Media Miscellany: 06.30.2005

Happy Canada Day, Village Voice staffers! The deadline looms for Village Voice staff and management to reach an agreement on a new contract. Management’s proposed version involves compromised benefits and a chump-change wage increase of $15/week. The staff is ready to strike “for the first time in the newspaper’s 50-year history,” starting at what everyone keeps on describing as midnight tonight but I prefer to call “the stroke of Canada Day.” [NYT]

Susan Ungaro not welcome in Meredith’s Family Circle: Meredith Corporation, who last month bought Parents, Child, Fitness, and Family Circle magazines from G+J for $350 million, will be leaving behind 150 staffers in the acquisition – including Family Circle editor Susan Ungaro. Ungaro has been editor of Family Circle for 11 years and at the magazine 25 years. She is also a past ASME editor. But, according to Meredith president Jack Griffin, Family Circle needs a “fresh set of eyes.” Those eyes belong to Linda Fears, former YM and Parents editor and current acting editor in chief of business development at G+J. Pretty classless move, but at least they didn’t do it the day before your 80th birthday. [MediaWeek]

A reader just proposed to me! In response to this morning’s item on Fox News ogling wet bridezillas, an anonymous tipster writes: “I think you are safe from ever having to worry about getting married. You have a face made for the Internet.” Whatever, mean tipster, you’ve obviously never seen me. I have a face made for radio.

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