops its news programming just six months after going independent...

Details raids Maxim for James Oliver Cury. He had been online editorial director and will take a similar role at his new publication. The struggling Conde Nast title also welcomes Rachel Rosenblit as entertainment editor. She comes from Elle... Reuters flexes its editorial muscle, snagging The New York Times' Duff Wilson and the Chicago Tribune's Megan Twohey...

Yahoo shutters four entertainment blogs. Will Leitch and Tim Grierson are out, as are Lindsay Robertson, Tara Ariano, Mark Lisanti, Courtney Reimer and a few other talents... Henry Blodget's Silicon Alley Insider hires Julie Bort for its SAI: Enterprise sub-vertical and Boonsri Dickinson as a reporter on the West Coast... People.com grabs Cosmopolitan.com content and features editor Zoe Ruderman as senior style editor... Andrew McLaughlin heads to Tumblr as vice president. Nick Grossman steps into his role as head of Civic Commons... And there are changes at CNN, Self and more...

December 6, 2011: David Brewer has been named vice president of program strategy and acquisitions at Bravo Media. He had been director of strategic program planning there. (release)

December 6, 2011: Jonas Larsen has been named SVP of talent and specials at Comedy Central. He had been vice president of specials there. (release)

December 6, 2011: Brad Mancuso has been named ECD at Organic. He had been group creative director there. (AgencySpy)

December 6, 2011: Sean Fitzgerald has been named EVP, China, and director of the Shanghai office at Ketchum. He had been partner and MD at Ketchum West. (PRNewser)

December 6, 2011: DeMarco Morgan has been named co-anchor at WXIA-TV in Atlanta. He had been reporter at WNBC-TV in New York. (TVSpy)

December 6, 2011: Lisa Bell has been named reporter at WKMG-TV in Orlando. She had been morning anchor at Central Florida News 13. (TVSpy)

December 6, 2011: Jim Adolph has been named publisher of American Motorcycle Group at Source Interlink Media. He had been publisher at Car Craft. (FishbowlLA)

December 6, 2011: Rudd Davis has been named president of Travel Media Group at USA Today. He had been VP of business development there. (FishbowlLA)

December 6, 2011: Zoe Ruderman has been named senior style editor at People.com. She had been content and features editor at Cosmopolitan.com. (mb)

December 5, 2011: Jennifer Sobel has been named VP and director of talent acquisition at MediaVest. She had been senior manager of recruiting at Disney-ABC Television Group. (mb)

December 5, 2011: Rachel Rosenblit has been named entertainment editor at Details. She had been associates editor of features at Elle. (FishbowlNY)

December 5, 2011: James Oliver Cury has been named online editorial projects manager at Details. He had been online editorial director at Maxim. (FishbowlNY)

December 5, 2011: Patti Davis has been named online columnist at More.com. She is the author of The Lives Our Mothers Leave Us. (FishbowlNY)

December 5, 2011: Megan Twohey has been named investigative reporter at Reuters. She had been reporter at Chicago Tribune. (FishbowlNY)

December 5, 2011: Duff Wilson has been named investigative reporter and associate editor at Reuters. He had been reporter at The New York Times. (FishbowlNY)

December 5, 2011: Stephanie Paige Miller has been named social media editor at Self. She had been social media strategist at Ketchum PR. (mb)

December 5, 2011: Jill Maxick has been named vice president of marketing and director of publicity at Prometheus Books. She had been director of publicity there. (mb)

December 4, 2011: Samira Said has been named international assignment editor at CNN. She had been a freelancer. (mb)

December 4, 2011: Jessica Wozinsky has been named social media editor at Weightwatchers.com. She had been associate editor at Weight Watchers. (mb)

December 2, 2011: Jane Sung has been named Lucky Breaks editor at Lucky. She had been digital editor at Oxygen Media. (mb)

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