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We hear that Vegas-loving thick-necked porn-king and men's mag entrepreneur Richard Botto isn't wasting any time doing a search for a new editor for his deeply un-gay men's mag Razor. Botto fired reportedly trouble-making editor Craig Knight last week, and the word is that Botto will announce himself as both publisher and editor later this week. Our informant says the staff is thrilled — but for all I know my informant is Richard Botto himself with a Hotmail account, working a preemptive strike. [UPDATE: Or simultaneous strike. Press released issued earlier than we'd heard.] We get a vibe on that scenario quite strongly — the giant Lizard God of Planet Razor forcing ballgags on the mag's staff and stealing their identities. Or maybe that's just our fantasy.

[UPDATE: press release, issued late today, follows.]

RAZOR MAGAZINE NAMES NEW EDITORIAL TEAM Richard Botto takes helm as editor-in-chief; Allison Young promoted to executive editor/creative director

New York (June 28, 2004) RAZOR has undertaken a major reorganization of its editorial management, it was announced today by Richard Botto, publisher and ceo of the magazine. At the top of the new masthead, Botto will assume the role of editor-in-chief, replacing Craig Knight, who has been terminated. Allison Young, previously managing editor, has been promoted to the position of executive editor and creative director. As part of the reorganization, RAZOR s main editorial offices will be relocated from Toronto to the company s headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, with additional staff based at a new editorial bureau to be opened later this summer in New York.

In making the announcement, Botto described the staff changes as a natural step in his magazine s growth. In the past year, RAZOR has made significant progress on the business side, building our circulation, opening a New York sales office, and attracting a wealth of new advertising from some of America s most influential marketers, he explained. Given this progress, I saw the opportunity to re-focus my own attention on the editorial side, bringing RAZOR closer to my original vision and making it that much more interesting and relevant to the young, success-driven men who are our readers.

Launched in November, 2000, RAZOR has quickly carved out an enviable niche as the title of choice for upwardly-mobile, educated men in their twenties and thirties. Entering a supposedly over-crowded field, I saw a slew of new lad magazines that were heavy on frat house humor, and a number of long-established leaders clearly intended for a much older audience. But there was nothing for a whole generation of men in the middle the guys like me, notes Botto. From the start, RAZOR has aimed at filling this gap by offering editorial that s smart and provocative, covering a broad spectrum of topics from politics to film, fashion, sports, travel, personal finance, music and much more.