December 9, 2009
The Last Metro

More than 80 years of experience is leaving when we say goodbye to
Ralph Blumenthal, Nicole Collins, Paul Nielsen, Tina Kelley and Jenny
8. Lee. Join us in a toast at 6 p.m. in the Page One conference room.

Ralph Blumenthal, who had not come close to exhausting his appetite
for reporting in all corners of this city, and Nicole Collins, who had
barely begun to taste the huge success she was so clearly destined
for, have opted to take the buyout. So, too, has Paul Nielsen, the
tough minded and deeply smart stalwart of Metro's copy desk. Tina
Kelley, Metro's poet laureate and one of The Local's brave pioneers,
will also be leaving us. She has a great next gig in hand, and so
while her decision filled me with a mix of respect and regret, that
bit of news allows me to be thrilled for her, too. Then there's Jenny
8. Lee, who has spent the last two years as one of the creative and
daring and agile brains behind City Room, and her instincts and
inventiveness have helped make it the second most popular blog in our
empire.

In some ways, of course, it breaks your heart. But I also believe, for
all of them, the decision in many ways must make real sense.

Anyway, amid all the ambivalence - in their souls, in our hearts -
there is certainty: all of them are treasures, and they deserve a real
tribute. Please, then, join us at 6 p.m. Wednesday to give praise,
have a pop, and hear a tale or two - about their time here, or their
adventures ahead.

It'll be in the Page One conference room.

Joe [Sexton, Metro Editor]

Today's initiative has been variously billed as "iTunes for Magazines" (correct philosophically, but wildly overstated) and "Hulu for Magazines" (incorrect, since Hulu is free). Basically you can now go to this digital storefront and buy all your favorite Conde Nast, Meredith, Hearst, Time Inc., and News Corp publications, to read on your "portable digital device" of choice. Your crappy mobile phone, or iPhone, or upcoming Apple tablet, or, hey, Time Inc. is making its very own tablet, & ad infinitum.

And, of course, this is not the only "digital storefront" thing—Hearst, a partner in this venture, is also going forward with its own personal digital storefront called Skiff , and there are similar services already operating, although, hey, there's not dominant iTunes-type player yet, so you never know.

This could be a successful venture. Then again, it could fade into irrelevance in months. Somebody will make the dominant digital storefront for content like this, just like someone will make the dominant digital reader. Magazine publishing companies, one would think, are likely to get smoked by someone like Apple in this particular sector. But they think it's worth the gamble, after watching what happened to the music industry.

But it'll take a few years. How much would you pay to read Sports Illustrated on your E-reader right now? You don't have an E-reader. And you can read Deadspin for free. So, you'd pay nothing. Changing that dynamic is what media companies need to worry about.

And here's Time Inc's announcement to employees, just because we have it:

December 8, 2009
To: Time Inc. Employees
From: Ann Moore
Re: New Digital Venture

Today, five leading publishers including Time Inc., Conde Nast, Meredith, Hearst and News Corporation announced the formation of a new venture to develop a digital storefront and a common reading application that will allow consumers to enjoy their favorite magazine and newspaper content on any platform they choose.

We already know that the next generation of mobile devices will be loaded with color touchscreens, flexible displays, video capabilities and other features that will make them ideal for consuming rich content and an appealing environment for advertisers. These devices will allow us to combine the best of what consumers love about magazines – quality, curated journalism, engaging content and beautiful photography – with the speed, convenience and portability of the latest technology.

While Time Inc. is pursuing a number of initiatives that will help us expand our current digital businesses and develop new products and revenue streams, our participation in this venture is an important part of our efforts. You'll be hearing more about it in the coming weeks and months.

In the meantime, for a look at some of the work Time Inc. is doing around portable devices, check out the demo Sports Illustrated developed, which will give you an idea of how our digital content might be enjoyed in the near future.

www.si.com/tablet

A.M.

Vadim Ponorovsky, the owner of Paradou, a restaurant in the Meatpacking district, described on its website as a "light-filled, airy oasis... filled with warmth and charm," really REALLY wants waitstaff to collect email addresses from customers, presumably so he can spam them. Here's the happy, team-building email he sent out, from a tipster.

To All,

Please read this email carefully. This is the last time we will be discussing this.

This weekend, saturday and sunday we had 451 customers. Guess how many emails we collected? 60? 80? 40? No. None of those. We, or more acurately you, collected 2 emails. Thats less than half of one percent. 2 fucking emails.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES?!?!?! How many times do we have to tell you how important it is that you collect emails. Everytime we have a slow night and you make no money and you sit there bitching about how you make no money, remember its because youre fucking lazy motherfuckers. YOU SHOULD ALL BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE HOSTS!!!!

Let me guess, youre probably sitting there saying "Vadim is such a fucking asshole. How dare he speak to me like this. I dont need this." Youre right, you dont, so why dont you get the fuck out. Any and all of you.

Youre probably sitting there saying "How dare he speak to me like this. How dare he not have respect for me". Youre right there also. I have absolutely no respect for any of you. Why? Because every fucking day, all of you continue to show that you have absolutely no respect for me or Alex. So if you dont respect us enough to do the little that we ask you to do, then GET THE FUCK OUT YOU FUCKING LAZY DISRESPECTFUL ASSHOLES!!!!!

Effective immediately, any server or host who fails to collect at least 20 emails per week, will be fined $100. Anyone failing to collect at least 20 emails for two weeks in a month will be fired immediately. No matter what. No matter who you are.

You dont want to do your job, you dont want to do what we ask, you dont belong at Paradou. Go find another place to work.

How dare you disrespect Alex and me this way. How dare you completely ignore what we ask of you time after time after time.

I am sick of all this shit, you bunch of fucking children. This is what I have to deal with at 6AM?!?!? I wouldnt tolerate this from my 13 year old, and Im sure as shit not going to tolerate it from any of you assholes.

You give no respect, you get 10 times back.

Be nice to waiters people! Tip generously! Tell them they look nice! They have enough trouble. And sometimes they don't get even get paid.

