Gemstar Names Editor in Chief at TV Guide

Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. named Ian Birch editor in chief of TV Guide, the top-selling U.S. weekly magazine. He will add more feature stories and timelier articles in a bid to reverse a decline in newsstand sales, Gemstar said.

Birch, who will start Oct. 18, was editorial director for new products at the lifestyle unit of British publisher Emap, Gemstar-TV Guide said. He succeeds Michael Lafavore, who resigned in May after 15 months at TV Guide.

Shares of Los Angeles-based Gemstar fell 11 cents to $5.17 on Nasdaq.