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Itchy
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That's all. Just itchy.

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News
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1.WWD
Memo Pad: Dumping Cargo
By Jeff Bercovici and Sara James
3/28/06
http://www.wwd.com/issue/article/105318

DUMPING CARGO: Cargo magazine left the world the way it entered it: with much scratching of heads. On Monday, as word emerged that Cond? Nast Publications Inc. was shutting down the men's shopping title after two years of setbacks and reversals, many were wondering why the company (which also owns WWD) hadn't given another editor a chance to make Cargo work. Although a Cond? Nast spokeswoman said there had been no consideration given to replacing editor in chief Ariel Foxman, recent months have been filled with rumors of a quiet search under way, possibly undertaken by publisher Lance Ford, who replaced founding publisher Alan Katz in August after Katz moved over to Vanity Fair. Insiders compared the situation with GQ editor Art Cooper's 2003 ouster, conducted at the urging of then-publisher Ron Galotti. Since coming onboard, Ford — an old buddy of Richard Beckman's — has been telling advertisers they could expect to see Cargo move in a more up-market, fashion-centric direction, according to sources in the men's market. Ford recently met with Greg Williams, editorial direct of Giant and former editor in chief of the British title Arena, but when asked about it, both men described the meeting as a social get-together. Still, Cond? Nast editorial director Tom Wallace and his deputy, Rick Levine, are known to have solicited critiques of Cargo from a range of editors in the latter half of 2005.

The question of to what extent a different editor might have changed Cargo's fate will be asked long after the title's final installment, the upcoming May issue, departs newsstands. Certainly Foxman was far from a safe bet; plucked from a senior editor position at In Style on the strength of a promising memo, he had never been an editor in chief before. Perhaps because he was unproven, Foxman was entrusted with relatively little autonomy and had little input into its early form. According to another Cond? Nast editor, Foxman was hired only after a prototype existed and a creative director, Donald Robertson, had been engaged.

Moreover, he received plenty of hand-holding from then-editorial director James Truman, and later from Wallace and Levine. It was Truman, one may recall, who pioneered the shopping magalogue with the successful Lucky and proceeded to overextend the concept by insisting men liked to trawl the aisles as much as women. However, neither Cargo nor its competitive sibling, Vitals, lived to toddler-hood. MORE ONLINE

It’s no secret that consumers craving dirt on Brad and Angelina are not reading only celebrity weeklies for their gossip fix. Celeb junkies get the most current information from Web sites, blogs, and a bounty of entertainment TV shows. And given such a proliferation, celebrity weeklies are finding it increasingly difficult to be the first to break their stories in print.

To stay competitive, magazines including Time Inc.’s People, Wenner Media’s Us Weekly and American Media Inc.’s Star have no choice but to ramp up their online newsbreaking abilities. Surprisingly, however, some titles have been slow to catch on. But now, a number of publishers are overhauling their Web strategies to better disseminate content and to generate more ad revenue. Us Weekly this summer will launch its first full-blown site, while Star and People will create dedicated online ad sales units.

Despite years of success on newsstand, Us Weekly’s online presence has been modest. The title touts its current issue, and recently added a blog linking to celeb stories from around the Web. But in July, Us will unveil a comprehensive Web site that will be updated daily with original reporting and exclusive photos. In advance of Usmagazine.com’s launch, the title will roll out two microsites tied to its April Hot Hollywood issue and its May Hot Bodies issue. MORE ONLINE

3. Jossip
Breaking: It's time to stick a fork in Spoon March 27, 2006
http://www.jossip.com/gossip/spoon-magazine/breaking-its-time-to-stick-a-fork-in-spoon-20060327.php
Fresh into our tattle box, an industry insider tips us to the fact that Spoon, an "international fashion, photography and culture" mag, is dunz-o.

Louise MacBain and James Truman just pulled the plug on SPOON, FYI Published out of London, the mag is a bi-monthly LTB Holdings publication (of the Art + Auction family) which has grown to circulation of 20,000 since its launch two years ago.

The official statement from LTB PR: "Spoon has been put on hold until further notice, so that LTB can focus efforts Culture & Travel."

The small magazine, which only employed two full staffers, will find new spots for employees in the interim. And how lucky is the publishing world to be getting yet another travel and culture mag?

*****
EdAd
*****
Lower East Side sublet, June 1 -- September 15. Perfect for summer magazine intern. A clean and cheerful room in a 3BR apartment on Rivington Street, outstanding location. Share with two laid-back professional women in mid-20s. Rent $1075, plus electric and cable. Interest in wine, cheese and "Project Runway" a plus. Email phoenixtom602@hotmail.com if interested.

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Whisper Jobs
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Ed hears ...

