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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.”
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
