How Lyne Could Change Time's Timeline

Will Susan Lyne's sudden availability affect Time Inc.'s succession planning?

Lyne, who stepped down as CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia today after months of rumors that she was on the outs, has frequently been mentioned as a possible successor to Ann Moore, whose term as CEO is expected to draw to a close in 2010, if not earlier.

Of course, MSLO's recent share-price struggles have taken some of the sparkle off her name since it first surfaced in connection with the Time Inc. job. But many analysts (and, apparently Wall Street) see those struggles as not her fault.

Meanwhile, there's every reason to think new Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes will want to get his own person in place sooner than later. One longtime company veteran I spoke with recently says an early send-off for Moore would provide a significant morale boost at Time Inc., where she's blamed, fairly or not, for masterminding round after round of layoffs and for overstressing the company's resources with a slew of simultaneous launches, none of which became a hit, and two of which -- Suede and Life -- had to be shut down.