Let Us Count The Ways That Print Is Dead
In your suddenly Tuesday media column: Conde Nast moves its B-team, Larry Hackett despises humanity, and print is dead, along with baseball and apple pie and puppies:
Conde Nast is clearing out of 54,000 square feet of space in an office building on Lexington Avenue, currently occupied by Golf Digest. The once-fancy publisher is subletting the space to another company. It's not clear where Golf Digest will move, but, considering Conde's current financial state, it probably won't be "to a glittering golden throne atop a huge pile of money."
Look, the New York Times has gained insider access to record the delicate process of People magazine choosing a cover story! How does editor Larry Hackett balance consumer sensibilities, stars' egos, and pressing financial concerns to select successful stories that uplift—and sell? "We're also on Farrah watch," he said. "At this point Farrah has to die. It's the only cover left for her." Thank you, Larry Hackett.
Bill McHugh is a newspaper pressman. He runs printing presses. For the Boston Globe. In an interview, he basically tells a Globe reporter, "You think you're screwed?"
The LA Times has suspended publication of its new, atrociously-named weekly magazine LAetcetera, "Featuring pop culture, shopping, fashion, and home features," before the first issue even comes out. Somewhere in the Tribune company sits an executive who was sure that LAetcetera would be a big winner.
Do you know what, of all things, is not getting good ratings on the television these days? The American pastime! (Baseball). The last World Series had its worst ratings ever, and now Game of the Week ratings are down nearly 10% this season. Communism?