Scott Crystal: "TV Guide" Changes Are "Mission Accomplished" For Ian Birch.

Sounds strange, considering the press accounts that Birch was "fired" as TV Guide editor-in-chief (since October 2004) in the aftermath of the May 2 closing of Macrovision's $2.2 billion purchase of Gemstar-TV Guide International, which will be followed by Macrovision's sale of TVG--the catalyst to it and cable's TV Guide Network and TVG (horse-raising channel) being "flipped" to a yet-to-be-determined buyer. But what received little attention was Birch getting a new position, Gemstar-TVG chief content officer, about a year ago. "It was to build multi-platform programs beyond the magazine," says TVG president (also since October 2004) Crystal. "But with TVG separating from Macrovision and Gemstar out of existence, Ian's job was no longer relevant."

At the same time, TVG executive editor (since November 2007) Debra Birnbaum was already in editorial day-to-day charge, so her promotion last week to editor-in-chief is seemingly more evolution than revolution.

The "revolution" came in October 2005, when Birch, Crystal, and publisher Pete Haeffner led the change of the now-55-year-old TVG from a digest-sized local listings weekly with a 9 million rate base to a standard-sized/national-listings-only weekly with a 3.2 million rate base. There were doubters galore, but 21/2 years later, the rate base has held, 2008-versus-2007 ad pages are down only fractionally (better than most), and, most importantly, TVG had a profitable, 250,000-plus first quarter--its first since the redesign. "We all deserve credit, because this was very hard work," says Crystal. "I salute Ian. His mission was clearly accomplished, and he transformed the magazine brilliantly."

Crystal's mission now is to sell the magazine (no imposed time limit), which seems more difficult because Macrovision is keeping TVGUIDE.COM. "I don't see it that way," says Crystal. "Wired did fine for years without WIRED.COM [not part of the Condé Nast monthly from 1998-2006], because it developed new Web components. This is an era when all of the media paradigms are changing, and we're a major part of it."

That it is TVG business as usual comes from the recent Sexiest Stars on TV party in Los Angeles to promote the Jennifer Love Hewitt/Patrick Dempsey split-run May 5 issue (above right). And, in September, Crystal/Haeffner/Birnbaum will host TVG's sixth Emmy After-Party. "We enter this phase upbeat and confident," says Crystal. Promoted along with Birnbaum: (1) Craig Tomashoff, from West Coast bureau chief to executive editor; (2) Lisa Chambers, from features director to managing editor; (3) Carol Dittbrenner, from deputy features director to features director; and (4) Bruce Fretts, from editor-at-large to articles editor.