• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, April 1, 2010

More wayward members are returning to the fold at the Magazine Publishers of America, with this week's announcement that American Media is rejoining the magazine trade association after a two-year hiatus. AMI, which publishes Muscle & Fitness, The National Enquirer, Shape, and Star, spent the last two years dealing with a critical financial situation, but is apparently now stable enough to afford MPA dues.

AMI is just the latest in a series of magazine publishers that have returned to the MPA's collegial embrace after absences of varying lengths; others have joined up. New York Media, which publishes New York, also rejoined the MPA after sitting out a year, while Wenner Media, which publishes Rolling Stone, has joined for the first time.

The news of Wenner's joining came as magazines gear up for several big marketing efforts to promote the medium, including one planned by the MPA and a separate push by Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Time Inc. and Wenner Media.

However, there are still some ex-members resisting pressure to rejoin the club. In February 2009, Hachette Filipacchi left the MPA -- an especially surprising move because Hachette was previously a leading player in the group. As chairman, Jack Kliger, the former president and CEO of Hachette, served as a highly visible leader for the MPA from 2005-2007.

Ironically, as part of this mission, Kliger castigated other magazine publishers for not pulling their weight in the MPA, either by not joining or not paying their dues.

More Cuts at U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report, which has already endured multiple rounds of cutbacks over the last couple of years, is getting trimmed again, according to the New York Post. The latest cuts include layoffs of about a dozen staffers on the business side of the publication, including all of the New York marketing department. Also, the Chicago and San Francisco offices are being closed.

Newsweek's NY Offices Move, Again

Newsweek staffers are losing their fancy new home in the West Village as part of an internal switch-up by the Washington Post Co. The Village offices will now be home to the Washington Post Co.'s growing Kaplan educational division, while Newsweek will reside in Kaplan's old offices in midtown. One upside, according to CEO Tom Ascheim: They're closer to Central Park.

Deadline.com Covers TV

Deadline.com is now committed to full-time coverage of the television industry, as reflected in a new hire: Nellie Andreeva, formerly The Hollywood Reporter's TV editor. The addition was announced by editor-in-chief Nikki Finke, who has helped Deadline.com achieve an increasingly high profile in the world of online Hollywood and entertainment-industry insider news. Andreeva's coverage will include new programs, pilots, casting, business deals and trends.