UPDATE: Ponorovsky has explained the email to Daniel Maurer of New York Magazine's Grub Street (and also to Eater).

He did not respond to an email from us seeking comment. But to add to that defense here is a message he sent our tipster when he found out they'd forwarded his fiery missive.

If the people who work for me are not happy they can find employment elsewhere. I do not hide. I speak my mind. They get praise when they deserve it and they got this because they desrved it too. I have no time for your childish sniping. And if anyone on my staff feels that they need you to defend them, they've chosen very poor champions.

Now please kindly go fuck yourselves or each other

The man does have a gift for profanity.

Get it? Womb? It's a site for ladies, who have wombs! Anyway, thanks for the image, Jake. Weisberg's memo confirms that Double X publisher Peggy White is leaving, and that associate editor Samantha Henig will be let go at the end of the year unless another job can be found for her at one of the Slate Group's other sites. (We were dubious about Weisberg's characterization of White's departure as voluntary—"I'm sorry to say that Peggy White has decided to pursue other opportunities"—but we asked her, and she confirms that it was.)

A tipster tells us that Weisberg gave Hanna Rosin, Emily Bazelon, and Meghan O'Rourke a two-year commitment when they launched the site six months ago, and that the new site design—now abandoned—that Weisberg references in the memo had been scheduled to roll out today:

From: Jacob Weisberg
Sent: Mon 11/16/2009 2:45 PM
To: TheSlateGroup
Subject: The Next Double X

SLATE GROUP CONFIDENTIAL

We're writing to let you all know that we've decided to turn Double X into a section of Slate and to stop publishing it as a separate site. This is a business and a practical decision, not an editorial one. We love Double X and are extremely proud of what it has accomplished journalistically over the past seven months. We believe in it and want it to continue growing. We see this change as an example of fast evolution in response to what we've learned about a rapidly shifting marketplace. Bringing Double X back into Slate should make it easier to develop both the editorial and business sides of the project while reducing our costs significantly.

Returning Double X to Slate is a good option in part because Double X has done so well in maintaining Slate's DNA while branching out into areas Slate has never before covered in depth. David agrees that returning Double X to the womb from which it sprang should be an easy fit. To readers, there should be little visible change. Part of the Slate Group concept has always been that we can have it both ways on the question of what is and isn't a separate site — Slate V being a prime example. Some readers now understand Double X to be as a section of Slate. Some in the future will continue to regard it as separate. We're happy to fudge on this question.

Under the hood, there will be some changes. We have a lot still to figure out, but our expectation is that we'll begin publishing Double X on Gutenberg by the beginning of next year, and then migrate the archives from Drupal. Unfortunately, shifting the CMS means abandoning a very nice homepage redesign that was near to completion. We'll see the benefit of that work, however, in The Big Money's adoption of a similar template later this week, and eventually in a version of it on the Root.

Emily, Hanna and Jessica will continue to run Double X. As a section of Slate, it will report to Julia Turner. Noreen, whose time was divided between Double X and TBM, will now divide her time between The Big Money and Slate, which should help with the added copy-editing load. Samantha is staying with us at least until the end of the year to help with the transition, by which time we're hoping to have found
her another position inside the Slate Group. I'm sorry to say that Peggy White has decided to pursue other opportunities. It's been our pleasure working with her and we're sorry to see her go.

Jacob and John

We've received this from four sources now, including from our dark overlord, who posted it to #tips.

To New York Post Staff:

Most of you have read the sensational allegations a former employee made in a complaint filed against our company and our executives. Her claims of being a victim of unlawful discrimination and retaliation are baseless.

In fact, the entire complaint is filled with distortions and misstatements and virtually every key factual assertion is untrue. We will defend this case vigorously and are confident that the legal process will reveal it to be totally meritless.

While we are in the midst of this litigation, we urge you to do your best to focus on your work and respectfully ask that you not discuss it with fellow employees or people outside the company. Thank you for your cooperation and if you should have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Human Resources.

BW's new editor will be Josh Tyrangiel, the editor of Time.com. He replaces Steven Adler, who left BW last month after Bloomberg took over. One might reasonably speculate that Tyrangiel was a familiar name to Norm Pearlstine, the former Time editor who now runs Bloomberg's content. Funny Tyrangiel Wikipedia line: "In journalistic circles, Tyrangiel is postulated to be the successor to Richard Stengel, the current editor of TIME." Has inaccuracy been found on Wikipedia? From BW's own report:

In some media circles, Tyrangiel was considered a leading candidate to succeed Time managing editor Richard Stengel. According to sources, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes was so impressed with Tyrangiel that he tried to recruit him to be come the editor of CNN.com, the online arm of the 24-hour cable news channel, but Time Inc.'s current editor-in-chief John Huey intervened and convinced Tyrangiel to stay at Time with the promise that he might one day succeed Stengel.

Separately, we hear (unconfirmed) rumors that the long-expected post-sale BW layoffs have now started. One tipster tells us: "No word yet on how deep, but seems like a lot... Sounds like edit and ad sales are tomorrow, all other business functions are today." UPDATE: "3 people in marketing and 2 in finance" have been let go, our tipster says.

And as for the effect of Tyrangiel's departure on Time, which is itself in the midst of cutbacks: A tipster tells us that the savings there from Tyrangiel's departing salary means fewer people will get laid off. Which is good news, because the tipster says that "the deadline for volunteers at TIME is tomorrow in new york. after that they'll move swiftly to lay people off in new york, london and hong kong."

We've contacted Bloomberg and we'll update when we learn more. Please forward all internal memos and tips on this here.

UPDATE: This is the memo that went out at BW yesterday—some believe the "meetings" it references will include layoff notifications.

November 16, 2009

To: BusinessWeek Employees

From: Norman Pearlstine and Chris Walters
Bloomberg/BusinessWeek Integration Report #3

We are pleased to provide a progress report as we enter the last two weeks of the integration process.

