Editor leaves Maxim as Dennis shuffles management team

by Robin Parker, Media Week 14-Mar-06

Dennis Publishing has decided not to renew Maxim editor Greg Gutfeld's contract. Gutfeld has left with immediate effect, before the end of his contract in May.

His departure came in the week Bruce Sandell was made managing director
of Dennis' consumer division, a position left vacant since Vivien
Cotterill left last April. Dennis is to recruit a new editor and will

announce an acting editor this week.

Gutfeld joined the magazine in May 2004 from Dennis' US arm, where he
was editor-in-chief of gadget monthly Stuff. Asked to breathe new life
into the title with more humour and outrageous stunts, he became
embroiled in a long-running spat with GQ editor Dylan Jones.

But despite an initial sales uplift, Maxim lost more than 36,000 readers
under his editorship, as the launch of men's weeklies Nuts and Zoo hit
the circulations of the men's monthlies.

In the most recent ABCs, sales fell to 190,438, the lowest figure since
1997. Gutfeld was bullish about his achievements. "I was asked to come
to Maxim to re-invent it, to give it a voice and make it an innovative
read in a dull market. I did that," he said.

Sandell, previously group publishing director, will continue to publish
Maxim and, as MD, will also oversee Men's Fitness, Viz and Bizarre. His
remit will include the gambling titles.

Kerin O'Connor, formerly the division's deputy managing director, has
been appointed managing director of The Week and will also be executive
director, handling new product development and new business,
international joint ventures and licensing.