You will share Hearst's content and love it

BY SDH Hearst Magazines Digital Media which lately has been announcing about two deals per week, joined forces with widget syndication leader Clearspring to create widgets for viewsers to share on social networking sites and blogs. The deal which was announced back on February 25 apparently went over our heads. Hearst has been on a none stop deal making spree, some smart, some not so smart but then again the not so smart ones could turn out to be smart in the long run. It's as if Hearst Magazines Digital Media head Chuck "Chuck Digital" Cordray has to meet a quota set by Hearst Magazines queen Cathie "No web regrets" Black.

Hearst Magazines to pimp retail chain Sears

BY SDH Hearst Magazines has entered yet another deal this month. Probably the first of its kind, we don't know but the magazine giant has entered a deal with luggy retail chain Sears to help the chain get back on its feet because the only sales they are probably getting are from Midwesterners for who going to Sears, is a planned Saturday event. Hearst Magazines will create a new print and internet promotional campaign which will include ads that you are sure to see in some Hearst titles. Sears will make a "significant digital buy" on Hearst owned web sites like O Magazine, Redbookmag.com, Popular Mechanics and others. Promo booklets produced by Hearst will be distributed in some Sunday editions of Hearst newspapers. So basically Hearst will splatter their print and internet offerings with Sears related verbiage in an effort to ramp up awareness that Sears still exists. Will this work, some think it will others don't. The only thing that is clear is that Hearst will come out the winner whether or not this "Save Sears" campaign sails or sinks.

Hearst Magazines enters popularity contest, Kills some websites to tighten the focus, Featured on last night’s The Apprentice

BY SDH Hearst Magazines digital chief Chuck "Chuck Digital" Cordray is really pushing the company's content out there. Over the past months, deal after deal has been announced. The latest push is with Yahoo Buzz. Yahoo Buzz allows readers to vote on the popularity of online stories. Yahoo then posts the winners on its homepage. Hearst has signed on ten of its titles, including Esquire, Cosmopolitan and Redbook, as Buzz content partners. Chuck is working hard to get those page views growing isn't he! In other Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM) news, the company says it is killing the stand alone websites of 13 titles including Good Housekeeping and Country Living and will roll up their content into one huge frigging portal called Allaboutyou.com. Speaking of Hearst did you see The Apprentice last night? The task was for the teams to create a Dial Soap ad for Redbook.

Hearst's Chuck "Chuck Digital" Cordray is at it again

BY SDH A while back Hearst Magazines CEO Cathie Black insisted she had no web regrets. But based on the deal after deal announcements from Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM), one can only assume that she is playing a fast game of catch up. Under the leadership of the desired Chuck Cordray, Hearst's digital business has been joining forces with the who is who on the web. Chuck's latest join up is with AOL and Youtube. The Youtube deal calls for HMDM to do what the majority of Youtube deals calls for. HMDM will create branded channels with video content being syndicated from 15 print and online publications. In addition to providing lifestyle content, such as the latest on fashion and beauty from the Harper’s Bazaar editorial team or how-to cooking videos from Good Housekeeping, participating publications will develop contests asking readers to upload personalized videos in response to an editorial feature or other awareness programs. The AOL deal calls for HMDM to provide content for AOL's new domestic hub AOL Home. Working in partnership with Hearst Magazines Digital Media, CondeNet web sites and publications, This Old House and Real Simple, AOL Home will offer a comprehensive array of features on a monthly basis. Other content partners will be added in the coming months. Chuck is making sure HMDM has at least a pinky finger in any and everything that will allow them to spread Hearst’s content via the web.

