Keith Kelly Distilled - FishbowlNY

Si Newhouse’s Secret Tattle Tales

Drew Grant — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:10:29 +0000

Condé Nast‘s anti-fraud hotline is actually working, as it turns out. Although Si Newhouse wouldn’t point any fingers to the actual press, Keith Kelly reports today that a Wired employee was fired for poaching stuff from the company store, someone may have pocketed an extra $10k off the record, and there is an ongoing investigation into an employee taking cash in exchange for writing certain fashion tips. A lot of blind items to go on, and it can’t help the image of Condé headquarters being filled with backstabbers in stilettos that can now pick up the phone whenever they’re holding a grudge.

Read More: Conde sleuths — Keith Kelly

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Food Network Magazine Brings The Heat To Hearst

Drew Grant — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:39:17 +0000

Despite the shuttering of O at Home and the company layoffs in 2008, Hearst may be one of the few publishers (along with Rodale and Meredith) that came up as a winner for 2009. And by “winner” we mean “did less terribly than everyone else.” Yesterday Keith Kelly reported that the company’s Food Network Magazine — which plans to print 10 issues this year — may be “one of the fastest starting magazines in publishing history.” That doesn’t mean the magazine hasn’t had its share of problems: there has been a constant revolving door at the title despite only having 5 issues in total, with managing editor Tara Cox (who was poached from Every Day at Rachel Ray) took the same job at Men’s Journal after test-editor Jennifer Dunn ditched out after the first trial issue in 2008.

A source quoted in the piece also admits that several mid-level editors have given notice, designer Sarah Goldschadt may be heading overseas to be replaced by Shira Gordon of Self. That’s a lot of revolving doors for a magazine whose total paid circulation in 2009 was 1,196,835 for four issues.

Previously: Hearst Consolidating O at Home Into O: The Oprah Magazine, Hearst the Latest to Layoff Staffers Company-Wide

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

More Changes To Come At Forbes?

Amanda Ernst — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Two weeks after selling its 60 Fifth Ave headquarters to New York University, Forbes Media may be planning to move its staff back into the prestigious building, according to Keith Kelly.

Last year’s move to 90 Fifth Ave, the home of Forbes magazine’s dotcom business, looked to combine the resources of the print and Web teams. But since then, the business magazine has dramatically slashed its staff and Forbes.com lost its CEO. As Kelly reported today, at the time of the move, Steve Forbes said the company had “outgrown its space.” So does a move back reflect how much Forbes has shrunk in the past year?

Another interesting tidbit from Kelly’s Forbes item today involved additional cutbacks at the magazine:

“The slide in ad pages at Forbes — they fell more than 30 percent last year — is prompting a change in the way the magazine is bound together. Instead of being glued together in a binding method known as ‘perfect bound,’ the pages will be stapled. It is a tacit acknowledgement that the magazine will remain slimmer for a longer period of time.”

We’ve reached out to Forbes for comment, but have yet to hear from them. If you have any info, send us an email or drop a tip in the anonymous box at right.

Read more: Forbes Staff Shuffle –New York Post

Previously: Forbes Layoffs Decimate Staff

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Condé Nast Fires Breast-Augmented Employee

Drew Grant — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:15:00 +0000

Si Newhouse may tolerate nudity in his magazines, but not in workplace, according to a Keith Kelly blind item from today regarding a former Brides employee who was recently laid off after showing two of her female colleagues the results of her breast surgery.

While the two women were “personal friends” who the employee had known for years and despite the lack of any nudity (the woman kept her sports bra on in the confines of her closed, private office), the word got around to Condé Nast‘s HR team and the woman was dismissed immediately with no severance, Kelly reports. Condé is now looking into revoking her unemployment benefits as well, he added.

Maybe this anonymous worker should have gone to work at The New York Post, which allegedly has much more lenient personnel policies.

Read More: Condé Nast boob-job exec is gone in a flash –New York Post

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Men’s Health Runs Same Cover Twice — Purposely?

Drew Grant — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:30:00 +0000

David Zinczenko is in a heap of trouble today after some eagle eyes noticed that this month Men’s Health ran an almost word-for-word cover as its October 2007 issue.

But Zinczenko told Keith Kelly today that the self-plagiarism was intentional, and “it was only newsstand copies, it was not inadvertent, and it was part of overall branding strategies.”

You see? Zinczenko totally wanted readers to notice the similarities in this totally on-purpose goof, because maybe then they’ll buy a subscription to the Rodale Inc.-owned magazine instead of just buying single-issue newsstand copies. Just part of an overall branding strategy of being totally and inexcusably lazy.

