Magazines, Print Media | featured news

The venerable Hollywood trade magazine Daily Variety published its last printed edition on Tuesday, ending an 80-year era by beckoning readers to a recently revamped website and announcing plans to launch a new weekly version of the publication.

Maxim magazine, known for bawdy female swimsuit photos and off-color jokes, is for sale. Alpha Media, Maxim's parent company which is owned by a group of financial investors, said Friday it was exploring a sale of the male-oriented magazine. The move comes as Maxim has been trying to reinvent itself as a multi media outlet after years of declines in ad pages.

Time Warner said Wednesday that it'll spin off its magazine division, Time Inc., as an independent, publicly traded company later this year, ending the company's talks to sell several magazine titles to Meredith Corp.

Newsstand sales of consumer magazines dropped 8.2% in the second half of 2012 from a year earlier, while paid subscriptions saw modest growth of 0.7%. Digital editions expanded their presence.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia said it will close its Whole Living magazine and move its Everyday Food publication to an all-digital format to cut costs and emphasis digital and mobile platforms.

Newsweek will end its print publication after 80 years and shift to an all-digital format in early 2013. Its last U.S. print edition will be its Dec. 31 issue. The paper version of Newsweek is the latest casualty of a changing world where readers get more of their information from websites, tablets and smartphones. It's also an environment in which advertisers are looking for less expensive alternatives online.

The magazine editors knew they had their cover shot. The model, just emerged from a small pond, produced a look for the camera that exuded intelligence and confidence. The only problem was the water droplets clinging to the model’s ears. So the photo editors had the ears retouched and the December 2011-January 2012 issue of Garden and Gun went to press.

Once a must-read for Hollywood insiders, the 107-year-old trade publication has been bypassed by Deadline, Hollywood Reporter and the Wrap. I once asked a famous producer how he first became fascinated with Hollywood. His answer? "When I was 14, I got a subscription to Variety." And no wonder.

Time Warner Inc. Chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes today announced the appointment of Laura Lang as Chief Executive Officer of Time Inc. Ms. Lang will join the company from Digitas Inc. where she served as Chief Executive Officer since 2008. She will become CEO of the largest U.S. publishing company, home to such iconic brands as PEOPLE, TIME, INSTYLE, and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, in January 2012.

If Larry Flynt has his way, Casey Anthony could reintroduce herself -- nude -- to America on the pages of Hustler magazine, and make well over $500,000 in the process.