We've been hearing rumblings, published and otherwise, that TV Guide was in trouble, especially the venerable print edition. Earlier this month, for instance, the title's new owner, Macrovision, took over and immediately announced its plans to keep the online version of the magazine and either sell or shutter the print version, which has been published since 1953.So the following news might not be much of a surprise: Michael Ausiello, TVG's scoop and spoiler maven, is taking his perky writing style and massive Rolodex to Entertainment Weekly, where he'll write for the TV sections of both the magazine and website starting July 2.
Oh, and how did we find this out? Mike sent us (and probably hundreds of others) the press release announcing his arrival. Never said the guy wasn't good at self-promotion.
I've met and interviewed Mike, and a few of the Squadders occasionally correspond with him via e-mail; he's been unflailingly nice and accommodating. We wish him well at his new job.
But you have to wonder what's going to become of TV Guide. I stopped reading the print edition, which was a weekly ritual for me since I was a kid, shortly before the magazine changed from the small digest format to the virtually listings-free gossip magazine that it is today. The website is still extremely popular, but it seems like it's been losing its best writers for quite a while now. Can we start taking bets on when it'll become an online-only magazine (something its Canadian counterpart did a year-and-a-half ago)? Let me know in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-28-2008 @ 4:28PM
Oreo said...
He annoys the hell of out me, but he gets the spoilers and that's all I care about.
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5-28-2008 @ 4:35PM
Jake said...
He's a USC guy so that's already a minus, but he gets some good scoop and I subscribe to EW so it's good news to hear.
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5-28-2008 @ 4:51PM
J. said...
I hope Matt Roush leaves too.
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5-28-2008 @ 5:19PM
ProgGrrl said...
@J.: me too!
*worries about Matt Roush*
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5-28-2008 @ 5:19PM
moreartplease said...
Maybe EW will pick up the podcast torch that TVG dropped?
Agreed about Matt Roush--he is probably the best TV critic out there.
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5-28-2008 @ 5:33PM
J said...
When I said, I hope Matt Roush leaves too, I wasn't saying it as a positive thing. I hate that guy with passion.
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5-28-2008 @ 6:02PM
RazorD said...
Love ausiello!
And so long as we still get his smurfilled once a week or more, i'll be a happy bunny.
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5-28-2008 @ 8:51PM
Scott H said...
Matt Roush is the best thing at TVGuide.com, and the only reason I'd ever go to it these days. If he does leave, I hope he continues to write about television somewhere else, and continues to interact with viewers the way he does online twice a week.
Ausiello? I've read his column. He gets lots of gossip, but is way over-the-top cutesy and far too self-promotional (and self-involved) to stand on a regular basis. I hope he doesn't bring EW further down into a gossip rag. Maybe it's just a persona he's been putting on, and can adapt it to a magazine that's at a slightly higher level. I hope so.
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5-28-2008 @ 10:21PM
Jimmy said...
I understand your feelings about TV Guide. As a kid, my family was a religious subscriber to TV Guide. My mom would be the first to get it and she would circle all the shows she planned to watch that week. I always loved the double fall issue that told you all about the new shows starting in the fall. I still occasionally pick up a magazine, but only when they have a cover story I'm interested.
The TV landscape is changing; there is no longer such a thing as appointment TV and it's not as if you can grow with a series since they are cancelled after only one episode. TV Guide is just irrelevant. The best thing they could do is go totally online.
As for Ausiello, he does annoy a little bit, but I enjoy reading all his scoops. Hopefully, he'll have an RSS feed soon so I can subscribe.
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5-28-2008 @ 10:29PM
Lenny said...
I subscribed to TV Guide my entire life, but couldn't stand the new format at all, especially the lack of my time zone when it first changed over. It has the same name, but it's not the same magazine at all. I don't even visit their website much at all, maybe 3-4 times a year.
Such a sad state today for a magazine that I would read cover-to-cover the day it arrived in my mailbox (pre-changeover). Now, I couldn't care less if TV Guide disappeared forever. I probably wouldn't even notice for months. I wish the old format was back, then I'd subscribe again, but that'll never happen.
R.I.P. TV Guide. You're dead, just not buried...yet.
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5-28-2008 @ 10:39PM
Edd said...
Nice work Ausello! Always appreciated your news, and it's cool to see a picture of you!
If you google around and read this article, can your first batch of information be about the potential Arrested Development? Please make some calls, or at least ask Kristen to do it!
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5-28-2008 @ 11:20PM
nick said...
I lost interest in TV Guide when they switched from a small magazine to a large magazine. Not only did it seemingly disappear overnight from the newstand, the new format seemed thin on content.
Anyone leaving TV Guide is probably better off.
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5-29-2008 @ 12:44AM
DMD said...
Not a fan, but hopefully EW won't suffer :)
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5-29-2008 @ 6:48AM
Mary said...
Love Matt Rousch - unfailingly fair and balanced
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5-29-2008 @ 8:39AM
Christine said...
I agree wholeheartedly about the larger style magazine of TVGuide being nothing more than a gossip mag. I, too, stopped reading it when the format changed. I missed the way TVGuide used to live up to it's name. When it stopped becoming a guide to what's on, I cancelled my subscription & used on-line resources instead. What a waste the print version is now and has been for some time...they might as well eradicate it!!
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5-29-2008 @ 8:42AM
fowak said...
I love Ausiello and Roush. I plan to continue reading Ausiello on EW. And will keep reading Roush on tvguide!
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5-29-2008 @ 9:07AM
lauraloops said...
I have been a fan of TVGuide.com and the TVG podcast for years...I was devastated when the podcast ended. I listened to it every week on a long run, and it made the time fly. What will I do without my Ask Ausiello??
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5-29-2008 @ 11:34AM
CygnusTM said...
So, what will happen to EW's Kristin?
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5-29-2008 @ 11:36AM
CygnusTM said...
Whoops. I confused EW with E!
5-29-2008 @ 11:54AM
UnionStayshyn said...
"Oh, and how did we find this out? Mike sent us (and probably hundreds of others) the press release announcing his arrival. Never said the guy wasn't good at self-promotion."
Um. Sending press releases like that are standard in most industries. Like, in ALL of them. It's called "COMMUNICATION". If you don't believe me, call an adult and they'll confirm.
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