Hearst Magazines Digital Media enters deal that will allow advertisers to spam you more effectively

BY SDH Hearst Magazines Digital Media (HMDM) hot boy Chuck "Chuck Digital" Cordray is squeezing any and everything he can out of any corner to grow HMDM and to keep the boss lady (Cathy "No Web Regrets" Black) happy. Cordray's latest join up is with Nokia in a deal that will increase HMDM's mobile advertising share. The deal calls for HMDM giving it's advertisers a whole new vehicle to spam you via your Nokia phone by way of Nokia's global Media Network, a premium advertising network with people who love to buy shit. While putting the deal together Cordray and the folks at Nokia made sure to eliminate any and all hassles for users. This means no downloads or any other pain in the butt enablers. All you have to do is browse. "We are pleased to have top-quality anchor publishers like Hearst as part of the Nokia Media Network," said Vice President and Head of Nokia Interactive Mike Baker. "The addition of the many well-known Hearst properties, including Cosmopolitan, Esquire, and Good Housekeeping, will provide advertisers with a valuable opportunity to reach their target audience on the Nokia Media Network." Hearst Magazines Digital Media Teams Up With Nokia to Offer Mobile Advertising Solutions Through the Nokia Media Network [MW]

Today Hearst is hosting their first-ever health and wellness fair called "The Well"

There will be no work done at Hearst today because the company is hosting a day long wellness fair called "The Well" where employees are given blood pressure screenings among other. Guess Cathie Black wants to make sure here troops can go the distance.

The recent Brownridge Carlin hitching may already be doomed

-SDH Alpha Media's Kent Brownridge put it all on the table and got hitched to Alexandra Carlin, the head of publicity at Hearst magazines. But the two kids didn't do what regular newlyweds do and head for an exotic island for fun in the sun sans blackberries, lap tops and any other device that keeps them plugged into the office, they went right back to work the Monday following their nuptials. If you've been together for 5 years, at this point the only thing marriage changes is that she can take you for more and you will both get on each others nerves knowing that you no longer can just up and walk out the door. Marriage usually ruins relationships like these. Anyway congrats to them both. Wonder if Hearst Magazine ruler Cathie Black was in attendance?

We hope Hearst's digital czar Chuck Cordray has a week's supply of condoms

-ZOE S. We asked you answered. Hearst Digital Media head Chuck Cordray is hittable according to Media Wire Daily readers. 42% of you who participated, wouldn't mind bedding Chucky. 32% of you said you wouldn't. But what really caught our attention, is the 26% of y0u who said you already hit it! it looks like Chucky does get down in the sack. Do we dare ask who exactly is the 26% who hopped in the sack with Mr. Cordray?

Chuck Cordray is probably OK in the sack

Ladies, the boys can't have all the fun right? Hearst Digital Media head Chuck Cordray has been in the news a lot lately. He must have some kind of statement deal with Mediaweek or something because he has been saying quite a bit. Chuck is a pretty good looking guy, his teeth look good and he looks like he knows how to put an outfit together, and he needs a tan. With that said, today's poll: CHUCK CORDRAY: WOULD YOU HIT IT? YES NO I DID ALREADY

Digital editions aren't for every magazine

-YOSH .Mediaweek reports that more and more consumer magazine publishers are finding out that the web is the way to the heart of potential subscribers, not the once lauded digital editions which sometimes require subscribers to download software onto their PCs. Unless digital editions are generating respectable revenue, some publishers should just kill it and put all their time and money into their websites. for others, use it as a teaser for special issues. For Hearst's Chuck Cordray the web is the way to go. We just don't agree with him when he said "print has some pretty hard-to-duplicate advertising.” Is he kidding? Wazzup Chucky! Chuck Cordray, vp and general manager, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, said that Hearst found its Web sites are a better way to interact with readers than digital editions are, and so digital editions have dropped in priority. “The experiments we’ve had did not have the same legs as the Web sites,” Cordray said. “For us, we’ve seen most of our growth on highly interactive formats that work best in an online format.” As for attracting ads, he said, “We’re strong believers that print has some pretty hard-to-duplicate advertising.” Mags Web Sites Still More Effective Than Digital Editions [Mediaweek]

Hearst's Chuck Cordray is all psyched about a digital deal that may not make sense for a magazine publisher