Since our previous update on November 5, we have met or spoken with hundreds of you at departmental roundtable discussions. Thank you for your candor, insight and thoughtfulness on ways to make BusinessWeek even better. We took away many new ideas and better clarity on each department's priorities, concerns and accomplishments. In turn, we hope you took away a sense of our respect and excitement for the future of BusinessWeek.

At the same time, a selection process has been underway in many areas. This week, BusinessWeek staff members (except in Europe and countries where local requirements govern the process) will be invited to a meeting (in person or by telephone) to learn next steps. During the first half of the week, meetings will be held with Marketing, Communications & Events; Circulation and Production; Finance; Technology, and Digital. The remainder of the week will be spent with Sales and Sales Development, and Editorial. You'll be notified of the time and place separately.

One-hour information sessions will be scheduled on Thursday and Friday for U.S.-based employees receiving offers from Bloomberg to learn about benefits, policies and programs. Additional new hire orientation and terminal training will be provided after December 1. Employees outside of the U.S. will also receive similar information in the near future.

If you are moving to a Bloomberg office on December 4, you will receive information on logistics, your new address and general telephone number, and moving boxes. BusinessWeek marketing will provide electronic "change of address" cards to notify clients of your new location. Your "businessweek.com" email address will remain in effect.

Along with McGraw-Hill, we are striving to make the process as smooth and respectful as possible. We are very mindful that this transition will be emotional for everyone, and ask for your continued patience and consideration.

Sincerely,

Norman Pearlstine
Chief Content Officer

Chris Walters
Integration Leader

[Tyrangiel pic via]

Nice groundwork by whoever got these from the McCain campaign at the Huffington Post, where Sam Stein reports today on a few contradictions the emails make with portions of the book.

Granted, they have to do with Palin's Saturday Night Live appearance, a prank on Palin by a bunch of morning radio goons, and the precise level McCain's campaign manager had to be an asshole to Palin's staffers, but still: if she's lied about these things, what else?

The first email is about Sarah's trepidation regarding going on SNL. McCain's campaign was all for it. Sarah wasn't. She thought SNL was "whack." And she wasn't about to go on the show to yuk it up with those people.

"Not after seeing clips of what they've been playing re: my family," Palin writes to campaign manager Steve Schmidt..."I had no idea how gross 'celebrities' on that show and in other celebrity venues could get when it comes to family and other aspects of my life that have nothing to do with seeking the vp slot. These folks are whack - didn't know it was as bad as it is... what's the upside in giving them any celebrity venue a ratings boost? That's Todd's input also.."

Good thing she didn't see last night's episode.

Of course, Steve Schmidt basically told her "do it if you want, or don't." So, she doesn't want to go on SNL, McCain's manager basically says fine, fuckit, then don't. What does she run in the book?

The Sarah Palin Reality To Book Copy Alchemizer, everyone:

"Let's do this," I said. "Let's go on and neutralize some of this, and have some fun!" Of course, the idea was met with massive back-and-forth haggling.

Boom. Met with haggling by who? Herself? Next, the Canadian DJ prank, in which two morning DJs got Palin on the phone pretending to be French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It was funny and awesome. And exposed a huge rift in the campaign.

[T]he McCain staffer also provided the email that Schmidt sent to Palin and her staff after she was prank[ed]..."Who set this up? Are you kidding me? Did it occur to anyone that the french president wouldn't be looking to have a conversation with the vicepresidential candidate 3 days before the election," Schmidt writes. "From this moment forward, no interview occurs without my direct signoff. Nothing. I want to know the exact details of this. I want to know who is responsible."

Right? Because if you were a campaign manager, you'd be pretty fucking pissed, too. But Schmidt appears to handle it moderately well. Palin's version of the story's slightly different, though.

In Going Rogue, Palin recalls Schmidt screaming directly at her, so much so that it "blew my hair back."

Also, she noted that Schmidt called her. The aides are calling that bullshit, saying no call happened, that Schmidt's supposed wrath of fury was aimed at staff and not Palin, and that this was all done over email.

The best, though, is this: an email from Sarah Palin that appears to be her, apologizing for completely screwing the pooch on media appearances, and thanking the staff for their hard work in the face of her Rainman-like ability to completely Hindenburg every high-profile press opportunity given to her. So there is some self-awareness there! Damn.

"I am very sorry," Palin writes to Nicolle Wallace, Steve Schmidt, and Rick Davis, with her husband, Todd, cc:ed. "u guys are working double-triple time on this blundered-up stuff that they spin bc of my visits w press - while I apologize I say I love you guys!!!"

Naturally, the book reportedly has Palin painting the McCain campaign as overly controlling and temperamental. Maybe they were temperamental: I'd be fuckingmental if I had to work with Palin. Even so, though, her characterizations are appearing to be alternate realities, or—here's a good one I can't take credit for—"magical realism."

What else is happening with Going Rogue today? Michiko Kakutani savaged it the Times today, penning less a review than an curbside beating. Newly inducted N.W.A. member and Atlantic columnist Andrew Sullivan, now fully aware that Sarah's an avid Daily Dish reader, has basically turned his blog into the Suck It Sarah Palin Daily Digest. In one post, he organizes all of her lies. In another, he frisks the above HuffPo story, giving it his own nice twist:

Palin is a delusional fantasist, existing in a world of her own imagination, asserting fact after fact that are demonstrably untrue, and unable to adjust to the actual reality after it has been demonstrated beyond any empirical doubt....She is a deeply disturbed individual.

The doc-tah is in.

The release of Going Rogue is like that moment in dodgeball when there's only one kid left on the other side of the court, and the last ball has rolled away from them, and everyone's just standing around, waiting to see who's going to pick up the ball and really go for the killshot.

$50 on this guy.

[Photo via Getty Images]

SUBJECT: Thanks and Goodbye

I want to thank all of you for the wonderful time I have had here at Newsweek. The people in Mountain Lakes are one of a kind, you New York people are lucky to have them. For those of you who are also leaving I wish you nothing but the best and good luck in your job hunt.

