PAGE SIX SPIN-OFF: Richard Johnson‘s byline has been absent from Page Six lately. Since Jan. 17, the New York Post has run a note next to the gossip column’s header: “Richard Johnson is on assignment.” So what’s the “assignment”?
No, Johnson’s not off infiltrating the Lohan clan: He’s been working on the glossy version of Page Six, due out next month. “It’s a mix of all the stuff we have on Page Six,” he said. “There’s some gossip. We have a feature on Victoria’s Secret, with pictures from a [catalogue] shoot; an Oscar package, because the issue is coming out between the nominations and the Oscars, and we’re going to have a nightlife guide, focusing on clubs opening in New York.”
The idea for the magazine came out of the year-end Sixy awards, which covered four pages in the Post last January. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of Page Six.
Johnson hasn’t been spending much time in the Post’s 10th floor newsroom since Jan. 17. Instead, he has been working alongside Jared Paul Stern and Steve Garbarino on the ninth floor. That’s meant the daily column has been in the hands of Paula Froelich and Chris Wilson. (Former Radar senior editor Christopher Tennant has also been freelancing for it.) Because of the added workload from the magazine, Page Six did not have a presence at the Golden Globes or at Sundance this year, though Johnson downplayed the absences, saying his staff had occasionally skipped those events in the past.
Originally, Page Six’s magazine was supposed to ship with the paper on Feb. 16, but because of the Post’s sales team, which sold ads pegged to Valentine’s Day, the date has been moved up to Feb. 9. The magazine is to have 76 pages, including 37 ad pages from clients such as Michael Kors, BMW, Coach, Paramount Pictures, HBO, Jill Stuart, American Express and Marquis Jets. Copies will be printed and distributed inside the Post.
As for who — or what — will appear on the cover, Johnson said, “We’re working on a couple different ideas, but nothing’s nailed down yet.”
— Sara James
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