-YOSH In yet another deal where a magazine publisher throws all it's cards in the air to see where they land, Hearst Magazine has signed on with soon to be launched Next.tv to distribute content from it’s magazines like Cosmo Girl and others via HP notebooks and it looks like some Hearsties couldn't be more happier with the possibilities, especially Chuck Cordray, vp and general manager, Hearst Magazines Digital Media. “This relationship not only offers us an innovative way to syndicate original video content to millions of potential viewers, but it will also help to extend the readers’ overall brand experience beyond the pages of magazines and Web sites directly onto their computers and television screens,” Sounds good Chucky baby, but what makes you so sure consumers who may buy the HP notebook, will give a hoot about your content? What makes Hearst's content stick out compared to the dozens of other content providers who are also part of this new service? Did HP provide you with some demo info that shows that the people who will buy their new notebooks are mostly teenage girls and/or young women? We give you an "A" for effort but for now a huge question mark hangs over this deal. Hearst Magazines Inks Web Content Deal With Next.TV [Mediaweek]

Would you pay $140 to break bread with Cathie Black?

-ZOE S. ASME is sponsoring a lunch with Hearst Magazines prexy Cathie Black on Decemeber 4th and you're invited, just as long as you don't mind paying the non-member fee of $140. You can sit way across the room and look at Cathie and Hearst editorial director Ellen Levine for 2 hours at San Domenico restaurant on Central Park South. Ellen Levine will have a one on one interview with her boss who will share her thoughts on everything from the definition of success and her personal experience rubbing elbows with big wigs like Rupert Murdoch and Oprah Winfrey. This is such hog wash if you ask us. Why not have someone who doesn't have to brown nose Cathie interview her? Tuesday: Lunch With Cathie Black [FBNY]

all cathie black's friends love her new book

-ZOE Magazine queen Cathy Black's new book "Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work and in Life" is a big hit amongst her friends like Oprah BFF Gayle King and EBay chief Meg Whitman. If you had a book in stores, wouldn't you call on your friends to say really nice things about it as well? That's what friends are for right. Here are some of the nice things Cathy's friends had to say about her new book. Hey!! Wonder if all the Hearsties get free copies and will be grilled on it in meetings, to see if they actually read the boss's book? “Basic Black does a great job of telling the story of how Cathie deftly navigated the challenges of the workplace and the media business, while also trying to balance the demands of a busy life. Her practical tips on handling typical workplace situations make this an important read for any woman who wants to become a better colleague, a better leader ... and a better person.” —Meg Whitman, President & CEO, eBay Inc. "Bravo for Basic Black! After reading this book, I understand more than ever why Cathie Black is the huge success she is today. She’s totally fearless! She shares her triumphs, but perhaps best of all, she shares her mistakes so that we can learn from them. I love her candor. Whether you're starting your career or going full throttle, you will benefit from Cathie's insights into business--and life. Basic Black is a true must-read. —Gayle King, editor-at-large of O, The Oprah Magazine Yeah, Hearst publishes "O" by the way.

Hearst's Cathy Black was and probably still is a workaholic who remembered to have kids after she was 40 years old

-BY ZOE S. Hearst Magazines CEO Cathy Black is a woman that has it all, the powerful job, the pay check to go with it, the celebrity friends and no doubt the nice house and cars. But don't you dare say that to her unless you know her definition of having it all. In her recent blog posting on Huffpost.com Cathy tells us about how she was a workaholic in her twenties and that she started to have kids after she was 40 yrs old, but it still worked well for her. Cathy goes on to explain that, every woman has, or should have their own definition of success. For some, success is being home with the kids pulling your hair out. For others like herself it's sitting in the corner office calling the shots. As someone who is often perceived as "having it all," let me just say this outright: I hate that phrase. The implication is that every person wants exactly the same thing, which is completely untrue. You don't have to marry the lawyer or doctor, win the U.S. Open in tennis, and become a CEO all in the same year in order to find success and happiness. Blindly striving to have it all is not the answer. Having what I call a 360° Life isn't about reaching the top in everything you do, it's about achieving balance. It means creating a fully rounded existence, one that encompasses deep satisfaction with your personal life, work, and family. Cathy should really be a regular on Oprah. Seriously I would watch. Basic Black [Huffpost]

