Month: January 2007

In Frank Meyer’s own words

(The following is extracted from Peter Besas’ 2000 book “Inside Variety”. The interview with Meyer was done in Highland, NY in 1993)

Frank Meyer moved to New York after Abel Green died. He recalled: “That fall (1973) I was in New York and Syd asked me to have lunch with him. We went to La Strada, a few doors down on 46th Street, and during the course of our 14th drink – we had three before lunch, a bottle of wine with the meal, and then we were having a second after-dinner drink – and only then, after talking for almost two and a half hours, only then did Syd say to me, ‘Well, how would you like to come to New York again?’
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Wall Street is breaking up that old gang of mine

by LARRY MICHIE

The Simesite anniversary and the recent postings there sent me into a reverie about the transformations that have changed practically every aspect of show business in the last few decades. For most of those monitoring Simesite, of course, the biggest earthquake was the purchase of Variety itself almost twenty years ago. The new owners utterly discarded the colorful and sometimes wacky culture of Variety – presumably to their great satisfaction, although to the discomfort of many of those who were devoted to that culture – and the ensuing upheaval came at a time when show business journalism itself was rapidly changing.
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Jack Loftus into VNU exec slot

Ex Variety mugg Hy Hollinger, who works for The Hollywood Reporter, informs us that former TV editor on Variety, Jack Loftus, has been named Chief Communications Office for VNU, the parent company of THR.

For the past years Jack has been Senior VP, Chief Communication Office of Nielsen Media Research in New York.

Congratulations, Jack, and a Merry Yuletide to you!