The Hollywood Reporter announced a number of new hires on Friday — including celebrity journalist Merle Ginsberg — as editorial director Janice Min staffs up ahead of the Nov. 3 launch of THR's new weekly print publication.
Ginsberg, mostly known for her role as a judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race," will revive the magazine's "Rambling Reporter" column, as well as covering society and fashion in general. (She has also written for Women's Wear Daily and New York Times, among others.)
Other THR hires announced Friday: Marisa Guthrie, formerly of Broadcasting & Cable, joins the soon-to-be weekly as the senior television writer. Shirley Halperin, most recently at both the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, is the new music editor.
Tim Appelo, the first video critic at Entertainment Weekly, will report for the online Awards Watch section. Carolyn Giardina will also contribute to that section, though her main focus will be technology stories.
Bryan Alexander, a former entertainment correspondent for Time, is now managing editor, digital. He came on board in time for the web site's redesign on Oct. 15.
The Hollywood Reporter also announced one in-house promotion: Matthew Belloni is now the news editor, both online and in print. He'll also will continue to edit THR's popular legal blog, THR, Esq.