Hearst Digital’s TheDailyGreen.com in full bloom

-BY ZOE S. Another magazine publishing company that was slow to hop on the digital media wagon, but is not slow to hop on the "green" bandwagon, Hearst, has launched TheDailyGreen.com, a comprehensive one-stop eco-resource for environmental news, tips and information. As if Al Gore isn't spreading all that already. Never the less Hearst is doing their part. After all their new tower is eco friendly you know! “Hearst is committed to raising environmental awareness and we’re very proud to use our editorial and digital expertise to launch TheDailyGreen.com,” said John Loughlin, executive vice president, general manager, Hearst Magazines. “Led by Deborah Barrow, its founder, and the digital team assembled by Chuck Cordray, vice president of Hearst Magazines Digital Media, we’ve established a powerful new online brand that will enable more people to understand the importance of — and foster participation in — the green revolution.” One-Stop Eco-Resource to Lead a Greener Life for a Better Planet; "The Consumer's Guide to the Green Revolution" [BW]

Hearst buys website that tries to convince old people that they are still young

In a move to further fluff up their digital offerings and ad dollars, Hearst has snatched up consumer-health media company Realage.com. Hearst Magazines queen Cathy Black is very pleased with this one especially because she can milk drug advertisers for her rulers at the top of the Hearst Tower. But we have to say...good catch Cathy, good catch. Now make it work. “Over the last eight years, RealAge has succeeded in establishing itself as a credible brand in the health space and has built a sizeable consumer and advertiser following,” said Cathleen P. Black, president, Hearst Magazines. “By acquiring RealAge, Hearst will gain immediate entry into the growing health and wellness categories and will do so with a solid customer base and strong ties to highly profitable online pharmaceutical advertisers.” Hearst Magazines to Acquire RealAge, Inc. [Marketwire via Yahoo Finance]

For Time Inc's Ann Moore and Hearst's Cathy Black, no new titles, at least not print anyway

-LENN HINDSMANN The two panty wearing CEOs of two of the worlds most powerful magazine publishers have no plans to launch any new titles. Instead Ann Moore and Cathy Black will focus on building their company's internet offerings, via web videos and user generated content. The days off multi-million dollar launches and over the top launch parties, may be a thing of the past as more and more magazine publishers close print titles to focus on the web. But will these two women roll out winning web strategies? Each have already failed at new launches in print and the internet. Time Inc launched an online magazine geared toward young men called "Office Pirates" but the site folded after it failed to generate the kind of buzz Time Inc was hoping far. Hearst launched the well buzzed Talk Magazine back in 1999 but the buzz went away and the magazine died soon after. Will Time Inc and/or Hearst experience this again in their push to land a seat on the digital media train? In the history of US magazine launches, the high point may have been August 1999, when Tina Brown's Talk magazine debuted. Jointly owned by Miramax and Hearst Communications, Talk came into the world with an extravagant party in which Hollywood celebrities and former presidents took over the Statue of Liberty. Time and Hearst focus on new media, not new titles [FT via MSNBC]

Hearst's Tower Awards Recap

Who would have thought that some of Hearst's own magazines would have been snubbed at the first ever "Tower Awards". Perhaps Hearst Prexy Cathy Black wanted it to feel like a real awards ceremony or something. Or is this her way of saying good job to the winners and work harder to the losers? Video please! Taking home one award each were Harper's Bazaar for September photography, Popular Mechanics and Town & Country on Katrina-related topics, Good Housekeeping for a makeover package, CosmoGirl for its regular feature on a future female president and Seventeen for "innovation" on its "America's Next Top Model" partnership, a legacy of bygone editor in chief Atoosa Rubenstein. Quick & Simple cracked the ever-elusive code for a cover line with "Why you need to eat chocolate every day!" Favored child O, The Oprah Magazine swept three awards for best special section, the "president's award" for diversity and public service. Pat On The Back... Next In Line.. Hearst Hires [WWD]

Hearst Tower, best place to kill time on your wireless device

-Shomari Hines The folks at Hearst shouldn't get pissed if employees spend a lot of time on their cell phones while in the office because with all the wireless technology dumped into the new building, Hearst may have encouraged it. Most of the time people don't use their cell phones or other wireless devices at work due to the numerous dead spots in a cluttered office building, but the new Hearst tower is making that a thing of the past. In their cover story, eWeek magazine takes us inside the very stylish and tech heavy Hearst Tower detailing how the powers that be wanted to make sure the building wasn't futuristic looking on the outside but was futuristic in side as well and we're not talking about interior design. "We wanted to make a building that would last the test of time, something that looked beautiful but had the best in functionality," said Brian Schwagerl, Hearst's vice president of real estate and facilities and the executive ultimately responsible for the new headquarters building. "It was more than a corporate headquarters—it was our home." "We had to honor the true commitment of [the Hearst family] to make this a world-class tower for a world-class company. The tower above had to incorporate the latest technology and innovation," Schwagerl said. Wireless in the Sky: Hearst Builds Tower of the Future [eWeek]

