Aus-Holes

I don't get it. TV Guide just changed hands again and the new regime is said to be deemphasizing its print version in favor of online. OK, that part makes sense. They're also cutting back — big-time — and letting a lot of staff go. Fine. Well, not fine, but understandable.

So now I hear that senior writer, blogger, vlogger (etc.) Michael Ausiello is jumping ship to Entertainment Weekly. Well good for him, but to the TV Guide peeps, wtf??

Guys, if your future is online, it would have been VERY smart to hold on to Ausiello, who has a personality, a strong following and enough connections (and savvy) to tease spoilers and such out of his contacts.

Yeah, it's not serious stuff but for marketing purposes (if nothing else) locking up Ausiello (with a big, fat new contract) and promoting the hell out of him would have been a smart move. His brand equity — and following — is strong, and I can guarantee you that's a big reason the EW people signed him up. And I can also assure you that he'll be bringing a lot of traffic to EW.com and they will use and repurpose his content like crazy.

But not as crazy as TV Guide was to let him get away.