• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 16, 2014

NBC To Air Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Special

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Sports Illustrated’s beloved Swimsuit Issue, and Time Inc. and NBC will celebrate the milestone with a two-hour TV special set to air Feb. 3, at 9 PM ET/PT.
 
The show, titled “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit: 50 Years of Beautiful,” will be hosted by Heidi Klum -- a former SI swimsuit cover model -- and will also feature appearances by fellow swimsuit models Tyra Banks, Christie Brinkley, Kathy Ireland, Marissa Miller, and Kate Upton, among others.

The show will also include musical performances by Enrique Iglesias, Lady Antebellum, the Fray, John Legend, and Tim McGraw.
 
Along the way, viewers will take a historical trip tracing the development of the franchise, including behind-the-scenes footage, photography and stories from the cover shoots. The show will culminate with a countdown of the top 10 SI swimsuit covers of all time. The Swimsuit Issue itself is due to hit newsstands Feb. 11, 2014.
 
Time Inc. and NBC also recently struck a deal with Dick Clark Productions to produce the “People Magazine Awards,” which debuts this year.
 
Also this week, the Sports Illustrated Golf Group announced plans to launch an e-commerce platform in partnership with Golfsmith and Play18 Solutions, according to Folio:, which first reported the news.
 
ESPN The Magazine Boosts Rate Base
 
ESPN The Magazine is pumping up its rate base guarantee to 2.1 million in 2014, up 5% from 2 million in 2013. The move comes as ESPN The Magazine also reports a strong performance last year, with total ad pages rising 9% from 1,084 in 2012 to 1,182 in 2013, per the Publishers Information Bureau. The magazine’s circulation in digital replica subscriptions increased 25% to an average 101,325.
 
Carroll To Associate Publisher, Travel + Leisure
 
Matthew Carroll has been named vice president and associate publisher of Travel + Leisure. He previously served as vice president and group publisher at DM Modern Luxury, a subsidiary of Cumulus Media -- a role he held since February 2011. Before that, he was senior director and head of sales for the West Coast for Gilt Group’s Gilt City.
 
Lindgren To Acting Editor, Hollywood Reporter
 
Hugo Lindgren, a former editor in chief of The New York Times Magazine, has been named active editor of The Hollywood Reporter, the entertainment trade publication. Before joining the NYT, Lindgren served as deputy editor of Bloomberg Businessweek and editorial director of New York. His appointment at The Hollywood Reporter is scheduled to last three months.
 
AIM Names Strunk Prez, Warren Miller Entertainment
 
Rory Strunk has been named president of Warren Miller Entertainment, as well as the associated AIM Studios Powered by Warren Miller, enthusiast publisher Active Interest Media has announced. Before joining AIM’s Warren Miller business, Strunk founded RSN (Resorts Sports Network), the World of Adventure Sports on NBC, and Global Content Partners, which created custom content for clients such as Jeep, Red Bull, VW and Cabela’s.
 
Feddersen To GM, Digital, The Week Inc.
 
Rachel Fishman Feddersen, who previously served as chief content officer of AOL’s Patch.com, is joining The Week Inc. as the company’s new general manager of digital. In her new role, she will spearhead a redesign of TheWeek.com and will also have responsibility for MentalFloss.com, the Web site of sister publication Mental Floss magazine. Before AOL, Feddersen worked at Bonnier's Parenting Group as editorial director, digital content, strategy and design, with responsibility for all digital development for the Parenting, Babytalk and Conceive brands .