When Richard Beckman took over the Hollywood Reporter, he promised to turn the trade rag around. One of his most dramatic moves to date: attempting to lure Page Six editor Richard Johnson to LA with a million dollar pay package.

It makes sense that Beckman, who's pledged to turn The Hollywood Reporter into the "crack" of the entertainment industry, would want to recruit a big name to the flagging title. (He's already tapped Janice Min, the former editor-in-chief of Us Weekly, to serve as the Hollywood Reporter's editorial director.) We hear Beckman—who left Condé Nast last year to run E5 Media, which controls a bunch of media trade titles like Billboard and AdWeek—was so determined to get Johnson to make the jump that he offered the hard-partying gossip veteran a pay package worth close to $1 million.

This included more than doubling his current salary, paying him a signing bonus, and paying for his move to LA.

The problem? Although Johnson was prepared to accept the job, New York Post editor-in-chief Col Allan refused to let Johnson out of the contract he renewed last year, which will keep him at the paper for another couple of years.

We emailed Johnson for comment but have yet to hear back. In the meantime, if you know more, feel free to email and fill us in.