... that a new magazine seeks experienced and creative freelance writers to report and pitch stories of interest to boys ages 8 to 14. Knowledge of sports, action sports, manga, animals, science, gadgets, video games, news of the weird, etc. a plus. Ideal candidates will be able to report unique, off-beat stories of interest to the target audience. Please e-mail resume and writing samples to teenboysmag@aol.com.

... that Shecky’s San Francisco is looking for writers to review restaurants and bars. Please e-mail a short, funny mock bar review to bri@sheckys.com. Please include your review/resume/cover letter in the BODY of the e-mail. No attachments! (OK to mention Ed)

... that the People whisper posted yesterday arrived in Ed’s box too late: they already have final candidates, so please don’t send in any more resumes!

Internships

... that WWE Magazine has an editorial internship opening. Location: The lovely Stamford, CT; 45-minutes north of NYC; aka Funtown. USA. Job Description: The basic duty of an intern will be to assist the editorial department in completing tasks to facilitate the production of the magazine. Specific tasks include: fact checking, research, transcribing, running errands and, most importantly, pitching/writing articles. We guarantee our interns clips if effort is apparent. Job Qualifications: Knowledge of basic grammar; Writing skills; Ability to provide credible and useful information for research purposes; Friendly/hardworking; Interest in a career in magazines a plus; Knowledge of WWE Characters/storylines a plus, but not required. Unpaid/College Credit. Please contact: Jonathan Weiner, World Wrestling Entertainment, 1241 East Main Street, Stamford, CT 06902; Ph: (203) 353-5049; jon.weiner@wwecorp.com (OK to mention Ed)

... that Latina Magazine has two internship positions available for the Spring 06 semester. You will receive hands-on experience and will be responsible for a variety of tasks in the photo department. Successful candidates will be excellent researchers, have strong phone and interpersonal skills, familiarity with Photoshop, strong typing and Internet skills. Other requirements: Candidates should be interested to learn more about the world of photography and magazine publishing. Photographers and those interested in photo editing are strongly encouraged to apply. An enthusiastic and positive attitude is necessary. This is a non-paid internship. You must be eligible for school credit. Possible Interns need to be available 1-2 days per week (week being Mon - Fri), approximately 10am to 6pm. Interview process begins March 27, 2005. Please contact photointern@latina.com to schedule an interview.

... that GQ is looking for an edit intern to come in three days a week. Email resumes and cover letters to raha_naddaf@condenast.com

... that Inside Lacrosse Magazine (in Baltimore, Md.) is looking for interns for the summer of 2006. We publish 11 issues a year covering all facets of lacrosse, focusing in the summer on Major League Lacrosse, the World Games in London, Ontario and the summer camp scene, as well as starting to work on our Face-Off Yearbook, a men’s college preview annual that comes out in January. Applicants must have strong feature-writing ability and the desire to do in-depth magazine-style stories. Game coverage and notebook-style writing for our corresponding website (insidelacrosse.com) are also part of the internship, along with copy-editing and fact-checking. We are a small, growing company with an ambitious staff, so the opportunity exists to gain a great deal of experience in the magazine-publishing industry. Please send clips, cover letter and a resume to keely@insidelacrosse.com.

... that Shecky’s, a media and lifestyle company based in New York City, is seeking editorial interns for 2-3 days per week. Duties include research, heavy fact-checking, some writing, and assisting the staff whenever needed. It's for a modest stipend, and we are looking for someone to start as soon as possible. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter demonstrating your expertise in the BODY of an e-mail to: Bri DiSylvester @ bri@sheckys.com. No attachments and no phone calls, please. (OK to mention Ed)

... that Community Connect Inc. (located in NYC) has an immediate opening for a talented and self-motivated editorial intern. Community Connect Inc. is a top 50 web publisher, according to Nielsen, with more than 22 million registered members across our three sites -- AsianAvenue.com, BlackPlanet.com and MiGente.com. Job duties will include site promotional updates, content production and development, copy editing, working with the site designer and site producer, and other general site maintenance. Qualifications: Self-motivated; Excellent communication, organizational and writing skills; Possess strong computer and internet skills; Passionate for Latino cultural issues; Enthusiasm for online communities. Minimum Education Requirement: We are seeking a college junior or senior studying either English, Journalism, Communications, or some other related major. The editorial intern will be required to work a minimum of 20 hours a week. The internship is for college credit or we offer a stipend. We offer flexible hours. Any interested applicants can send a resume and writing samples to jobs@communityconnect.com. (OK to mention Ed)

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About Ed:
Ed2010 is a purely volunteer organization dedicated to helping people reach their dream magazine jobs by the year 2010. Find out more (and donate to the cause!) at ed2010.com

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