The latest
at the Washington Times
Other shorts: Back on, the Conde Nast Christmas party
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Nov 19, 2009
And now, the latest at the Washington Times
Lately the Washington Times has become better known for making headlines than printing them, and the paper's mysterious saga has taken another turn, with acting publisher Jonathan Slevin writing a letter to readers that appears in today's edition. Addressing the rumors that have flown since three of the paper's top executives were booted nearly two weeks ago, Slevin writes, "Many of our competitors enthusiastically repeat rumors, myths and misinformation." He does not specify what those rumors, myths and misinformation are, though he urges readers, "I would ask that during this time of transition you read certain newspaper and blog reports about this organization with a discerning eye." Essentially Slevin lashes out at other publications for covering something the Times will not fully explain. Here's the short version: The longtime No. 2 paper in town's publisher, chief financial officer and chairman were fired earlier this month, a move attributed to the economy. Soon after armed guards were stationed in the building, and late last week word came that John Solomon, the paper's editor, had walked out just before the firings. A few days ago, the paper's former editorial page editor, Richard Miniter, filed a discrimination complaint against the paper, alleging, among other things, that he was forced to attend a mass wedding presided over by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification Church, which owns the Times. Amid all this craziness there's been a flurry of speculation that the paper will shut down or go online only. Slevin didn't specify his plans in that regard, though he did note, "we are in the midst of an evaluation with regard to securing and enhancing our voice for the long term, in an environment that is increasingly dominated by digital media and the blogosphere." If you read between the lines, that could mean even more changes ahead.
Back on, the Conde Nast Christmas party
Nothing says "we hired those bean counters for nothing" like reinstating a Christmas party in a year when your magazines lost the equivalent of $1 billion in advertising. Condé Nast, which shut down four magazines and laid off dozens of staffers following an in-depth audit by McKinsey & Co. earlier this year, will celebrate the holidays with a party at Aureole this Monday, according to the New York Observer. Insiders are calling it a "we survived" bash. Last year Condé Nast canceled its famed Christmas luncheon, whose seating chart was highly scrutinized for signs of who was in favor with boss Si Newhouse and who was out. It will hardly be the same lavish affair as past years, when the party was held at the Four Seasons. This year's do is a cocktail party (no seating chart necessary) at a more modest restaurant. But will the New York Post's Keith Kelly, whose annual post-CN party writeup was one of the year's must-reads, revive that tradition, too? One can only hope.
Study: Celebrity endorsements entice the young
Using celebrity endorsements is probably not an effective idea unless you're targeting a young demographic. That appears to be the finding of a new survey from Mediaedge:cia. According to the survey, 30 percent of respondents ages 18-34 said they would try a product endorsed by a celebrity they admire, compared to just 14 percent for those 35-54 and 11 percent of those 55 and older. Similarly, 18-34s are about 50 percent more likely to recommend a celebrity-endorsed product to a friend than those outside of the age group. While celebrity endorsements are effective in many cases, the report suggests the method is most beneficial for fashion, beauty/fragrance, luxury goods and sporting equipment ads. Still, 53 percent of those surveyed said they have trouble remembering which celebrities endorse which brands and may only notice the brand if it’s a category they’re already interested in.
New York Sun rises once more online
There were those who thought the New York Sun was dead. It is not, as it turns out. It lives online. Founded in 2002 as a conservative alternative to The New York Times, The Sun never really flourished as a business proposition, but in its six years in print it had a certain moxie, and in New York a certain moxie will get you talked about, even it few ever really read your publication. When it finally died last September, the Sun was claiming a circulation of 150,000 but it was probably half that, with many copies given away. But founder Seth Lipsky hasn't given up. He's been nurturing his paper online for some time, and it looks as though he's trying the pay-as-you-go model, selling crossword puzzles and pictures of society events. Lipsky tells Harvard's Neiman Journalism Lab that he hopes to build up the Sun site, nysun.com, adding more features that can pay their own way, so to speak, as well as take in ad revenue. But the site has some ways to go, with just an estimated 64,000 visitors a month.
Programming notes: NBC moves Emmy Awards
Mark your calendars now: the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will air in August next year rather than September. Like it did in 2006, NBC will telecast next year’s ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 29, three weeks earlier than usual in order to avoid a conflict with “Sunday Night Football,” which kicks off in September. Nominations for the event still will be announced in July. Meanwhile, in other programming, NBC has ordered a reality competition tentatively titled “United Plates of America,” in which wannabe restaurant owners compete before a panel of investors. The winner of the series will be given a restaurant chain with four U.S. locations opening on the night of the show’s season finale. There’s no word yet on when the program will premiere. And HBO has picked up an eighth season of “Real Time with Bill Maher,” as well as given the talk show a new start time. The new season will premiere on Feb. 18 at 9 p.m.; the show previously aired at 10 p.m.
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