Sharon Waxman of Huffington Post writes that business magazine Conde Nast Portfolio may still be having some trouble with morale and now with thin ad sales.
Waxman writes, “The thin display of ads in this month’s issue with Starbucks’ Howard Schultz as cover art (32 ad pages, according to a spokeswoman) was shocking to many, even if it does reflect summer doldrums and a slowed economy. How long can it go on this way?
“Meanwhile, the mood in editorial is far from warm and fuzzy. The latest top editor to leave is photo editor Lisa Berman, who has just abandoned the glamorous glossy for the more workaday environs of Entertainment Weekly. ‘I don’t know a single writer or editor there who wouldn’t rather be working somewhere else,’ came the harsh view from inside the Conde Nast building.
“Calls around the Times Square tower kick up a surprising amount of animosity toward editor Joanne Lipman, with comments like ‘confusion’ and ‘identity crisis’ among the kinder remarks. (We try to avoid ad hominems here at Waxword.)”
Read more here.