Has Neal Boulton become too radioactive for American Media? Last week, the Men's Fitness editor in chief turned up in a Page Six item linking him romantically to Rolling Stone owner Jann Wenner. Then, two days ago, in a development that may or may not be related, AMI chief David Pecker appointed a seasoned magazine veteran, Roy S. Johnson, to oversee the title on a temporary basis.
Officially, Johnson, who previously worked at Sports Illustrated, is only running Men's Fitness until Boulton returns from a medical leave that began last week, at which point he'll go back to his job developing TV concepts based on AMI's tabloids and fitness titles. But staffers at the magazine have the distinct impression that Johnson is there to stay.