In a surprise move Friday, Time Inc. has announced several major changes in the editorial leadership for some of its biggest titles.
Jess Cagle, who previously served as editor of
Entertainment Weekly, is taking over as editor of
People, replacing longtime editor Larry Hackett. Cagle will also become editorial director of
Entertainment Weekly, overseeing
a new editor at the title, who has yet to be appointed.
As part of the shake up, Time Inc. style and entertainment group editor Mark Golin is also leaving the company.
Cagle, who started his career as an intern at
People in 1987, helped launch
Entertainment Weekly in 1990. He served as a senior editor at
Time from 2000 to 2002, then
returned to
People as an entertainment editor, before being named editor of
Entertainment Weekly in 2009, where he led the reinvention of EW.com as a breaking news site.
Time Inc. Executive Vice President David Geithner stated: “Jess's reputation for successful collaboration and strong leadership, coupled with his unmatched access and influence in
the celebrity world, will benefit both the
People and
Entertainment Weekly brands enormously as they continue to dominate their categories.”
The move comes as
Time Inc. readies itself for a long-planned spinoff from parent company Time Warner, which will likely also include layoffs and other restructuring measures with an eye to cutting costs.
Last year, the company moved to lower the barrier between business and editorial operations by having magazine editors report to division presidents. In November, it circulated an RFP indicating it
plans to “dramatically expand its native ad business,” seeking to enlist a partner for the design, development and launch of a new native ad platform.
People and
Entertainment
Weekly are supposed to be among the first brands to use the new system.
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