Tom Florio

>> Now that Style.com has moved out from under Conde Nast Digital and likewise goes for the Conde magazines' websites — including Vogue.com and WMagazine.com — which are now fully under their publishers' control, there are a few more staffing changes happening over at Conde Nast.

Vogue senior market editor Meredith Melling Burke will now be straddling both print and online responsibilities — in addition to her current role at the magazine, she has been promoted to fashion market editor at Vogue.com, where she will increase the website's fashion content. And former Elle SVP and chief brand officer Carol Smith, who surprised many when she left after eight years to join Conde Nast as VP and publishing director of Bon Appetit and Gourmet in April, has left the company. “The opportunity turned out not to be what either Conde Nast or I expected,” she said in a statement released by Conde Nast. Tom Florio, who hired Smith, left the company in June.

>> Tom Florio, according to insiders, was almost out of a job at Conde Nast late last year, but yesterday, he decided to leave on his own terms and the parting seems to be amicable.

Florio, who leaves Conde Nast as SVP and publishing director, overseeing Vogue, Teen Vogue, Bon Appetit, and Conde Nast Traveler, at the end of this month after 25 years, told WWD: “I’m just in a position to do something else. It could be in TV; it could be on many platforms. It also could be that I will be working closely with Condé Nast. We’ll see.”

Florio reportedly wants to run his own show and met with executives at IMG shortly after yesterday's announcement; an announcement in the entertainment world is said to be forthcoming.

What about Carol Smith? »

>> Tom Florio Leaving Conde Nast, Where Does That Leave Carol Smith? —Conde Nast SVP and publishing director Tom Florio, who was just promoted to the former position in November of last year, is leaving the company at the end of June. Florio has been at Conde Nast since the early '90s and moved to focus on Vogue in 2002, where he masterminded the launches of Teen Vogue, Men's Vogue, and Vogue Living. A successor for Florio has yet to be named, but certainly it's worth noting that longtime Elle SVP Carol Smith moved to Conde Nast in April, where she is currently overseeing the Bon Appetit and Gourmet brands. [WWD, DFR]

>> Speculation: Vogue Publisher Tom Florio Hired Rival Elle Publisher Carol Smith to Protect His Interests —There was speculation yesterday about why longtime Elle SVP Carol Smith was hired at Conde Nast by Vogue SVP and publishing director Tom Florio, but now, it turns out there may be further ulterior motives. Elle finished last year with more advertising pages than Vogue (2,082 to 1,988) — although WWD notes the numbers may have come at the expense of revenue — and insiders report that Florio was heard saying, "The best offense is a good defense,” regarding hiring one of his biggest rivals, personally and with regards to Vogue. Meanwhile, Joe Zee Tweeted of the news of Smith's move: "I was told 2010 is the year of change. Change at ELLE today and I am heartbroken about it." [WWD, @mrjoezee]

>> Carol Smith, Elle's senior vice president and chief brand officer, is leaving Hachette Filipacchi after eight years with the company to join Conde Nast, where she will act as vice president and publishing director of two non-fashion brands: Bon Appetit and Gourmet (the latter which folded as a magazine last October).

Smith, who leaves Elle at the end of the month, will report to Tom Florio, Vogue's senior vice president and publishing director, causing speculation that Smith is auditioning for the Vogue publisher position while Florio prepares himself for a move up within the company.

“Carol Smith will oversee business developments for the brands that will include TV, books, and online opportunities,” said a Conde Nast corporate spokeswoman.

>> Wintour Hires Obama Online Campaign Masterminds for Vogue.com —Last week, it came out that Elle pulled ahead of Vogue this year in terms of ad pages — 2,100 to 1,990, respectively — which Vogue SVP and publishing director Tom Florio chalked up to his reluctance to "heavily discount and use our editors to sell ad pages. What we saw happen this year, which we haven’t seen in a while, is the discounts were approaching 70 percent. Some of the deals that were being done were just crazy." This week, meanwhile, Anna Wintour is continuing to beef up Vogue's web presence — a spokesman confirmed that Blue State Digital, which masterminded Barack Obama's online campaign, has been hired to work on Vogue.com business and editorial sides, focusing on reader and subscriber outreach. [WWD, Jezebel]

>>  Anna Wintour, Tom Florio Get New Gigs —Changes are happening all around for Anna Wintour — her fundraising efforts and continual Obama administration support have earned her one of the 25 spots on the new President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.  The committee, which also includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Forrest Whitaker, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Yo-Yo Ma, and Bryan Lourd, co-chairman of Creative Artists Agency, will advise the President on how to expand the role of arts in society.  She's also getting a new colleague: Vogue and Teen Vogue publisher Tom Florio is becoming SVP and publishing director at Conde Nast, adding Bon Appetit and Conde Nast Traveler to his portfolio, while Susan Plagemann, VP and Marie Claire publisher, will report to him as the new VP and publisher of Vogue starting Jan. 4. [WWD, WWD]

>> You've got to love Anna Wintour's excuse Rolodex — there's a new article in Forbes about how Vogue's publisher is using Model.Live to keep the magazine relevent — and Anna wasn't available for comment because she's "attending Fashion Weeks in Paris and Milan." Funny thing is, the article came out yesterday, and Milan Fashion Week doesn't start until Saturday . . . with Paris following after that.

But nevermind mincing details — let's look at the bigger picture.  Vogue still makes its money from print ad pages, but this year's subscriptions are down — and Tom Florio, the aforementioned publisher, is worried about keeping Vogue relevent for the next generation.  That's where Model.Live comes in — Florio created the show with his 16-year-old daughter in mind — without Anna Wintour's involvement: "I'm comfortable with it, because I feel that the principals of what we're doing are based on the same principals as the brand."

He says if Anna didn't like where the content was going, he would kill it, and a Conde Nast spokesperson said that Wintour understands Vogue.TV is run by the business department and stays informed about its programs. But there are a couple of concerns: Will partnering with brands like Express (which sponsors Model.Live) dilute the Vogue brand?  And: If online video series produced by the business side become big moneymakers for Vogue, will Anna's sphere of influence at the company be diminished?
*image: source