Media

SI for Kids editor replaced by Sports Illustrated boss

In the latest shakeup at Time Inc., Bob Der, the managing editor of SI for Kids for the past eight years, is leaving and will be replaced by a senior editor from the grown-up Sports Illustrated, Mark Bechtel.

Bechtel worked on the SI tablet edition launch and most recently oversaw the magazine’s Scorecard section and NBA coverage.

While SI has struggled with ad page declines during the past year, its little brother title grew its small ad base by 15 percent last year, to 112 pages, while circulation held steady at 650,000.

Sports is one area where Time Inc. CEO Joe Ripp hopes to hatch new products. On Wednesday, SI revealed the new talent for its streaming network, 120 Sports, headed by former ESPN host Michael Kim and two-time Super Bowl champ Bryant McFadden and former NFL fullback Ovie Mughelli.

The network, unveiled last month, will produce live streaming video and on-demand programs. It is a joint venture with NHL, MLB.com and software developer Silver Chalice.

It comes as Time Inc. preps for its spinoff from Time Warner in the second quarter. SI absorbed relatively minor cuts in the last downsizing that resulted in 500 layoffs across the company