I have to say, I have worked for some pretty big companies in the past and I thought Newsweek was definitely one of the best until I witnessed how poorly the layoffs and the transitioning was handled. It is a shame that people forget to treat people with common courtesy and compassion. I worked with some people who have worked here between 19 and 30 years and have yet to be told Thank you, you served us well and have done a good job. Why is that? I know it is easy to forget the worker bees, but without them the hive would fall apart. For what it is worth I admire your hard work and I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work amongst you and learn from you.

I tell my daughter to live by the golden rule – treat others the way you would like to be treated. It's amazing that at 7 she gets it, I can't say the same for the management of Newsweek.

Thank you,

Vicki Bosie
Vicki Bosie Coordinator, Ad Traffic Production

Please be advised that a demonstration, directed at FOX News and consisting of approximately 150 people, is expected in front of 1211 today (Wednesday, November 11) from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. The NYPD will be present to monitor the demonstration along with News Corporation security.

Although no disruptions are expected, you may wish to contact any visitors or appointments you are expecting this afternoon and suggest they allow additional time for processing. If you are booking car service this afternoon, request pick up on 48th Street.

We also encourage employees to use the alternate entrances at the back of the building and on the C-1 level if the main entrance becomes congested. As a reminder, it is always recommended that you NOT display your building ID card once outside of 1211. This is particularly important when arriving and departing the building during the demonstration.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Corporate Security Manager Lee Boody through the Security Operations Center at [redacted].

Karl Solterer
Vice President, Corporate Security
News Corporation

[Pic via]

That's them in the tiny pen in the middle.

"The dude is a very anti-birther friend who could not resist the opportunity."

Time Inc. layoffs: People magazine is looking for eight buyout candidates. The memo below went out to staff today:

From: Larry Hackett
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 10:02:00 -0500
Conversation: Staff announcement
Subject: Staff announcement

As part of a broad Time Inc. cost savings initiative, I regret to announce
that People magazine will be making cuts in its editorial staff. We are
looking for 8 volunteers to accept severance packages among the
following Guild-covered job classifications:

Staff Correspondent
Reporter-Researcher
Writer-Reporter
Writer-Editor

I strongly urge each of you to contact People's human resources
representatives... for details regarding your
particular package.

The call for volunteers expires on November 19th. If necessary, we will
then follow the guild contract procedure for conducting involuntary layoffs
in these Guild categories.

If you have any questions, please see me or your department heads.

A tipster tells us the Time Inc. layoffs struck Essence today. We're told the mag had a total of 18 layoffs, including "the entire web team." If you know more, email us.


Oh, and Time Inc. has decide to fold Fortune Small Business, a spinoff mag that was actually owned by Amex and sent directly to cardholders. Eleven layoffs there, reportedly.


Did you know that Al-Qaeda is bucking the current media trend, by publishing magazines? It's true. And the latest one has a nice grenade on the cover, proving they know how to move copies. Read all about it here, then explain why you did so to the NSA.


Hello, Vogue has a new publisher! Her name is Susan Plagemann, and Conde Nast lured her away from Hearst. John Koblin says that her hiring—and an accompanying broadening of Tom Florio's responsibilities—follows the recommendation of McKinsey, to ensure "a clearer bureaucratic structure is now in place." Everything is different now.

November 4, 2009

To: Time Warner Colleagues

From: Jeff Bewkes

Subject: Innovating for Future Success

We've had a lot of good news this past quarter, despite the tough economy. Our financial performance exceeded expectations and kept us on track to post solid results for the full year. So we have raised our business outlook for 2009. We also expect to spin off AOL by the end of the year and become a more content-focused media company. In addition, we're making strong progress on our key operating objectives. Our financial and strategic successes give me confidence that we'll be well positioned to drive steady and attractive returns to shareholders next year and into the future.

In the third quarter, our overall adjusted OIBDA was 9% lower than in the same period last year. But, importantly, our Content Group businesses that will soon make up the new Time Warner – Turner, HBO, Warner Bros. and Time Inc. (along with TWX corporate) – generated adjusted OIBDA that was about even with the year-ago quarter and up 2% for the first nine months of the year. In light of these relatively strong results, we increased our business outlook for 2009 adjusted earnings per share (adjusted EPS) to at least $2.05, up from our previous outlook of around $1.98. Also, for the first time, we provided a full-year adjusted EPS outlook for our Content Group – at least $1.75 in 2009, compared to $1.42 last year. (Please click here to read the press releases.)

As I've mentioned before, we have four operating objectives to drive the profitability of our core content businesses:
· Leveraging our scale and brands to deliver compelling content consistently;
· Continuing to improve the efficiency of our operations to maintain our competitive advantage;
· Expanding internationally; and
· Developing new business models to capitalize on shifting technologies in a way that both benefits consumers and builds on our successful business models.

Let me highlight that last objective here. Time Warner has a long tradition of building businesses on new technologies to provide consumers with the choice and convenience they want – from pay television at HBO and CNN's around-the-clock news to the leadership at Turner and HBO in video on demand (VOD) and Warner Bros.' launch of DVDs.

We're extending that record of innovation throughout Time Warner. For example, we're advancing TV Everywhere even faster than I expected. As you know, TV Everywhere is an industry initiative to allow those who subscribe to TV in their homes to watch their favorite programs at no extra charge on a wide range of other devices. Consumers get more for their money, and the industry benefits from expanding its current business model to the Internet. There are several trials underway with major distributors, with additional distributors and programmers planning to join. We're also developing the technological tools to ensure TV Everywhere is a seamless user experience.

Looking ahead, we'd like to develop a similar model for the publishing industry. As e-readers and other mobile technologies become more sophisticated and popular, consumers will want magazine content available conveniently on a range of these devices. So it's an exciting opportunity for Time Inc. and the rest of the industry to give consumers the content they want, when and how they want it – while growing both circulation and advertising revenue.

Among other innovations going on around the company, Turner last month launched the new CNN.com. It's been totally redesigned to make it more visually compelling and to integrate more video and such features as a new opinion section and partnerships with Oprah.com, PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly. The press reviews have been very positive, and we look for CNN.com to extend its leadership as the #1 destination for online and wireless news.

