Two of the most recognized American brands, Hallmark and Martha Stewart, may be joining forces behind a new lifestyle cable channel. Crown Media Holdings, the parent company of Hallmark, is holding preliminary talks with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) about forming a new company jointly owned by both outfits.…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) held its advertising upfront yesterday and unlike the traditional TV upfront events that are getting under way, the focus here was the company’s range of cross-platform offerings, all of which are tied together with social media elements. The centerpiece of the presentation was a…

A soft retail market and the generally poor state of magazine advertising were reflected in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s earnings in Q2. The company swung to a $6.1 million loss on a $5.5 million impairment charge tied to an equity investment. And while total revenues fell 27 percent to $56.9…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) finally has a new CFO: Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) vet Kelli Turner.  Before joining MSLO, Turner was SVP for operations in the Office of the Chairman and CEO at Time Warner; she previously held positions at New Line Cinema as well as investment banks…

Martha Stewart’s brand lost more than a bit of its shine in Q408, as contractual minimums from its once-main retailer Kmart came to an end this quarter. Mainline: Revenue was $72.9 million in Q408, compared to $118.5 million in Q407; Kmart contractual minimums accounted for $1.2 million in Q408. In…

The big picture: MSLO’s Q3 revenues were relatively flat year-over-year. They came in at $66.5 million, down 0.2 percent from $66.9 in Q307 (excluding revenue from Blueprint, the home decor magazine the company shuttered late last year)—pulled and pushed by tanking print sales and strong online growth.  —Internet revs rise;…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) has named former InStyle.com exec Gail Horwood to the new role of SVP Digital Programming and Strategy. Horwood will oversee MSLO’s digital properties, including MSLO sites marthastewart.com and wholeliving.com. In addition to guiding the sites’ editorial strategy, Horwood will work with the merchandising team…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) has set the salaries of its two co-CEOs, Wenda Harris Millard and Robin Marino… According to an 8-K filing, the pair will receive base salaries of $650,000, with a target bonus of 100 percent of the base. The bonus can go as high as…

Wenda Harris Millard, co-CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO), told investors on Wednesday that the company was in the midst of “streamlining” its broadcast operations and reorganizing its publishing side.  As a result, a dozen or more staffers have left the company within the past few days, WWD…

In its first earnings report following the departure of Susan Lyne as CEO, Martha Stewart Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) said Q2 operating income came in at $1.7 million. The numbers represent the completion of a turnaround from last year, when MSLO posted a Q207 operating loss of $7.8 million. Revenues were…

The grist mill is in full swing: Susan Lyne, the outgoing CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO), is now speaking to Oprah and her business people about running OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, reports Fortune, citing sources. This comes as other rumors about Lyne speaking to Time Inc…

The speculation machine has gone into overdrive now, as Susan Lyne exits Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO). According to NYP, Lyne is supposed to have lunch next week with Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore, leading to some thought that Lyne was being scouted to replace Moore, who has said…

Susan Lyne, the outgoing CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia hardly ever missed a chance to trumpet the company’s strengths to marketers and investors at media conferences the past few years. During each presentation, like a lawyer arguing a case, she would put forth an argument that the company’s fortunes…

Susan Lyne has stepped down from her posts as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s (NYSE: MSO) president and CEO. In her place, MSLO is promoting Wenda Harris Millard, president of media, and Robin Marino, president of merchandising, to the roles of Co-CEO, reporting to Charles Koppelman, chairman of the board. Lyne’s…

Susan Lyne, president and CEO at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO), led off her presentation at day two of the Goldman Sachs Internet Conference by telling attendees that unlike most of the companies at the Las Vegas event, she would have a lot to say about the value of…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) reported 2 percent Q1 revenue growth to $67.8 million. Net losses also improved, slimming to $4.2 million from $11.8 million in the year-ago quarter. In the company’s core publishing business, revenue was basically flat at $40.8 million. Excluding Blueprint, which was shuddered, revenue growth…

In a keynote presentation at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Ecosystem 2.0 conference last month, new IAB chairperson Wenda Harris Millard sparked a new round of questioning over the rise of ad networks—admonishing fellow media executives not to sell ad inventory like pork bellies, i.e., to the lowest bidder. Rather than…

From the filings and stories, executive salary watch for some media companies:—MSLO: Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO), received $2.06 million in compensation for 2007 while company CEO Susan Lyne received a little over $1 million as the company returned to profitability, reports AP, citing the…

Just following the official announcement of its Emeril buy, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) reported Q4 revenues of $118.5 million, up 22 percent year-on-year from $97.03 million. Net income more than doubled to $33.3 million ($.63 per share) from $16.2 million ($.31 per share). The biggest contributor to growth…