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Vanity Fair is letting go of around 15 employees as it adjusts to life under new editor Radhika Jones, according to a piece in the Hollywood Reporter. The cuts include several senior staffers, among them managing editor Chris Garrett, features editor Jane Sarkin, associate managing editor Ellen Kiell and executive head of communications Beth Kseniak. About five staffers were axed at Glamour, another Conde Nast publication, which recently brought on print novice Samantha Barry as editor-in-chief. The changes follow two other recent waves of layoffs. Conde Nast let go of about 80 people in November, following the demise of the print edition of Teen Vogue, and cut about 100 positions last spring. “Vanity Fair and Glamour are taking the first steps in reshaping their teams to reflect the new editorial directions of the brands,” according to a Conde Nast representative.
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Circulation numbers for The Economist remain strong, according to Audit Bureau of Circulation data for July through December 2017. Combined print and digital circulation for the magazine held steady at 1,391,671, despite a price hike of 20 percent. Revenue from circulation rose 25 percent year over year. While digital circulation saw a 24.7 percent jump, print kept pace with it. The print vs. digital split was 69:31 vs 74:26 for the previous year. The Economist’s social media audience rose 24.1 percent, to 55,659,842. North American users remain a big part of all those audiences, with circulation at 758,068, accounting for 55% of global circulation. “This past year we made an increased investment in our marketing activities across all channels,” said Economist chief marketing officer and managing director of circulation Michael Brunt. “This investment is already delivering a positive return for us with a steady increase in the profitability of our circulation.”
 Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta |
NBC has promoted Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta to serve as co-presidents of scripted programming for the network. Former president of scripted programming Jennifer Salke left the network last week, and will now run Amazon Studios. Katz, currently executive VP of drama, came to NBC from 20th Century Fox Television in July 2016 and has overseen the buying and development of one-hour projects, plus moving the pilots and first seasons of new dramas through the production process. Pakosta came to NBCUniversal in 2011, where she began as executive VP of comedy for Universal Television before assuming that role for NBC in 2015. “Lisa and Tracey have impeccable taste, strong leadership and a deep understanding of the NBC brand,” said NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt.
 Sandra Song |
Nylon Media, which recently became a digital-only publication, has named Sandra Song its new senior entertainment editor. Song was previously digital entertainment editor at Teen Vogue. At Nylon, she will work with the company’s strategic marketing and events teams to build out its entertainment content. “Sandra’s laser-sharp focus on intersectionality, and the entertainment industry’s complicated relationship with it, has made her a thought-leader in the cultural criticism space,” said Gabrielle Korn, Editor in Chief at Nylon.
Michael Kaminer, who was responsible for the Observer’s “Power List” for the past 13 years, has cut ties with the publication... The New York Times Company continues the march toward its goal of 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027... The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is providing more than $6 million in funding to eight organizations working to address the challenges local news and information environments face along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conservative outlets Fox News, Newsmax and the Daily Caller are holding back from signing Pete Hegseth’s edict restricting press access in the Pentagon... CBS News sees the first executive departure of the Bari Weiss era as head of standards and practices Claudia Milne exits... Indiana University shuts down the print version of The Indiana Daily Student.
Rothschild family plans to unload 26.7 percent stake in The Economist... STAT, a digital media company that focuses the life sciences, brings back Damian Garde, who anchored its biotech newsletter and podcast from 2016 to 2024... High Times officially resumes print publication (following its 2024 shutdown) with the release of a limited-edition, collectible 50th anniversary issue. 
CBS News is set to hand over its reins to The Free Press co-founder Bari Weiss as Paramount acquires her site for $155M... C-SPAN comes on board as an official media partner of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which is charged by Congress to lead the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence... A new Gallup survey says that the level of trust that US audiences have in the media has hit a new low.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has named Kenneth Weinstein, former head of the conservative Hudson Institute, as ombudsman for CBS News.