Another example is a recent VOD trial that Warner Bros. conducted with Comcast in Atlanta. In a first for a major studio, Warner Bros. released two films – Observe and Report and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past – on VOD for cable subscribers several days before they were put out on DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. This VOD trial not only offered consumers more options to see the movies, but it also helped promote the sale of their DVDs themselves.

These are challenging but exciting times for Time Warner. As a content-focused company, I believe that we'll be better able than ever to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies. At our core, of course, we're about great content. So I'll close by congratulating the winners of our 34 Primetime Emmys at Turner, Warner Bros. and HBO, which won the most of any network for the seventh straight year. As always, I appreciate your dedication and hard work.

To: TIME Edit staff
From: Rick Stengel
Date: Nov. 4, 2009

Time Inc continues to look at ways to reduce costs and lower operating
expenses. As a result, there will be an opportunity for a limited number
(up to 12) of Time Edit staffers to volunteer and depart with a severance
package. We will entertain volunteers from all Guild-covered categories in
all geographic locations. The call for volunteers will expire on the close
of business November 18th. Anyone interested in knowing more details and
having a confidential conversation about a severance package should contact
Peter Vincent at x7294. Let¹s all meet in the bullpen at 9:45 this morning
before the regular 10 o¹clock meeting. Thanks, Rick

And a rumor from Editorialiste on Twitter: "Top Time Inc. editors willing to take salary cuts to save jobs." Admirable.

Colleagues,

Today we told our team in Boston that we are closing the bureau in its present form. The economic background to the closure is painfully obvious to us all. An investigative function will remain in Boston, but the core reporting team will be disbanded, though all nine reporters affected will certainly be able to apply for openings elsewhere on the paper. Coverage of the Boston mutual fund industry will switch to the Money and Investing team and we are creating an enhanced New York-based education team.

Any such decision inevitably stirs apprehension and uncertainty, but there are no plans, nascent or otherwise, to close any other U.S. or international bureau. Meanwhile, the Newswires bureau and the MarketWatch team in Boston will remain at their present staffing levels.

That there has been truly great reporting under the generalship of Gary Putka out of Boston over many, many years is not in doubt. But we remain in the midst of a profound downturn in advertising revenue and thus must think the unthinkable.

Robert

Earlier this year a stealth team from the newspaper was rumoured, along with magazine and textbook publishers, to have met with some of Steve Jobs' representatives.

Last week the Keller gave a speech that was apparently supposed to be off the record, but that was posted by the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard. He said that he now reads the Times online himself and some other stuff that can best be summed up with: pay versus free, integration, more efforts by the print side, why can't we all just get along:

But then, at about 8.30 in the video, he includes the Apple tablet as part of a specific list of platforms they're working on bringing Times content to, saying:

"I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate..."

Maybe he just reads other tech-related parts of the internets, as well as the Times, believes the rumours and doesn't know anything we don't. But if the paper of record is engaged with Apple in developing the savior of journalism it seems hard to believe no-one would have informed the boss.

The entire letter to—of all people—creepy Church spokescreature Tommy Davis is below, but here are the highlights: Haggis has been asking the church to resign their support of Proposition 8. He registered his distaste for the church's stances on homosexuality via phone calls and letters. Davis told Haggis that "heads would roll" over this about ten months ago. Davis apparently drew up a press release he showed to Haggis, which eventually got canned. Haggis views the church's actions as "cowardly," and thus, after thirty-five years of membership, is resigning.

Furthermore, Haggis saw Davis' interview on CNN, when Davis denied the existence of a "disconnection" policy in which the church orders members to cut non-members out of their lives, as they pose some kind of negative threat towards the work of the church in members' lives.

It's a policy that's been well documented in the press, but especially by the reporting done by the St. Petersburg Times, who've chronicled many members who were once forced to "disconnect" people from their lives. Then comes another bomb: Haggis' wife cut off contact with her parents when they defected from the church. And then another: Haggis cites the aforementioned reporting by the St. Petersburg Times, which including some of Scientology's most high-profile defectors in its history, as accurate and astonishing, considering the level of the defectors. "Say what you will about them now," writes Haggis, "[but] these were staunch defenders of the church, including Mike Rinder, the church's official spokesman for 20 years!" Scientology has claimed that their high-profile defectors hold personal grudges against them for demotions and other bureaucratic failings.

Haggis' final bomb, which is going to ring true to many, many Scientologists on every level, is about that same St. Petersburg Times report, in which the Church dredged up old documents and audits on their members to expose salacious, damning details about their personal lives to paint their defection as a cover for their personal indiscretions. Haggis found this, apparently, to be the first in a series of straws that broke a 35 year-old camel's back.

The bottom line is this: this is bad, bad news for the Church. Besides the fact that so many of the church's most high-profile members have long been subject to gossipy speculation of being gay—to name a few: Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Will Smith—the Church is now going to have to (A) take a stance on homosexuality, (B) come out against Haggis, one of the most revered, successful writer-directors of the last decade, or (C) stay quiet and look even sketchier than they already did after Tommy Davis blew up on national television earlier this weekend.

And it also doesn't help them that Church defector Marty Rathburn has apparently confirmed the letter's legitimacy as definitely coming from Haggis.

So: this ought to be interesting to watch play out, no?

Tommy,

As you know, for ten months now I have been writing to ask you to make a public statement denouncing the actions of the Church of Scientology of San Diego. Their public sponsorship of Proposition 8, a hate-filled legislation that succeeded in taking away the civil rights of gay and lesbian citizens of California – rights that were granted them by the Supreme Court of our state – shames us.

I called and wrote and implored you, as the official spokesman of the church, to condemn their actions. I told you I could not, in good conscience, be a member of an organization where gay-bashing was tolerated.

In that first conversation, back at the end of October of last year, you told me you were horrified, that you would get to the bottom of it and "heads would roll." You promised action. Ten months passed. No action was forthcoming. The best you offered was a weak and carefully worded press release, which praised the church's human rights record and took no responsibility. Even that, you decided not to publish.

The church's refusal to denounce the actions of these bigots, hypocrites and homophobes is cowardly. I can think of no other word. Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.

