If Time Inc. Stops Publishing "Time Magazine" Will They Rename the Time & Life Building the Real Simple People Building? - Steve Blacker - MediaBizBloggers

Don't write off the new partnership between Microsoft and Yahoo so quickly. Microsoft's new search engine BING does put search results into better context. Yahoo's relatively new president Carol Bartz is taking some heat now for the deal, but Yahoo will prosper in the long term. Without the partnership, Google would be left without any real long term competitor.

How come The Economistcan charge $7.99 a copy at newsstands or $126.99 for a year's subscription - 51 issues? The Economistmakes more money on circulation than advertising, while Forbes, Fortuneand Business Weekstruggle to survive. Maybe it's because The Economisthas much more relevant content. Magazines that still entertain and inform in a relevant way will continue to survive and do well, e.g. Cosmopolitan, O, People, Real Simple, InStyle, Elle, etc.

NBC's Jeff Zucker has the best cable and programming strategy of any network. He's being innovative and taking chances that make sense. Ben Silverman never created a program, he just imported them; so NBC comes out ahead with his leaving.

How come everyone denies they talk to Tom Delaney of the Delaney Report; yet he gets so much accurate information? His newsletter is a must read though no one likes to admit it. And don't try making copies of it, which is against the law, or he will sue you and win.

Rum is back. Yes, Mojitos, Daiquiris and Cuba Libres seem to be recession proof. One of the hottest up and coming brands is DonQ, which is reporting more than a 50% growth over last year. DonQ stands for Don Quixote and is the best selling rum in Puerto Rico, where 70% of the rum sold in the U.S. is produced. The company's marketing initiatives are being led by Luis Gonzalez, President of Miami based C-Com Group Inc. Cheers !!

If Hachette is really not thinking about closing down its U.S. operations, why didn't Alain Lemarchand, President of Hachette Filipacchi Media US and Latin America talk about his commitment to future growth? To date his only strategy has been selling assets, firing long term employees who earned decent salaries such as Nick Matarazzo, former EVP Men's Group, and slashing budgets. His press release said only that Hachette is not now in talks with Hearst concerning Elle. It did not say that there is no intent to sell Ellein the future.

Palm Too still serves the best steaks in the New York area. Michael's Cobb salad is worth the visit. Steve Millington, Michael's GM, makes the magic happen every day. The Four Seasons Grill Room is overrated, overpriced and caters to a B-list of some of the oldest people in town. The prix fixe lunch at Milos Estiatorio is the best deal in town - and the best tasting. The Hearst Cafeteria is heads and shoulders above Conde Nast's cafeteria in terms of the grandeur of the setting and the great sushi.

Alpa Pandya of the Sterling Branding Group is one the smartest brand strategists in the country. Gayle King is the most innovative media brand marketer I know... be it in print, radio, TV whatever. Michael Clinton, Hearst's EVP Chief Marketing Officer keeps coming up with winning corporate packages that no one else has ever thought of before. Plus he keeps turning out phenomenal travel books containing his photos.

"I don't want to live forever, but I never want to die" is one of many great lines from song writer and singer Liz Tormes' great new album "Lime Light." Check it out at LizTormes.com She's a future star in the making.

I find it hard to feel sorry for Ruth Madoff. I hope the new $44.8 million lawsuit bankrupts her.

If anyone can salvage TV Guide it's Jack Kliger. Better yet, the magazine industry should recruit him to replace Nina Link and run the MPA. As a prior MPA President he brought the only creative marketing initiative to print and tried to eliminate rate bases.

If Timemagazine ceases its print version in a few years, will Time Warner rename the Time Life Building the Real Simple People Building?

When will AOL fix its home page and stop trying to selling me drugs I don't need? AOL's customer service should earn an award as the most frustrating service to ever speak to a real human being on

What if magazines ran longer articles by just continuing them online? For example, rather than turning to page 141 to continue a story, why not let me go to the magazine's web site? This could allow a magazine to provide more short takes for content and create an integrated content product that drives you from print to the Internet. Then magazines could offer one subscription price for print and online, and be able to charge for online content.

Local media is alive and well! Manhattan Media now provides more Manhattan circulation with its Manhattan newspapers and magazines than The New York Times. How come the New York Postis so much livelier than the Daily News? The Post'sbusiness section even gives The New York Timesa run for its money.

Nancy Haberman, the SVP Media Director at Howard Rubenstein, is not only one of the most powerful PR executives in the city, but one of the nicest. A rare combination.

I miss Ted Turner being in the media business.

Has McKinsey or any other major consulting company ever produced measurable results for a client? In my experiences at Time Inc., Conde Nast, Hearst, Playboy, etc., whenever consultants were brought in generated more questions than usable answers.

Disclaimer: I just bought some stock in Vision China (VISN), an outdoor digital media company with 67,000 displays in major cities throughout China. The stock was as high as $26 but then the CFO left and has not been replaced; and that caused a great deal of concern. Since I am not a huge fan of financial people I purchased the stock at $6.57 a share purely on "gut" and the marketing potential.

Did Rodale force out Steve Murphy just to save on corporate overhead and make the company more attractive to a perspective buyer? I think so. Murphy is a highly creative and innovative media marketing executive. He would be a natural to run a major book publishing company.

Nobody asked me, but I think $100 million dollar bonuses should be against the law or taxed at a 90%! Andrew Hall, head of Phibro, a small commodities trading company, will earn this unless the new Treasury Department's czar of executive pay puts a stop limit order on such an outrageous bonus.

How will Conde Nast figure out a winning Digital strategy when Stephen Newhouse continues to be in charge of Digital? Over a decade ago, Conde Net was launched with unlimited resources and perhaps the worst marketing strategy ever. Rather than promoting its well known brands such as Vogue, GQ and Glamour, Conde Net threw away its brand equity and created brand new generic Web sites. Today the company is virtually starting all over again but with fewer people and resources. If Stephen's last name was Smith would he still be in charge?

Don't bet against Rupert Murdoch's revamped Wall Street Journal eventually taking away readership and advertising from The New York Times. It will. The big beneficiary from all of this is the Financial Times. Greg Zorthian, FT's President, is a very savvy marketer. I keep wondering why The New York Timeskeeps heavily promoting that I should just sign up for their weekend package. Do they want me to drop my daily home delivery?

Steve's new book You Can't Fall Off The Floor - The Insiders' Guide to Re-Inventing Yourself and Your Career chronicles his 50 year career working for over 25 different companies with 189 lessons learned and insider tips from Gayle King, Cathie Black, Chuck Townsend and 28 others; Blacker is still going strong today as a partner in Frankfurt & Blacker Solutions, LLC. His web site is blacker-reinventions.com and e-mail address is blackersolutions@aol.com

Read all Steve’s MediaBizBlogger commentaries at Steve Blacker - MediaBizBlogger.

Ed Martin's full live coverage from the Television Critics Association tour is available exclusively to corporate subscribers of the Jack Myers Media Business Report. For more information visit www.myersreport.com.