Some of the stories people are talking about this morning:»  The Washington Post Co. (NYSE: WPO) is desperate to unload Newsweek magazine—but not desperate enough sell to Avenue Capital Group because of worries related to the hedge fund’s plans to partner with the publisher of the National Enquirer. [WSJ] » …

As expected, Forbes is shuttering the True/Slant site this weekend, according to the posts of several contributors. As Fishbowl NY noted, all of the reader farewells penned by T/S contributors say that they hope to working on a new “undisclosed” project. The not-too-well-veiled hint is that it will be on…

While the magazine industry finally experienced a boost in Q2 in terms of largely positive ad pages, the comeback remains fairly weak, forcing publishers to try to figure out ways of using their brands to expand their marketing muscle. Meredith (NYSE: MDP) has been preparing for these changes for several…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q209	Net Inc. vs Q209
Meredith	Release		5.8%	120%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

»  The new Kindle is lighter, cheaper, faster than ever—but will it kill the iPad? [paidContent] »  Time Inc. (NYSE: TWX) execs are increasingly driven to distraction by Apple’s refusal to give publishers more control over selling subscriptions to readers through the iTunes Store. [Mediamemo] »  Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is…

Online revenues for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) benefited from the ad recovery in Q2, a period in which the company ramped up its focus on mobile. Overall, however, revenues declined slightly though the company was able to narrow its net loss considerably, to $803,000 from $6.1 million in…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q209	Net Inc. vs Q209
MSLO	Release		3%	86.9%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

Bob Sauerberg’s field promotion to president of Condé Nast was a surprise— and yet, after watching him in action with CEO Chuck Townsend a few weeks ago, it isn’t much of a shock. True, Townsend didn’t give any hint that his own job was about to be split as he…

As speculation swirls around Playboy (NYSE: PLA) founder Hugh Hefner’s bid to take to the company private—and the counteroffers—the safe-for-work site, TheSmokingJacket.com, is now live. Jimmy Jellinek, Playboy’s chief content officer, heralded the release of the non-nude site by offering this statement: “Cube dwellers and office drones alike shall rejoice…

By Josh Halliday: Virgin is expanding its global empire into the world of consumer magazines – but you won’t find a print edition. Headed up by Holly Branson, 29-year-old daughter of company boss Richard, Virgin’s new title Maverick is set to make its debut on Apple’s iPad in October.

Five days after releasing its iPad app version of Popular Mechanics, Hearst Magazine says iTunes users have downloaded more than 10,000 copies of its $1.99 “showcase issue.” While other mag publishers, like Condé Nast, focus on creating digital replicas around a few, high-profile titles, Hearst is taking a broader approach,…

It’s been over half a year since Playboy (NYSE: PLA) entertained any possible buyers, so founder Hugh Hefner has decided enough is enough; he has stepped in with an offer to take the company private for $5.50 per share. The 84-year-old Hefner currently owns 69.5 percent of PEI’s Class A…

Condé Nast is attempting to protect the traditional wall separating advertising from print editorial by having online-only staffers create an ad insert for Samsung. The six-page insert will run for eight months across Wired, Bon Appétit, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest and GQ. Unidentified sources told Mediaweek the…

Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way. Time.com didn’t go behind a paywall this week and there aren’t plans for that to happen. Technically, Time magazine didn’t put one up for its online content either—that is, you can’t pay to read the contents of current issues of Time…

Wired Creative Director Scott Dadich’s role is expanding to corporate Conde Nast following the initial success of the magazine’s iPad app. As Executive Director, Digital Magazine Development, he’ll work at the corporate level to develop simultaneous print/digital publishing systems for the various magazine brands based on the Adobe (NSDQ: ADBE)…

New Ziff Davis CEO Vivek Shah is pinning his business plan for the digital-only tech publisher on a mix of database marketing, advertising and subscription—and adding two senior execs to help. The company plans to announce today that Bennett Zucker is joining as SVP/GM of Data Solutions, focusing on mining…

Just two months after adding a paid-only online subscription product, The New Republic has been trying to round itself out with four new, free-to-access blogs this month. The latest is Citizen Cohn, which will house the domestic policy musings of senior editor and “health care expert” Jonathan Cohn. It was…

Last week, Conde Nast’s Bob Sauerberg explained a slightly complicated plan that had the company lowering the cost of Wired on the iPad to $3.99 for second-time buyers and keeping it at $4.99 for the first download. The idea was to offer a reward that might keep potential repeat users…

Ahead of its Q2 earnings report in August, Playboy Enterprises (NYSE: PLA) is warning investors that it will take a $3 million charge resulting from additional layoffs. The number of Playboy’s roughly 782 total staffers who are being dismissed wasn’t specified. In a statement, CEO Scott Flanders said that the…

David Carey is leaving his post as group president at Condé Nast to become president of Hearst Magazines. Carey will succeed Cathie Black in the role, as she moves up to chairman after 15 years as president. This is the second high-profile executive departure to hit Condé Nast this month,…

The Sports Illustrated iPad app hit the iTunes store overnight with lots of glossy features in place—and without an anticipated subscription option. SI still could wind up being the first Time Inc. (NYSE: TWX) publication to offer subscriptions through the iPad but, despite a vendor’s assertion last week that the…