I joined the Church of Scientology thirty-five years ago. During my twenties and early thirties I studied and received a great deal of counseling. While I have not been an active member for many years, I found much of what I learned to be very helpful, and I still apply it in my daily life. I have never pretended to be the best Scientologist, but I openly and vigorously defended the church whenever it was criticized, as I railed against the kind of intolerance that I believed was directed against it. I had my disagreements, but I dealt with them internally. I saw the organization – with all its warts, growing pains and problems – as an underdog. And I have always had a thing for underdogs.

But I reached a point several weeks ago where I no longer knew what to think. You had allowed our name to be allied with the worst elements of the Christian Right. In order to contain a potential "PR flap" you allowed our sponsorship of Proposition 8 to stand. Despite all the church's words about promoting freedom and human rights, its name is now in the public record alongside those who promote bigotry and intolerance, homophobia and fear.

The fact that the Mormon Church drew all the fire, that no one noticed, doesn't matter. I noticed. And I felt sick. I wondered how the church could, in good conscience, through the action of a few and then the inaction of its leadership, support a bill that strips a group of its civil rights.

This was my state of mind when I was online doing research and chanced upon an interview clip with you on CNN. The interview lasted maybe ten minutes – it was just you and the newscaster. And in it I saw you deny the church's policy of disconnection. You said straight-out there was no such policy, that it did not exist.

I was shocked. We all know this policy exists. I didn't have to search for verification – I didn't have to look any further than my own home.

You might recall that my wife was ordered to disconnect from her parents because of something absolutely trivial they supposedly did twenty-five years ago when they resigned from the church. This is a lovely retired couple, never said a negative word about Scientology to me or anyone else I know – hardly raving maniacs or enemies of the church. In fact it was they who introduced my wife to Scientology.

Although it caused her terrible personal pain, my wife broke off all contact with them. I refused to do so. I've never been good at following orders, especially when I find them morally reprehensible.

For a year and a half, despite her protestations, my wife did not speak to her parents and they had limited access to their grandchild. It was a terrible time.

That's not ancient history, Tommy. It was a year ago.

And you could laugh at the question as if it was a joke? You could publicly state that it doesn't exist?

To see you lie so easily, I am afraid I had to ask myself: what else are you lying about?

And that is when I read the recent articles in the St. Petersburg Times. They left me dumbstruck and horrified.

These were not the claims made by "outsiders" looking to dig up dirt against us. These accusations were made by top international executives who had devoted most of their lives to the church. Say what you will about them now, these were staunch defenders of the church, including Mike Rinder, the church's official spokesman for 20 years!

Tommy, if only a fraction of these accusations are true, we are talking about serious, indefensible human and civil rights violations. It is still hard for me to believe. But given how many former top-level executives have said these things are true, it is hard to believe it is all lies.

"...the same face that denied the policy of disconnection"

And when I pictured you assuring me that it is all lies, that this is nothing but an unfounded and vicious attack by a group of disgruntled employees, I am afraid that I saw the same face that looked in the camera and denied the policy of disconnection. I heard the same voice that professed outrage at our support of Proposition 8, who promised to correct it, and did nothing.

I carefully read all of your rebuttals, I watched every video where you presented the church's position, I listened to all your arguments – ever word. I wish I could tell you that they rang true. But they didn't.

I was left feeling outraged, and frankly, more than a little stupid.

And though it may seem small by comparison, I was truly disturbed to see you provide private details from confessionals to the press in an attempt to embarrass and discredit the executives who spoke out. A priest would go to jail before revealing secrets from the confessional, no matter what the cost to himself or his church. That's the kind of integrity I thought we had, but obviously the standard in this church is far lower – the public relations representative can reveal secrets to the press if the management feels justified. You even felt free to publish secrets from the confessional in Freedom Magazine – you just stopped short of labeling them as such, probably because you knew Scientologists would be horrified, knowing you so easily broke a sacred vow of trust with your parishioners.

How dare you use private information in order to label someone an "adulteress?" You took Amy Scobee's most intimate admissions about her sexual life and passed them onto the press and then smeared them all over the pages your newsletter! I do not know the woman, but no matter what she said or did, this is the woman who joined the Sea Org at 16! She ran the entire celebrity center network, and was a loyal senior executive of the church for what, 20 years? You want to rebut her accusations, do it, and do it in the strongest terms possible – but that kind of character assassination is unconscionable.

So, I am now painfully aware that you might see this an attack and just as easily use things I have confessed over the years to smear my name. Well, luckily I have never held myself up to be anyone's role model.

The great majority of Scientologists I know are good people who are genuinely interested in improving conditions on this planet and helping others. I have to believe that if they knew what I now know, they too would be horrified. But I know how easy it was for me to defend our organization and dismiss our critics, without ever truly looking at what was being said; I did it for thirty-five years. And so, after writing this letter, I am fully aware that some of my friends may choose to no longer associate with me, or in some cases work with me. I will always take their calls, as I always took yours. However, I have finally come to the conclusion that I can no longer be a part of this group. Frankly, I had to look no further than your refusal to denounce the church's anti-gay stance, and the indefensible actions, and inactions, of those who condone this behavior within the organization. I am only ashamed that I waited this many months to act. I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology.

