 |
High Times is preparing to resume publication of its magazine in limited-run, collectible editions, following the brand’s acquisition by RAW Rolling Papers founder Josh Kesselman. The $3.5 million all-cash acquisition includes the High Times Cannabis Cups, a series of online cannabis product competitions. The brand also plans to rebuild its digital platform to host a curated network of cannabis podcasts, experts and community voices, as well as “heralding the future of free thinking” and “protecting the truth of the power of the plant.” Founded in 1974, High Times entered into receivership in April 2024. “We’re not just reviving High Times as a news source, we’re positioning it as a guiding light for culture and a definitive authority on all things cannabis and psychedelics,” said partner Matt Stang.
 |
| Adam Stotsky |
VICE Media names Adam Stotsky, a former NBCUniversal exec and president of Dick Clark Productions, as CEO. Former Amazon and Paramount Television executive Amy Powell joined VICE Media as president earlier this month. At NBCU, Stotsky was president of E! Entertainment and Esquire Network as well as CMO of NBC Entertainment. At Dick Clark Productions, he led production efforts leading up to its sale to Penske Media Corp. VICE executive chairman told Deadline that Stotsky is “a seasoned operator with deep brand expertise across television, sports and media. He is the perfect executive to lead Vice for our next phase of growth.” After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2023, VICE was acquired by Fortress Investment Group and other lenders, including Soros Capital Management and Monroe Capital.
 |
| Mark Guiducci |
Condé Nast picks Mark Guiducci to serve as global editorial director of Vanity Fair, a newly created role, effective June 30. Radhika Jones stepped down from the editor-in-chief spot in April. Guiducci was most recently creative editorial director at Vogue, leading content across print, digital, video, audio, social media and live events. He was previously editor in chief at GARAGE Magazine, and prior to an earlier stint as arts editor at Vogue, he was features associate at Vanity Fair. In his new post, Guiducci will oversee the creative and editorial direction of Vanity Fair across all markets where it is published including the US, UK, France, Italy and Spain. Condé Nast chief creative officer Anna Wintour called Guiducci “an energetic and creative editor at the center of his generation and a leader under whom Vanity Fair will grow in ways I can foresee and, no doubt, many ways I can’t.”
Underscore Media, a new creator-led media venture dedicated to New York sports, is built around three established New York sports personalities, Sal Licata, Jimmy Traina, and John Jastremski.
McClatchy, which owns 29 daily papers across 14 states (including The Miami Herald, Sacramento Bee and Kansas City Star), launches a wave of layoffs that extends to at least 13 of those papers... The Toledo Blade, which was founded in 1835, is set to shut down on Dec. 31, unless owner Block Communications manages to find a buyer for it... A bill awaiting approval by California governor Gavin Newsom would give local newsrooms a boost. 
Fox News Media issued a pretty sparse release to announce the departure of one of its stars. “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with FOX News Media,” it reads.
Brunswick Group partner John Simons has joined CNN as senior director of business & media. He held top jobs at Time and the Wall Street Journal.
WNET, the nation’s largest public media company, names Edward O’Keefe its next president and CEO, effective September 21. O’Keefe succeeds Neal Shapiro, who becomes president emeritus and will retire at the end of the year... The Stealth Bot Prohibition Act, which would empower news publishers and other content providers to defend themselves by mandating transparency for all bots crawling their sites, in introduced in the House by Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) and Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC)... Google gets socked by European Union regulators with a $1 billion fine for using the platform’s dominance as a search engine to illegally undercut competition.
