Last night marked the inauguration of The New York Observer’s First Annual Young Philanthropy Event. On the chic PH-D rooftop lounge of the Dream Hotel, amidst panoramic views of the city and overlooking the twinkling lights of the Empire State building, some of the leading lights in philanthropy came together to celebrate giving back.
The Read More
Michael Clinton, the president, marketing and publishing director at Hearst Magazines, is also a self-described “globetrotter.” Who would have guessed? Because rich guys never like to travel. His new book, The Globetrotter Diaries, a coffee table tome about his life as a traveler, hits shelves today. Read More
Hearst Magazines has named Carine Roitfeld the global fashion director for Harper’s Bazaar. This move ramps up the rivalry between the former editrix of French Vogue and Condé Nast. Ms. Roitfeld, who was once seen as a possible successor to Anna Wintour, abruptly left Condé Nast in 2010.
Ms. Roitfeld introduced her new magazine, CR Fashion Book, just Read More
The New York Times ombudswoman—yes: woman!—has made her first mark at the paper. What’s it look like? What’s up with Cosmo‘s new look? What do campaign reporters think about this year’s campaign? What piece absolutely needed to be written today that was finally written? All that, and more, in your Thursday Evening Media Briefs: Read More
Several of us watching Jersey Shore reruns last night suffered a rude shock when DirecTv rudely cut off our programming at midnight. Of course, we had been warned–a vague phone call earlier in the day, a hushed, automated voice telling us to call back our service provider, which we didn’t because we thought they were going to try to upgrade us again– but DirecTv’s inability to negotiate with Viacom portends a summer of bad news, television-wise.
No matter who you pick to serve up your TV, it looks like you’ll be getting screwed. Here’s how it breaks down. Read More
Say what you will about Esquire, the Hearst lad mag’s willingness to experiment—and frankness about the outcome of those experiments—is unparalleled in the magazine business.
As The New York Times breathlessly recounted early this year, Esquire dabbled in e-ink in 2008, offering a cover that blinked at you from the newsstand. In Read More
An online petition asking Hearst Magazines to cover up Cosmopolitan’s racy cover lines got a surprising new spokeswoman last week: Victoria Hearst, the daughter of former Hearst Corp. chairman Randolph A. Hearst and younger sister of Patty and Anne.
Reached at home in Colorado, Ms. Hearst told Off the Record that the company should “have a moral compass and put it in an opaque bag and make it sold only to adults.”
It’s a proposition that’s unlikely to go over well with her relatives on the corporation’s board. Cosmo’s cover lines, though comically blunt (“Your Orgasm Guaranteed,” “Um, Vagina, Are You Okay Down There?”), help make it the best selling consumer magazine on American newsstands. But Ms. Hearst is accustomed to being a black sheep. Read More
One of the challenges of green buildings is making sure they work. You can buy the fanciest air conditioners, install the most efficient windows, even recycle the toilet water in the drinking fountains, but if building owners do not monitor their energy use, the big-time green investments can be as bad as in conventional buildings.
Hearst knows better. Just as it might tend a photo shoot or test a recipe, the media giant has been tweaking the systems at its Eighth Avenue headquarters since it opened in 2006. Thanks to Heast’s efforts, the 46-story tower—the first LEED Gold building in the city—has earned LEED Platinum status for building maintenance, essentially upgrading the building to the highest level of sustainability practices. Read More
With the help of a $30 M. gift from longtime Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and Stanford University’s School of Engineering have established the David and Helen Gurley Brown Institute for Media Innovation, the two universities and the Hearst Corporation announced today.
The Institute is inspired by David Brown, Ms. Brown’s late husband, a former journalist, publisher, film and theater producer who graduated from both Stanford and Columbia Journalism School. Read More
“The days of, ‘Do we publish on Facebook? Do we tweet?’ are over,” Buddy Media CEO Michael Lazerow told Betabeat. “Either you do it, or you’re crushed. Do it or go out of business.” Hearst Magazines must have got the memo, because its Digital Media unit just announced a partnership today to use Buddy Media’s platform to enhance its presence on Facebook. From its Midtown headquarters, Buddy Media will create “sapplets” (short for social applets) that overlay on the Facebook pages for titles like Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Marie Claire.
Sapplets like Buddy Media’s Interactive “Personality” Boutique, which recommends products based on answers to a personality quiz, introduce a game-like aspect into the Facebook page and encourage interaction. They also offer a handy new advertising vehicle for Hearst, which is probably why Kristine Welker, Hearst Digital Media’s chief revenue officer, was the point person on the deal. Hearst is further removing friction for potential advertisers by launching multiple brands (13 titles and websites will eventually be involved) at once. That way, if an advertiser wants to reach a certain demographic, they don’t have to negotiate with each magazine individually.
“Instead of doing one-off siloed programs, they’re almost selling it as part of a cable network that lives on top of Facebook,” Mr. Lazerow explained. But why “sapplet”? Did the world really need another word for a widget? “I can’t speak for the world, ” he said sharply. Read More