Sincerely,

Paul Haggis

Ps. I've attached our email correspondence. At some point it became evident that you did not value my concerns about the church's tacit support of an amendment that violated the civil rights of so many of our citizens. Perhaps if you had done a little more research on me, the church's senior management wouldn't have dismissed those concerns quite so cavalierly. While I am no great believer in resumes and awards, this is what you would have discovered:

* Founder, Artists For Peace and Justice,
- sponsoring schools, an orphanage and a children's hospital in the slums of Haiti
* Co-Founder, BrandAid Foundation and BrandAid Project
- marketing the work of artisans from the poorest countries in the world,
* Board Member, Office of The Americas
- supporting peace and justice initiatives around the world
* Board Member, Center For The Advancement of Non-Violence
* Member and active supporter, Amnesty International
* Member, President's Council, Defenders of Wildlife
* Member and fundraiser, Environment California and CalPirg
* Member and Award Recipient, American Civil Liberties Union
* Member and supporter, Death Penalty Focus
* Member and supporter, Equality For All
* Fundraiser, NPH (Our Little Brothers) – for the children of the slums of Haiti
* Member, Citizens Commission on Human Rights
* Patron with Honors, IAS
And formerly:
* Trustee, Religious Freedom Trust
* Board Member and fundraiser, Hollywood Education and Literacy Project
* Board Member and fundraiser, For The Arts, For Every Child
– supporting art and music in public schools
* Board Member and fundraiser, The Christic Institute
- supporting Human Rights in Central America
* Founding Board Member, Earth Communication Office
* Working Board Member, Environmental Media Association
* Fundraiser, El Rescate – Human Rights for El Salvador
* Fundraiser, PAVA – Aid and Human Rights in Guatemala

Awards for outspoken support of Civil and Human Rights:

* Valentine Davies Award – Writers Guild of America
"for bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere"
*Bill of Rights Award – American Civil Liberties Union
*Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award – Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
*Peace & Justice Award – Office of the Americas, presented by Daniel Ellsberg
*Signis Award, Venezia, World Catholic Association
*ALMA Award – National Council of Latino Civil Rights
*Ethel Levitt Award for Humanitarian Service – Levitt & Quinn
*Prism Award – Entertainment Industries Council
*Humanitas Prize (2) – Humanitas
*Legacy Award, for Artistic and Humanitarian Achievement
*Environmental Media Award – EMA
*EMA Green Seal Award – EMA
*Image Award – NAACP
*Creative Integrity Award – Multicultural Motion Picture Association
*EDGE Awards (2) – Entertainment Industries Council
*Artistic Freedom Award – City of West Hollywood
*Catholics in Media Award – Catholics in Media Associates

And many dozens of fundraisers and salons at our home on behalf of Human and Civil Rights, the Environment, the Peace Movement, Education, Justice and Equality.

[Photo via Getty Images]

————— Forwarded message —————
From: NYTIMES MAIL
Date: Thu, Oct 22, 2009 at 12:24 PM
Subject: On the Record . . . From Arthur + Janet
To: ALL GLOBE'S , AFFILIATES-REGIONALS@nytimes.com, NY TIMES INTERNET , NY TIMES NOTES , ALLBLSSI@nytimes.com, ALL IHTNEWS , teamny@about.com, ALL NYTNET

On the Record . . . From Arthur + Janet

Vol. 5 Our Third-Quarter Results.

This morning we released our third-quarter 2009 results and thought
we would use this edition of "On the Record" to provide perspective about
what we reported.

There was a lot of positive news to talk about and we are grateful to
all of you for your hard work in helping us meet our financial challenges.
In particular, as a result of our organization-wide commitment to cost
control, efficiency and productivity, The New York Times Company's
operating profit, excluding depreciation, amortization, severance and
special items, grew more than 30 percent to $80.6 million in the
third-quarter from $61.9 million in the third-quarter last year.

While this is a lot of accounting terminology, in our view it is a
useful way to look at our performance because it excludes those non-cash
and special items that we believe are not reflective of operating
activities in the quarter. Wall Street analysts who cover the Company also
generally exclude these items in evaluating quarterly performance.

But this, as we all know, is only part of the story. We also
discussed the persistent global economic downturn, the sustained
advertising slowdown and the continued lack of visibility about the future.
These were the reasons why earlier this week The Times announced that it
needed to reduce its newsroom staffing by 100 jobs and additional business
side positions by the end of the year. We made this move with reluctance
and only after ensuring we could manage the reduction without damaging the
quality of our news report and business operations. We also explained that
given all the uncertainties going forward, we would need to continue to
rigorously manage our news and business expenses.

We also reported in today's press release that on a GAAP basis, the
Company had an operating loss of $25.4 million compared with a loss of
$150.4 million in the third-quarter of 2008. This quarter's loss is
directly related to a special item and we will explain that below.

Here is what our third-quarter numbers also tell us:

We are cutting costs substantially. In the third-quarter, we reported
a 22 percent decline in operating costs. This has been a multi-year
process. With our many initiatives to operate more efficiently and
effectively across the Company, we are on course to achieve approximately
$475 million in savings this year. This is a truly remarkable, but painful,
accomplishment and you have all contributed to this effort.

We are growing our circulation revenue. While actual circulation
volume has declined, our circulation revenue increased 6.7 percent due to
price increases. Clearly, the demand for our quality journalism in print
remains substantial.

We have been managing our asset portfolio to strengthen our core
operations. Earlier this month, we completed the sale of WQXR-FM, our New
York City classical radio station, for gross proceeds of $45 million. The
proceeds from this sale were used to reduce our outstanding debt balance.
We are also moving ahead with the potential sale of our interest in New
England Sports Ventures, which includes the Boston Red Sox and New England
Sports Network, a highly rated regional cable channel.

As we continue to review and rebalance our portfolio, we are
encouraged by the continued strong performance of the About Group, whose
third-quarter operating profit rose more than 27 percent.

We also want to bring your attention to a special item that we
mentioned earlier.

This quarter, we had an estimated charge of $76.1 million for pension
withdrawal obligations under several multi-employer pension plans at The
Boston Globe, and a curtailment loss for a Company-sponsored pension plan
also at the Globe.

Here is a clearer way to explain it: after substantial negotiation,
we restructured several labor contracts at the Globe earlier this year.
These amendments to the contracts allowed us to withdraw from the
multi-employer pension plans and freeze a Company-sponsored pension plan.
As a result of these and other changes, we expect to save $20 million in
annual operating costs, placing the Globe on better financial footing.

We are, however, required to record an accounting charge related to
our existing obligations under the pension plans once an estimate of our
liability is determined. The good news is that related payments will be
made over a period of time that could extend to 20 years or more. By
taking this step, we are able to fix an obligation that would have
otherwise continued to grow over time.

