In your freewheeling Wednesday media column: Jon Meacham joins the promising field of book publishing, Tina Brown's talking about Newsweek, WSJ. magazine is coming out more frequently, and Matt Lauer, *spotted.*

  • Former Newsweek editor Jon Meacham is leaving the magazine world entirely, to take an executive editor position at Random House. We don't blame him.
  • Tina Brown is talking, also, about Newsweek! The failed Daily Beast-Newsweek merger, in particular. Here is one thing she said: "It's just that we have to be nimble, you know, our business, and when you started to graft the things together, it was clear that it wasn't going to be a nimble business for us, and that might even be the reverse of helpful for the brand." Here is another thing she said: "I'm sure they'll find somebody, but it has to be a web strategy and a magazine strategy. That's why it seemed like a good fit with the Beast. But ultimately it was just too complex. You can imagine." Indeed.
  • WSJ. Magazine is going to increase its frequency to nine issues next year, from six this year. That's a good sign and everything, but it's hard to argue that this is piece of news is very interesting.
  • Oooo, Matt Lauer was *spotted* lunching at Michael's with former GE boss Jack Welch. Jack Welch advises Barry Diller also. Does this mean Matt Lauer will be moving online-only soon? Or perhaps he'll be marrying Tina Brown? Or maybe it was just lunch? Who knows? Not us!

[Pic: Getty]