Penske considers reducing print editions of Women’s Wear Daily

Jay Penske, who took over Fairchild in August, is mulling a change that could cut the frequency of the print edition of Women’s Wear Daily.

“Nothing is confirmed, but there are internal discussions under way,” one source told Media Ink.

Penske this week also made a key hire by bringing back Stephanie George to be Fairchild’s vice chairman.

The former executive vice president of Time Inc., who had been a publisher of Fairchild’s W earlier in her career, is expected to play a key role in any transformation.

One of the items up for discussion is printing a glossy weekly version of to-be-developed WWD Magazine.
WWD lost its longtime sibling, W magazine, with Condé Nast’s sale of the company to Penske. W stayed with Condé.

Penske is known for his digital publications, including Deadline Hollywood, that he bought from Nikki Finke, and the one-time print title Hollywood Life, now edited as a digital-only title by Bonnie Fuller. Penske took over Variety in October 2012, and by February 2013 had folded the daily print edition in favor of going all digital.

“Printing, paper and postage are 50 percent of the costs,” said one executive. “Cutting out print editions saves a lot of money.”

But the source said Penske is unlikely to do away with print entirely.

“The thinking is that most of the WWD exclusives are held for a day or so anyway, and that the editors are plugged in enough that the exclusives will still hold even if there is not a print edition every day.”

Penske declined to comment.