Kim Masters to Exit The Hollywood Reporter for Puck in Latest Blow to Penske Trade

The Hollywood Reporter editor-at-large Kim Masters is leaving the Penske-owned outlet to join Puck as a partner and Hollywood correspondent in a serious blow to THR’s editorial lineup, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. Masters will write a twice-per-month column about the entertainment industry, in addition to contributing news and participating in podcasts for Matthew Belloni’s digital media company.

The recent hire of Shirley Halperin as co-editor-in-chief was apparently the final straw for Masters, who has been unhappy at the trade for some time. She and Puck co-founder Belloni are close friends, with Belloni appearing frequently on Masters’ podcast on local NPR station KCRW over the years.

Individuals inside the THR newsroom have been both surprised and confused by the elevation of Halperin to a leadership role together with Maer Roshan. She replaced Nekesa Mumbi Moody as co-EIC last month, but her expertise is known to be music, which is not THR’s primary focus.

Masters has been one of THR’s star investigative business reporters for 14 years. The outlet has been making numerous newsroom and other staffing cuts this year, but has notably not touched Masters, who is one of the highest-earning people at the organization and writes infrequently, with one or two bylines a month. She was pulling in a salary of almost $400,000.

Meanwhile, Puck has been making strategic moves to raise its profile in Hollywood, including launching an awards season FYC showcase.

In 2017, Masters reported that then-head of Amazon Studios Roy Price had “made unwanted sexual remarks” towards producer Isa Hackett — an allegation that led to Price’s suspension and eventual resignation from the company. Masters said the story was turned down by several outlets, including THR, The New York Times and BuzzFeed News, before finally being published by The Information.

Before replacing Moody with Halperin, THR let go of longtime TV editor Lesley Goldberg, who had been with the outlet since 2003, in June alongside senior editor of diversity and inclusion Rebecca Sun. This was followed by more cuts in August that included executive managing editor Sudie Redmond, deputy editor Degen Pener, copy editor/film critic Sheri Linden, video editor Colin Burgess and media reporter Lachlan Cartwright.

Amid the summer job cuts, The Hollywood Reporter’s vice president and publisher Elisabeth Rabishaw announced in June that she was retiring after 14 years, but would stay on as a consultant.

Cartwright was the first to report Masters’ move to Puck.

Sharon Waxman contributed to this report.

The post Kim Masters to Exit The Hollywood Reporter for Puck in Latest Blow to Penske Trade appeared first on TheWrap.