Jann Wenner Doesn't Get His Man

I hate to say I told you so, but...

August 28, 2007, Mixed Media:

[A]nyone thinking of taking the reins at Men's Journal has to know pretty well what he's signing on for: Two years or less of building something that will be instantly leveled the moment your micromanaging boss decides he's had enough of you. As one Wenner source puts it, "How do you get a [James] Kaminsky-level or [Michael] Caruso-level person to take that job now?"

Oct. 12, 2007, New York Post:

[Jann] Wenner has decided to go with an inside man to fill the vacant editor's job at Men's Journal after talks to lure The Wall Street Journal's Ed Felsenthal apparently hit a speed bump.

Following a two-month search outside his Wenner Media, Wenner awarded the job to Brad Wieners, who has been the acting editor since James Kaminsky bolted in August to become Maxim's editorial director.

The moral of the story: You can tyrannize your employees, and you can attract top talent, but sooner or later you have to pick one or the other. (Not to say that Wieners isn't very qualified, because he is -- but he was just as qualified back in August, right?)