In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Lacy answered questions about the deal. He even admitted that Meredith had “salivated over those businesses [Time Inc.'s lifestyle mags] forever.” Below are some other interesting/less gross things Lacy had to say.

On the possibility of still doing a deal with Time Warner or Time Inc.:

There is potential there. We’d love the opportunity as their spinoff transaction progresses to see if there is something we could do together downstream.

How the talks got started:

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Rick Stengel, Time’s managing editor, was particularly upbeat. He told the Times the spinoff from Time Warner was exciting. “It’s sort of put up or shut up time,” he said. “I think great, let’s really test that hypothesis that people will pay for great content and great journalism. We can now invest our own capital.”

Other anonymous Time Inc. staffers expressed the same sentiments. One mentioned that a lot of people blamed Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, for Time Inc. faltering. “There was a real sense that Jeff didn’t have either interest in Time Inc. and magazine publishing and didn’t have faith in it as a business going forward,” a former, anonymous Time Inc. exec, told the Times. “His focus was always the film and TV side of the company.”

We imagine the next few years are going to be rough for Time Inc., but in order to keep looking on the bright side, we think everything will work out.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Yesterday multiple reports emerged that the deal was almost dead. As much as we joked that the deal wouldn’t get done because of Iowa,  that wasn’t the main sticking point. The merger fell through because Meredith didn’t want to take on Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Money because they’re pretty much money pits and don’t fit well with Meredith’s brand. Understandable.

So the biggest media combo to be discussed in quite some time ends not with a roar, but a few boring statements. Stephen Lacy, CEO of Meredith: “We respect Time Warner’s decision and certainly remain open to continuing a dialogue on how our companies might work together on future opportunities.”

Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner: “After a thorough review of options, we believe that a separation will better position both Time Warner and Time Inc. Time Inc. will also benefit from the flexibility and focus of being a stand-alone company.”

And finally, below is Lang’s memo to Time Inc. staffers.

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Barry Lucas, an analyst at Gabelli & Company, told the New York Post that as more problems arise, the more he doubts a deal will happen. “There are a lot of things that work against a deal and the bigger the deal, the harder it is to get done,” he explained.

Lucas was being vague about the “things that work against a deal,” and sure, those four titles might be an issue, but let’s be honest, we know what’s happening here.

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Bloomberg reports that when Bewkes was asked about the combo, he replied, “The press is very active. Who knows if they know what they’re talking about.”

Allow us to answer that: You, Jeff Bewkes, are the person who knows if we know what we’re talking about. And the only reason we know anything is because a Time Inc. publication — Fortune — reported it.

So there you go. The more you know.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

1. Cover Battle: Cosmopolitan or Vibe, February 21

2. Former Anchor Rob Morrison Faces ‘Very Serious Blow to His Career’: Legal Expert, February 21

3. A Truly Fantastic New York Times Obituary, February 26

4. Uncertainty Pervades Time Inc. as Meredith Talks Continue, February 22

5. (Poll): Lining Up Possible WCBS Morning Anchor Candidates, February 26

6. Ashley Morrison (above) Returns to WCBS as MoneyWatch Anchor, February 27

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Sharples had been with Allrecipes.com for the past six years.

“Stan has the ultimate combination of marketing savvy, digital prowess and e-commerce experience to lead Allrecipes.com to the next level,” Liz Schimel, Meredith’s executive vice president and chief digital officer, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have him join our team. Additionally, we would like to thank Lisa Sharples for the incredible work she has done building Allrecipes.com into the powerhouse brand it is today. We wish her the very best in her next endeavor.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

One anonymous Time Inc. executive said that the merger was demeaning to the Great Time Inc. Workforce; that it was “Like the Yankees’ farm team taking over the Yankees.” Others have “made cracks about Des Moines” and pretty much everyone said Meredith is cheap without actually saying it.

Then there’s the difference in office cultures. Time Inc. staffers are used to working late, while Meredith likes to schedule early morning meetings. And what of lunching habits?

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Laura Lang

Unsurprisingly, Lang hasn’t had much to offer to her Time Inc. colleagues, aside from general statements that won’t do any good. One insider told the New York Post that Lang was “telling people to keep doing what they are doing and not be distracted.”

We’re sure the publishing house’s staffers will find avoiding distractions easy. Especially with Meredith’s dealmakers back in the Time Inc. building on Wednesday and no one knowing anything about the new company, which some Time staffers have sadly begun calling “Teredith.”

To be fair, there’s really not much Lang could say to calm employees’ nerves. But maybe next time she could try a little something different, like “Don’t worry about anything. By the way, how do you feel about living in Iowa?”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The New York Times

As has been repeatedly mentioned, Time Warner would keep Time, SI and Fortune. The reasons behind that vary. One source told the Times that Meredith simply doesn’t want those magazines because they’re a money pit. Another said that Jeffrey Bewkes, CEO of Time Warner, wants to keep Time and the others because it’s better to just keep the magazines than to sell them at such a low price.

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Well that didn’t take long. The mystery of who/what is trying to buy Time Inc. from Time Warner has been solved. According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s Meredith, which mostly publishes women-centric magazines. Above is a video tour of the company’s offices.

The deal is still for Time Warner to keep Time, SI and Fortune, so we still don’t know the solution to the other puzzling question: Why is Time Warner going to part with People, its most profitable title? But the fact that the buyer is Meredith does make things a little clearer. Meredith, knowing that its audience is mostly female, is probably insisting that this deal includes People.

That’s just a guess, but we’re sure as the days go by more details will emerge, so we’ll keep you posted. For now, we’re going to ask Professor Plum his thoughts on the mystery. Last we saw he was in the kitchen with a rope.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“Carolyn is one of the most respected and talented leaders in the media industry,” said Dick Porter, president of media sales, for Meredith National Media Group. “Her unique background across all digital platforms and magazine media — combined with her passion for growing great brands — make her ideally suited to lead our digital sales team.”

Bekkedahl begins at Meredith in mid-September.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

“Our momentum reflects EatingWell’s strong and growing connection to the consumer,” said Tony Catalano, the publisher of EatingWell. “Healthy eating is top of mind for Americans, and we’re pleased to see them turning to the pages of EatingWell for trusted and engaging content.”

The online version of EatingWell is also enjoying a surge. EatingWell.com garnered 3.6 million unique visitors in June, which is an 85 percent increase since Meredith took over.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

EatingWell

“As the healthy eating movement continues to thrive, this growth reflects how relevant and engaging our content is to consumers who want to make healthy eating a bigger part of their life,” said Tony Catalano, Publisher of EatingWell.

The September/October rate base increase is a 71 percent jump from the same point last year.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

1. Former Bloomberg Radio Anchor Becomes Published Author (left), March 17
2. Top Newsweek/Daily Beast Writer Gets New York Times Gig, March 16
3. Meredith Names VP of Corporate Sales, March 19
4. Peter Lauria Thinks its Time for Oprah to Shut Down OWN, March 21
5. The 2012 Digital Ellie Award Winners, March 20
6. YES Network Names New Sideline Reporter, March 20
7. Massive Layoffs Hit Oprah Winfrey‘s OWN, March 20

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.