Jon Fine Finally Comes Out
We haven't been this excited by a Romenesko item since Howie Kurtz was caught canoodling with Steve Brill: Jon Fine's new BusinessWeek column debuts today! He comes out swinging, uncovering a dastardly new scheme by advertisers — Toyota, specifically — and magazine execs to plant product placements in the text of stories! Fine names names, too, revealing which mag companies are engaging in this despicable practice. Brace yourself for this hall of shame:
There's no sign that Hearst Magazines, Meredith (MDP), and Advance Publications, the parent of Cond Nast Publications, are going along with what would be a major breach of the traditional wall between magazine editorial and advertising units. ...
Toyota's notions aren't universally welcomed. "We'll sell our mothers, but this doesn't work," says a mystified magazine executive who attended one presentation and, fearing a major advertiser's wrath, insisted on anonymity.
We can't wait for next week's column, which we hear will inveigh against the nonexistent Nazi pasts of several top magazine editors.
Side note: Very sexy new mugshot, Jonny F. We totally see why Laurel* digs you so much.
[*Disclosure: Laurel Touby employs as editor-in-chief of mediabistro.com Elizabeth Spiers, who was the founding editor of Gawker.]
