In recent months Orange Coast magazine has gotten a new owner, president and editor, and Riviera has replaced its publisher. Now it’s time for a management makeover at OC’s other major lifestyle mag, Coast. Publisher Chris Schulz, head of Coast and the other pubs in Irvine-based Freedom Communications’ “specialty media” group, is moving to Naples, Fla. He’s been hired as president of Malibu-based CurtCo Publishing’s Gulfshore Media division, which includes Gulfshore Life and Sarasota Magazine. Freedom is searching for a replacement. Schulz says as a magazine guy he was “always a little bit of a square peg in a round hole” during 13 years at newspaper-heavy Freedom, holding company of the Orange County Register. But he said neither that nor the problems in the daily newspaper industry prompted the switch,CurtCo’s Bill Curtis just made him an offer he couldn’t refuse; the operation Schulz is taking over is twice as big as the one he’s leaving. Schulz says he and wife Julie will keep their Laguna Niguel home,partly because they want to have a second home in OC, partly because it’s a lousy time to sell …
Schulz got to know the savvy Curtis in the ’90s, when Curtis was Freedom’s partner in the magazine business. That arrangement, which centered on computer pubs, turned out much better for Curtis than for Freedom: Freedom bought out Curtis’ 50% stake for a rumored $30 million in 1999, less than two years before the dot-com bust. By early 2002 Freedom had unloaded the mags at a loss. Curtis went on to buy other titles, including Robb Report …
Speaking of the Reg, former publisher Chris Anderson joins the University of Arizona this fall as a visiting journalism prof. Current Publisher Terry Horne tackles the subject of “the 21st century newspaper” at an OC Forum luncheon Wednesday at the Hilton Irvine …
A power outage at the Hyatt Regency Irvine didn’t darken the mood of 750 businesswomen attending the OCBJ’s annual Women in Business luncheon,they quickly took to the impromptu candlelight affair. “Thank you for the soft lighting,” Bank of America exec Kate Collier said as she peered into the audience. “You guys look great!” …
Boasting Baca: Dana Point resident and retired L.A. County Sheriff’s division chief Sandra Hutchens, the only woman among nine finalists for OC sheriff, touts L.A. Sheriff Lee Baca as a “supporter.” But Coto de Caza’s Ralph Martin, a commander under Baca, says he has the chief’s “endorsement” …
Acting OC Sheriff Jack Anderson won the long-drive contest and former NFL star Vinny Testaverde made it around the course in a knee brace at the Ed Arnold Golf Classic at SeaCliff CC. The event raised $64,000 for Santa Ana College sports.
