Julie Dannenberg

Peter Davis, editor-in-chief of Scene, told WWD that no successor has been named yet. He also didn’t miss the chance to tout Scene as “a local Vanity Fair.”

Scene — the most unintentionally hilarious magazine ever — is a little over a year old. In November of last year, Dannenberg said the glossy was “doing well.” We wonder if she still has kind words for it.

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The latest issue of Observer Philanthropy features a list of the “20 Most Important Young Philanthropists” and surprisingly, Eric Trump graces the cover. He’s also praised inside and proclaimed a “powerhouse.”

Trump, as you probably know, is the brother-in-law of the Observer’s owner, Jared Kushner. What a crazy coincidence!

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Because the media is nothing but precise, that list has now been narrowed down to about 834 potential buyers. Below are all the ones we found mentioned, but we’ve surely missed one or 500.

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Now you might be saying “I don’t care about yet another event full of media people congratulating themselves for being themselves” but we know you do! Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. So allow us to give you what you want, a list of people who went to Hughes’ shindig, via The Huffington Post.

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Joseph Meyer

“Joseph will oversee business operations and will focus on making investments and exploring acquisitions,” wrote Kushner, in a memo. “He brings years of experience identifying growth opportunities and will help the Observer Media Group expand in the areas it already serves and bring its fresh voice to entirely new markets.”

Kushner’s full note can be seen at Daily Intelligencer.

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Ken Kurson

As the New York Times notes, Kurson’s Republican ties will certainly cause some to wonder (perhaps more than they already do) about the objectivity of the Observer.

Kurson, of course, thinks it’s no big deal. “People will think what they want,” he told the Times. “I will have to earn their trust. I have had a long and honorable journalistic career, calling it like I see it and being a straight shooter.”

“Ken knows the ideas, stories and voices that make up New York better than anyone,” wrote Jared Kushner, in a note to staffers announcing the move. “He is a journalist and an author and through his years as a consultant observed the figures who create the framework of business, politics, media, tech, culture and real estate in our city.”

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Elizabeth Spiers

Executive editor Aaron Gell is succeeding Spiers as the Observer’s new editor-in-chief.

“Elizabeth has been a phenomenal editor and manager,” said Jared Kushner, in a statement. “Not only did she bring on a wonderful team, she redesigned the paper and websites, launched a slew of new verticals and web properties, and invigorated the newsroom, all while more than doubling web traffic. I’m grateful for her efforts, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.”

UPDATE:
Christopher Barnes is also leaving. Check out the full internal memo here.

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Jared Kushner

If Kushner ends up acquiring the Dodgers and then brings them back to Brooklyn, he would pretty much own the city. We hope he understands that.

Hell, he could even send the Mets to LA to help smooth things over. We don’t think many people would miss them.

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In the anon’s own weird way, he challenged the validity of the Observer’s report by stating that he would “eat his own hat” if the paper was indeed profitable. When Kushner heard about this, he decided to call the challenger’s bluff. According to the New York Post, Kushner said that if the anon would identify himself and sign a non-disclosure agreement, he could look at the paper’s books himself.

Of course the rival declined. Lesson learned? Never play poker with Kushner.

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(Via Capital New York)

The New York Observer Media Group, which at one time was rumored to be losing about $5 million a year, is expecting a profit this year. Christopher Barnes, the Observer Media Group’s President, told the New York Post, “We’re expecting a small profit in 2011 and a more substantial one in 2012.”

Apparently the first ever journey into the black is all thanks to the digital push that was ushered in by Jared Kushner, and then mastered by Elizabeth Spiers, the Editor-in-Chief of the New York Observer. Maybe that’s why the Observer is expanding its editorial operations — things are truly going great there.

Of course not everyone is buying Barnes’ rosy outlook.

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The New York Observer has decided that our tiny little metropolis is just too small. It wants to spread its wings, and according to Capital New York, it will start doing that soon. Elizabeth Spiers, Editor-in-Chief of the Observer, has been given the go-ahead by Jared Kushner to hire additional editorial staff for a digital spin-off that will focus on national coverage, while the paper will remain specific to Gotham.

A national expansion is a great idea, and the fact that the Observer is even considering it is a testament to Spiers’ skills as an editor. Since taking over the Observer has gained its wit and zing back, as well as enjoyed an online boom — sources say that visits have been up over 80 percent since she took over.

FishbowlNY is excited to see what the future holds for the Observer. Under Spiers’ guidance we’re sure it’ll be great. Plus, if the site goes national, just think of how many more “power lists” they could publish.

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(Via Gawker)

Three staffers from Avenue, the Manhattan Media publication, are leaving to create a new lifestyle magazine that is going to be backed by Jared Kushner. According to the New York Observer, Avenue’s Publisher, Julie Dannenberg, Editor-in-Chief, Peter Davis, and Creative Director, Cricket Burns, will all be part of the yet to be named new title.

While Avenue targeted Upper East Siders, the new magazine will be different, said Dannenberg. “We are not an Upper East Side magazine, but a magazine for the affluent household, not defined by neighborhood or by age but by mutual interests and similar demographics,” wrote Dannenberg in an e-mail to The Observer. Wait. Aren’t Upper East Siders affluent? We think they are, but maybe we should look into that again.

As you can guess by Dannenberg’s statement, the new glossy will cover high brow events and people. Just in case you aren’t irritated yet, Davis had something to add.

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Late yesterday afternoon, Adweek broke the news that Jared Kushner and Dan Abrams were talking, and the news spread like wildfire. Two big time media moguls discussing deals is certainly news, but maybe not as big as everyone thinks/hopes it will be.

The basis of the talks, according to Abrams, was that he was looking for potential investors in his media properties. Abrams’ talk with Kushner’s brother — who owns Thrive Capital — led to his conversations with Jared. Since that was boring, sources told Adweek and New York magazine that the talks really involved Abrams and Kushner joining forces and each owning a 50 percent share in Abrams Media and The New York Observer. One rumor even had Abrams taking control of the editorial side of the Observer.

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The piece says that Murdoch’s critics should all lay off, and that “it is simply wrong to assail Mr. Murdoch simply because of his politics.” Why is it wrong? Because “he happens to be a world-class visionary who has revived dying newspapers,” of course! Never mind the fact that he runs News Corp. and that old saying of “the buck stops here.”

There’s more, but you get the idea. The Observer piece reads like a boy defending his friend from bullies. There’s not much logic, just something like, “You leave Rup alone you stinky faces!”

It’s sad. But then again, this is an Observer editorial we’re talking about.

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Trump being Kushner’s father-in-law has played out oddly in the pages of the Observer. As recently as a few months ago, when Trump ridiculously toyed with the press about running for president, it left FishbowlNY wondering how the paper was going to cover such a touchy subject. Turns out the Observer covered it, just very lightly.

This appears to be the way all things Trump are handled at the paper. As we learn from the Times’ profile, when the Observer puts together its annual “100 Most Powerful” list, Kushner makes sure Trump is treated nicely, even if he shouldn’t be:

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