Read More: Uncovered –New York Post

Men’s Health Editor Says Running the Same Cover Lines Twice was Deliberate –

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New York Times Staff Cuts May Come As Early As Next Week

Drew Grant — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Keith Kelly has some bad news for The New York Times employees today. The 100 or so newsroom staffers that Bill Keller said would have to be let go — either voluntarily or through layoffs — because of budget cuts, will finally learn their fates next week. And, only 50 employees have reportedly agreed to take the buyouts.

Those who haven’t might be in for a nasty surprise as early as next week when the paper seeks to trim 40 to 60 more from the staff, according to Kelly. Copy editors are going to be hit especially hard, one inside staffer told the New York Post reporter, which is a shame because if there’s one things newspapers need today, it’s more typos. Sports and metro sections will also likely suffer deep losses.

Of those who have chosen to take buyouts, veteran business reporter Geraldine Fabrikant is believed to be part of the ranks. Politico‘s Michael Calderone also says that four vets from the Times Washington, D.C. bureau have agreed to the buyouts: Neil Lewis, Stephen Labaton, David Johnston and David Stout.

Read More: Cuts mean tears at Times next week –New York Post

Previously: Memo: Times To Layoff 100 Newsroom Staffers, Two Times D.C. Reporters To Take Buyouts

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Time Inc. Closes Door on Buyouts Today

Drew Grant — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

As People magazine celebrates Johnny Depp as the “Sexiest Man Of The Year” (again), everything is not well in the state of People‘s publisher Time Inc. The company is still looking to trim $100 million from its budget through layoffs and buyouts, which could include up to 90 editorial positions at Fortune, Sports Illustrated, Time magazine and Money.

According to Keith Kelly in today’s New York Post, layoffs at Time are only a hair away, as the publisher should find out today how many people from their titles have stepped forward to accept buyouts.

Kelly already has the name of one high-ranking staff member who is gracefully bowing out of the competition: Fortune managing editor Steve Koepp, who has worked at Time Inc. for 29 years, will be taking one of the buyout offers. Another top Time Inc. editor, Time.com managing editor Josh Tyrangiel, has also removed himself from the staff, by accepting the top editor position at BusinessWeek. Fortune is looking to layoff 40 staffers compared to 12 at Time magazine, Kelly reports. (We’re hearing the number at Fortune might actually be closer to 25.)

Time Runs Out For Buyout Volunteers; Layoffs Loom — New York Post

Previously: First on FBNY: Time Inc. Shutters Custom Pub Fortune Small Business, Time Inc. Layoffs: Sports Illustrated Hit First, More To Come

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

More Employees Fleeing BusinessWeek?

Drew Grant — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:26:53 +0000

Editor-in-chief Steve Adler has already departed BusinessWeek in lieu of the Bloomberg takeover, but are more staffers following suit? Executive editor Ellen Pollock is on her way out, according to The New York Post, and other executive editor John Byrne is moving to San Francisco, though, as an anonymous employee pointed out, doesn’t mean he’s leaving the BusinessWeek family. Is Bloomberg that bad to work for, that editors are leaving their cushy gigs out of defiance?

Have a tip about this story? Email us, or leave an anonymous note in our tip box.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Keith Kelly Distilled: Bonnier Edition

Neal — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:30:01 +0000

Janet Chan, longtime editor of the formerly-Time Inc. owned Parenting Group, has gone freelance. More staff defections took place as well, Kelly claims it’s due to strife with new owners Bonnier.

David Zinczenko: Shameless self-promoter (it’s a good thing!) and Adweek‘s Editor of the Year.

More info on Vince McMahon‘s new WWE magazine.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Keith Kelly Distilled: Karaoke Edition

Neal — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:45:21 +0000

Forbes senior editor Lea Goldman has jumped ship to… Marie Claire. Goldman will serve as features editor there. Matt Miller will take over Goldman’s popular Celebrity 100 list.

Cutesy publishing news. Rival mags Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple are having a karaoke faceoff next week.

Keith Kelly Distilled: Start-Ups Rock Edition

Neal — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:45:43 +0000

Ex-Condé higher-up Mitchell Fox has a new gig as CEO of web start-up 8020 publishing.

The various job defections at BusinessWeek? It’s all due to some byzantine internal politics.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Keith Kelly Distilled: Happy St. Pat’s Edition

Neal — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:00:30 +0000

Is there a particular reason Keith Kelly didn’t write about filthy rich Irish newspaper mogul Sir Anthony O’Reilly‘s attempt to market his The Independent stateside until the Friday before St. Patrick’s Day? Yeah, probably.

Christina Aguilera and People magazine are in a feud over misidentified jewelery (ie, People incorrectly identified Aguilera’s engagement ring designer).

In Portfolio mag, Google CEO Eric Schmidt throws cold water on the idea of Google buying the NYT. And by “cold water,” we mean an ambiguous no-but-maybe-yes-in-the-future answer.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.