• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 21, 2010

  Newsweek, Daily Beast Won't Merge

All the rumors about a Newsweek-Daily Beast merger were mere sound and fury, signifying nothing -- at least for now. Tina Brown, the founding editor of the Daily Beast, acknowledged that the two companies had "intriguing" discussions about the possibility of a merger combining the online properties and making her the new editor of Newsweek. But negotiations collapsed when the various parties couldn't decide how to divvy up control of the merged entity.

In a memo to Daily Beast staffers, Brown wrote that "the engagement was fun, but the pre-nup got too complex." In the year ending in September, comScore said the site attracted an average 2.9 million unique visitors per month.

Sidney Harman recently acquired Newsweek from the Washington Post for $1, but assumed millions in liabilities, including pensions. The change in ownership apparently precipitated the departure of Editor in Chief Jon Meacham. However, Brown -- the controversial former editor of The New Yorker -- owes much of her backing to media mogul Barry Diller, giving the negotiations with Harman a three-sided dynamic.

Newsweek's ad pages appeared to stabilize in the second quarter with a modest 2.9% increase compared to last year, to 233 ad pages. But it is still on course to lose about $20 million this year, according to the WSJ.

Athlon Sports to Launch in 400 Newspapers

Athlon Sports, a new monthly newspaper-distributed magazine, is set to debut in 400 newspapers next week, including the New York Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Washington Examiner and San Diego Union-Tribune. The sports monthly should reach a projected 7 million households and a total monthly readership of over 22 million, according to publisher Athlon Sports Communications.

Launch advertisers include General Motors, Geico, Wrangler Jeans Company and the U.S. Marine Corps. Each issue includes a feature focused on the personalities of players, coaches, and teams, with coverage of college football, the NFL, NASCAR, college basketball, Major League Baseball, the NBA and golf in addition to soccer, hockey, and tennis.

WSJ. Glossy Will Increase Frequency

WSJ., a lifestyle magazine published by The Wall Street Journal, will increase its frequency in 2011, the second time it has done so since it launched in September 2008. It will publish nine issues in 2011, beginning in March, followed by 10 issues in 2012 -- up from this year's six.

Gray Named DC Correspondent at Time

Steven Gray has been appointed Washington correspondent at Time magazine to cover politics and policy. He currently serves as a correspondent at Time Inc.'s Detroit bureau and is a contributor to Fortune, covering philanthropists and entrepreneurs.

Playboy Book Compiles Greatest Covers

Playboy is planning to publish a coffee table book, titled Playboy's Greatest Covers, with about 300 famous covers from almost 60 years of issues; Playboy launched in 1953. The book, which will include a forward by former Playboy model Pamela Anderson, will be published by Barnes & Noble and should go on sale October 2011.