Pryor Retires as Editor of Daily Variety

Thomas M. Pryor, the feisty editor of the Hollywood trade newspaper Daily Variety, has stepped down after 29 years in the position, and his son, Peter, will succeed him, the paper is announcing in today’s edition.

Pryor, 73, guided the five-day-a-week paper through enormous changes in the entertainment industry--from black-and-white television to the advent of satellite and cable distribution and the videocassette revolution. Since last October’s takeover of Daily Variety and weekly Variety in New York by British-based Cahners Publishing Co., rumors began that Pryor was considering retirement.

Rumors of his impending departure accelerated after a recent controversial two-part series about former Columbia Pictures chief David Puttnam. Pryor reportedly was displeased with Cahners’ insistence that the series, which dwelt on the point of view of the present Columbia regime, be published.

Employees Informed

However, on Tuesday, Daily Variety Associate Publisher Michael Silverman said Pryor actually had been planning to “step aside” for two years. Silverman said Pryor would continue as a consultant and as a commentary writer for both the daily and weekly papers.

Silverman assembled the 65 employees in the Hollywood office to make the announcement at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the paper’s employees were shaken to see Pryor taken by ambulance to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. He reportedly suffered an adverse reaction to medication he had been taking for a leg infection. Silverman said that by the afternoon, Pryor was resting comfortably.

The change in editors means that Silverman will become the top Variety executive in Hollywood with Editor Peter P. Pryor, 42, a 17-year veteran at Daily Variety, reporting to him. Silverman will report to his father, Variety Publisher Syd Silverman in New York, who remained in that position after the Cahners takeover. Richard Bozanich, 30, a Daily Variety news editor, will take over Peter Pryor’s former position as managing editor.