While this special item affects how we report our results, it does
not take away from the fact that we are, by a number of different measures,
moving in the right direction.

As we look ahead to the remainder of the year, visibility for
advertising is limited. We have seen encouraging signs of improvement in
the overall economy and in discussions with advertisers. Early in the
fourth quarter, print advertising trends have improved modestly compared to
the third-quarter, while digital advertising trends are improving more
significantly.

What is even more encouraging is all the commitment and innovation
that is in full display throughout the Company. Ultimately, it is your
extraordinary dedication that is allowing us to achieve the results that we
have reported today, particularly on expense reduction, and it is this same
dedication that will enable us to achieve our long-term goals and
aspirations.

For more information about our third-quarter earnings, including a
reconciliation to our GAAP results, please see the Company's release,
available at http://www.nytco.com/investors

Arthur & Janet

Colleagues,

I had planned to invite you to the newsroom and break this news in person today, but I've been hit by something that seems to be the flu. Though I strongly believe in delivering bad news in person, I don't want to add insult to injury by spreading infection.

Let me cut to the chase: We have been told to reduce the newsroom by 100 positions between now and the end of the year.

We hope to accomplish this by offering voluntary buyouts. On Thursday, the Company will be sending buyout offers to everyone in the newsroom. Getting a buyout package does NOT mean we want you to leave. It is simply easier to send the envelopes to everyone. If you think a buyout may be right for you, you have up to 45 days to decide whether you will accept it or not.

As before, if we do not reach 100 positions through buyouts, we will be forced to go to layoffs. I hope that won't happen, but it might.

Our colleagues in editorial and op-ed, and on the business side, also face another round of budget cuts.

In recent years, we've managed to avoid the disabling cutbacks that have hit other newsrooms. The Company has chosen to protect the journalism by cutting production and other business-side costs, and the newsroom itself has managed its resources frugally. These latest cuts will still leave us with the largest, strongest and most ambitious editorial staff of any newsroom in the country, if not the world.

I won't pretend that these staff cuts will not add to the burdens of journalists whose responsibilities have grown faster than their compensation. But we've been looking hard at ways to minimize the impact — in part, by re-engineering some of our copy flow. I won't promise this will be easy or painless, but I believe we can weather these cuts without seriously compromising our commitment to coverage of the region, the country and the world. We will remain the single best news organization on earth.

I doubt that anyone is shocked by the fact of this, but it is happening sooner than anyone anticipated. When we took our 5 percent pay cuts, it was in the hope that this would fend off the need for more staff cuts this year. But I accept that if it's going to happen, it should be done quickly. We will get through this and move on.

In my absence, Bill Schmidt and John and Jill have volunteered to take your questions this afternoon. Feel free to bring additional questions to me as soon as I'm back, or check with Bill Schmidt or John or Jill privately, or save them for the next Throw Stuff at Bill session, which is in a couple of weeks.

We often — and rightly — voice our gratitude that we work for a company and a family that prize quality journalism above all. I hope you know that the company and the family, and I, feel an equal debt of gratitude to all of you whose sacrifice and loyalty have kept us strong.

Like you, I yearn for the day when we can do our jobs without looking over our shoulders for economic thunderstorms.

Bill

This, then, is the fallout from McKinsey. The company had floated the idea that its turnaround could be accomplished without any magazines going under (if you're keeping score, Michael Musto's rumor of five mag deaths beat Keith Kelly's rumor of zero), but that was always impractical. Gourmet and Bon Appetit both had horrific recent ad declines; it was logical that one of them would go.

Cookie is a bit different—Conde boss Chuck Townsend actually honored the mag for being one of the company's few bright spots last year, ad-wise. But the parenting mag apparently wasn't well-established enough to weather the recession. And the bridal mags—brand extensions always disappear when times get tough. The brides of America will soldier on. Our condolences to the newly jobless. The full internal Conde memo, below.

From: "Townsend, Chuck"
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 10:16:52 -0400
To: Conde Nast Publications-All
Subject: Announcing Changes within Condé Nast

We have now completed an extensive review of our business – an important undertaking given the dramatic changes in the U.S. economy. The review has led us to a number of decisions designed to navigate the company through the economic downturn and to position us to take advantage of coming opportunities.

Condé Nast's success comes from the ability of our publications to attract readers with a wide range of interests, as well as advertisers who value them. But in this economic climate it is important to narrow our focus to titles with the greatest prospects for long-term growth.

As a result of our review, Brides will increase its frequency to monthly to solidify its position as the most important brand in the bridal category, and Modern Bride and Elegant Bride will close.

Gourmet magazine will cease monthly publication, but we will remain committed to the brand, retaining Gourmet's book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet recipes on Epicurious.com. We will concentrate our publishing activities in the epicurean category on Bon Appétit.

Finally, Cookie magazine will be discontinued, and resources that had been dedicated to its publishing will be invested elsewhere.

The editorial and business staffs of Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Gourmet, and Cookie all have earned their magazines large and devoted followings. We have been proud to publish these titles, and we are grateful to the staffs for their hard work and dedication.

These changes, combined with cost and workforce reductions now underway throughout the company, will speed the recovery of our current businesses and enable us to pursue new ventures. In the coming weeks, we hope to announce initiatives to develop digital versions of our brands that will make use of new devices and distribution channels.

Condé Nast is now in its 100th year of creating the most respected and iconic brands in the publishing world. These changes will ensure that our unique publishing company will continue in its preeminent position for many years to come.

Armstrong, the former golden boy of Google's advertising side, was hired just this past spring and has long been expected to initiate a massive restructuring. In his memo, he discusses a strategy session that nailed down where, exactly, the company is going. He also confirms his first two firings, reported previously by Business Insider: longtime company execs Kim Partoll, the COO, and Local, Mapping and Search boss John Kannapell. Both were hired shortly after AOL's disastrous merger with Time Warner.



He also mentions a "Project Everest:"

We have a strong strategy and we need to be laser focused on execution. We are planning another video update next week with a progress report on Project Everest, and I look forward to seeing you all then.

We look forward to that video, too! Full memo: