The next-generation iPhone that fell into the hands of an editor at Gawker Media’s tech Web site Gizmodo has been returned to Apple, likely putting to rest questions about whether Gawker might be on the hook for being in possession of stolen property.
Gizmodo made a splash in tech circles earlier this week when it posted pictures of what was a next-generation iPhone that had been inadvertently left at a bar in Silicon Valley last month by an Apple engineer.
The loss and its subsequent falling into the hands of Gizmodo, which publicized its find, was a huge embarrassment for the super secret Apple and its CEO, Steve Jobs.
Gizmodo apparently paid $5,000 to a person who recovered the prototype of the Apple iPhone 4G in a Redwood City, Calif., bar, where it had apparently been left behind by Apple engineer Gary Powell.
Once Gizmodo went public with its find, Apple contacted the Web site and asked that the missing device be returned.
According to Gawker Media CEO Nick Denton, “Bruce Sewell the [Apple] general counsel, drove round himself to [Gizmodo Editor] Jason Chen‘s house.” The handoff, Denton said, was an “almost entirely silent exchange.”
There was some early speculation that Gawker and Gizmodo might have been in receipt of stolen property, but many are now dismissing such claims as Apple apparently never accused Gizmodo of theft.
“The only formal communication we’ve had from Apple in the letter [was] asking for the phone back,” said Denton.
But even if there was a threat of legal action, Denton might do it again: He said the three stories — the scoop on the phone, the identity of Powell and the Apple letter — generated about 8 million unique visitors to the Gizmodo site.
Herzig jumps
Hearst has raided Condé Nast to hire Glamour’s No. 2 editor, Jill Herzig, to be the new editor-in-chief of Redbook.
Herzig replaces Stacy Morrison, who resigned two weeks ago and had her last day Friday. Herzig starts her new job on May 3.
Media Ink last week flagged Herzig as the frontrunner for the job, and predicted that Hearst Maga zines boss Cathie Black was going to make her decision within the week.
Now the hard work begins: Herzig will have to try to reverse a slide in news stand circulation as the 100-year-old magazine tries to find its footing in a com petitive market.
One source estimated that Redbook is losing about $4 million a year.
“Hearst has big chal lenges because they only have three magazines that make any serious money for them,” said the source. “Cosmopolitan makes a fortune, Good Housekeeping still makes money, but not as much as before, and O, the Oprah Magazine makes a lot of money, though not as much as before.”
Reilly’s up
Rick Reilly became known as the “$17 million man” when he jumped to ESPN the Magazine from Sports Illustrated in late 2007.
Now, the man who appeared to be the highest-paid writer in the country at the time and is a best-selling author, is dropping his print column, marking the first time in more than a quarter century that Reilly won’t be cranking out a regular column for a magazine.
At the time Reilly jumped ship, he was said to be pulling in seven figures from Time Inc.’s SI. Most observers figured that using the untested Reilly on TV was just a sweetener to justify ESPN tossing him all that money to join the Disney-owned magazine.
However since arriving nearly three years ago, Reilly has done a lot more video, including appearances on espn.com, a video essay that airs every Sunday on “SportsCenter,” and hosting a one-hour show called “Homecoming.”
Gary Belsky, editor-in-chief of ESPN the Magazine, said, “Rick has limitless talent, but limited time, so as he increases his TV work for ESPN, we’ve agreed to take one for the team and free him from his regular magazine duties.
“It’s a loss, but the success of our new ‘Player X’ column proves that we can always create unique concepts to inform and entertain readers. Plus, Rick promised he’d write for us in a bigger way a couple times a year. He crossed his heart twice, so we believe him.”
Added Reilly, “Yes, the magazine decision was mine. I really like the magazine, but I was ready to try more TV and Internet. I will still contribute longer pieces to the magazine now and then.”
Reilly says the change in workload didn’t alter the pay out of his reported $17 million, five-year contract.
Reed woes
Talk about a sign of the times.
In the early 1990s, Reed International was the country’s largest publisher of trade magazines and was making aggressive noises about expanding into consumer magazines.
By last Friday, the company booked a $100 million writedown as part of its decision to shut down 23 magazines in its Reed Business Information divi sion, leaving Reed with just a half-dozen publi cations, including showbiz trade Vari ety, whose fate at various times has also been in doubt amid chatter Reed might sell the title.
Officials at Reed insist they are com mitted to Variety.
“Variety is very much staying part of RBI,” said Patrick Kerr, a London-based spokesman for Reed Elsevier, the Dutch-Anglo parent company.
The titles being closed were bringing in about $70 million in revenue in 2009, but were losing money.
An insider said that well over 100 people were tossed out of work by the shutdown of the titles, though the New York State Department of Labor Web site said only 50 employees were given the so-called WARN notices under the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires a 90-day notice of a mass layoff.
“You would have thought they could have found someone to buy them,” said Reed Phillips, managing director of DeSilva & Phillips, a media investment bank.
Over the past five months, the company sold off a host of titles, including most re cently Publishers Weekly, which went to former publisher George Slowik earlier this month. In March, Sandow Media acquired Interior De sign, Furniture Today and Gifts & Decorative Accessories. keith.kelly@nypost,com