In your retro Thursday media column: Vice is having a Halloween party, laid-off journalists get an award, 'Netflix for magazines' is doomed to fail, and the Wall Street Journal is finally as prestigious as USA Today.

Bucking the current media trend of "Everybody's broke," Vice is throwing a nice $250,000 Halloween party in Williamsburg to celebrate its 15th anniversary, complete with "two floors of chaotic nostalgia, scary punk bands, full-on rave DJs, a skate ramp, glow sticks, grunge, big pants, gangsta rap, marijuana-scented flannel, and serious slacker vibes." Our costume is "Terrified old Polish lady who wonders what the hell happened to her neighborhood."


This is a nice thing: The Columbia Journalism Review is giving fellowships to four laid-off journalists, "that will provide downsized professionals with a writing position as well as support to help them choose how best to use their experience in the years ahead." Hopefully a living wage is include? We support this! Why should the lucky employed people get all the cushy academic awards?


Since magazines started dying 438 years ago, people have been talking about developing a successful "Netflix for magazines" thing (we're not counting the unsuccessful attempt, already made). Hey, what does the founder of Netflix think?

When asked if magazines should try a model similar to his, Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, said, "It's certainly worth a shot."
But does Hastings subscribe to magazines? "No, I read them online," he said.

Magazines: fucked.


The Wall Street Journal has reportedly won the "coveted" Newspaper Circulation title, besting USA Today. Rupert Murdoch will celebrate by only staying at a Holiday Inns from now on, and never reading anything longer than 400 words ever again.