Nikki Finke has finally expanded, if you want to call it that.
Deadline.com, formerly DeadlineHollywoodDaily, made some big pronouncements six months ago after being bought by Jay Penske's Mail.com Media Corporation. MMC announced its intention in June to hire a New York correspondent, which Finke told me in an interview at the time would happen "soon."
Since then, I get asked about once a week if I'm hearing when that might actually occur and with whom. I've no idea, but apparently Finke has decided to expand her reach nonetheless with interviews by Diane Haithman, formerly of the L.A. Times. She tells her readers that Haithman will be interviewing show-runners.
I asked Finke if Haithman had been put on staff - which is unlikely, I know, but worth asking about if only because Penske's stated intention was to expand the site into worldwide capitals London, Paris, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Sydney. All are listed on the site since its relaunch but are still mysteriously dormant, including New York. I got no response before this posting was published.
(Update: Finke responds with a 'Go f---- yourself.' I'll leave the rest out as it is equally profane and labelled off the record, but since I never agreed to those conditions, thought I'd share the love.)
But I'm going to guess that Diane Haithman is paid by the word, because her inteview with 'Criminal Minds' showrunner Ed Bernero runs a mind-numbing 8,456 of them. I wish her luck with her new boss, and can only hope that the next hire may be... an editor.