Hearst's Cathy Black may not have any web regrets but man is she playing catch up in a major way

-Shomari Hines Hearst is jumping in the online video pool in a major way bringing plans to life that will see the roll out of 12 video sites, including TeenMag.com, Esquire.com, Seventeen.com and CosmoGirl.com, each with video players. Guess Cathy always had her digital plans ready to go, hence the remarkable fact that she has no web regrets. According to Chuck Cordray, VP and general manager for Hearst Digital Media, the video content will be behind-the-scenes footage, red carpet video, product reviews and recipes. Cordray said the move to Maven was part of Hearst’s strategy to take back control of its Web presence as most of the company’s magazine sites have been hosted by NBC Universal’s iVillage. Hearst to Launch 12 Video Sites [CM]

Cathleen Black starts nip and tuck of web properities, still has no web regrets

Hearst Prexy Cathleen Black who said she has no web regrets, is never the less playing catch up by rolling out a long overdue revamped Esquire.com as part of a bigger plan for an across the board revamp of Hearst's online destinations. However we think the new Esquire.com would have been stronger in the form of a men's portal to rival sites like Askmen.com instead of just a web companion for the print version. Like many magazine publishers and traditional content players across the board, Hearst has ramped up its digital capabilities, particularly since the formation last March of a digital-media unit. This year it is adding mobile sites, starting last month with Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Cosmo Girl. New Klosterman pieceFor Esquire, the web exclusives will reside in a piece of prime real estate called "The Side," where Chuck Klosterman has already posted a timely piece on Britney Spears' antics this week called "Why Britney? Why?" The section will also include a new song to stream or download most days. It's not a blog, but a place for short items that track real-time events. Hearst Begins to Revamp Its Digital Strategy [AdAge]

Hearst's Cathy Black Has No Web Regrets, but she should

Tom Freston got canned for letting great web opportunities pass him by. Should Hearst magazine prexy Cathleen Black meet the same fate at some point? Black admits that on her watch Hearst Magazines allowed the digital train to pass them by while iVillage was doing their work for them. "Our early approach probably cost us a little time," Ms. Black allowed, speaking before an industry crowd at a breakfast talk, organized by the Magazine Publishers of America, on the constantly changing modern media business. Hearst has deliberately moved somewhat carefully while other companies rushed to adopt each new digital approach early, Ms. Black said. "We can catch up." "If we don't set a value on using the web for an advertiser, we will have only ourselves to blame," she said. That's why Hearst has digital sales teams who don't sell anything else, she added. "They do not need to think about the second cover of the April issue of Cosmo." Denial is a motherfucker aint it? No Cathy, you will have only yourself to blame. Cathy Black Has No Web Regrets [Ad Age]

FRESH NEWS: Hearst hops on the social networking bandwagon seen

In an effort to get their hands on more teenagers, Hearst has dropped some cash to buy eCrush.com, a group of entertainment and social networking sites for teens and young adults. The network includes such sites as ecrush.com, which provides a way for visitors to see anonymously if someone has a crush on them; and eSpin.com, a socialnetworking site for Gen Y. Hearst Buys eCrush.com [MW]

Redbook about to get a gift from the tower of power

Hearst Magazines will inject a seven-figure dose of the green stuff in RedBook to increase it's size and change to a heavier paper stock. The outlay by Hearst is striking for a few reasons, not least that the company closed two magazines this year and is directing tons of investment toward its online efforts. It helps that two years have been Redbook's two best by revenue, said Michael A. Clinton, Hearst's exec VP-chief marketing officer and publishing director. Hearst Invests in 'Redbook' Redo [Ad Age]