Who

The founder of Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner's publishing empire now also includes Us Weekly and Men's Journal.

Backstory

Wenner was born in New York and later moved to California, spending much of his teenage years at a boarding school in LA, following his parents' nasty divorce when he was 12. He enrolled at Berkeley but soon dropped out; after bounding around the San Francisco music scene for a spell, he teamed up with veteran music critic Ralph Gleason to start up Rolling Stone. Wenner was only 21 at the time, but with $7,500 in financing from his in-laws, he was off and running, and the first issue of Rolling Stone debuted in October 1967 with John Lennon on the cover.

The mag was hardly an instant hit—of the 40,000 copies printed, 34,000 were returned unsold. But Jann turned things around soon enough. Within a couple of years, Rolling Stone had emerged as the voice of a new generation as it championed the '70s rock movement in all its glory—how many magazines marketed a free roach clip with a new subscription?—and introduced readers to countless new artists who went on to become musical icons. A legendary spotter of talent, Wenner was also responsible for discovering a long list of editorial superstars, including Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Joe Klein, Joe Eszterhas, Lester Bangs, photographer Annie Leibovitz, and Cameron Crowe (who paid homage to Rolling Stone's golden years in the movie Almost Famous).

Wenner moved his operation to New York in 1977 as part of a plan to expand his media franchise. He branched out with Outside (which he sold two years later) and Us, which he acquired in partnership with Lorimar Telepictures in 1985. He also became a tabloid fixture, palling around with the likes of Jackie O and Mick Jagger, and making cameos in movies (the box office dud Perfect). In 1992, Wenner founded Men's Journal, which remains part of his publishing domain. Family Life, which he introduced in 1993, was sold two years later.

Of note

Rolling Stone isn't nearly as influential as it once was. Although it continues to lead the category—and has broadened its scope over the years to account for the declining relevance of rock music—it no longer possesses tastemaker status as in the '70s and '80s. But while Rolling Stone has faded from prominence, the gossip glossy Us has turned into a cash bonanza and pioneered the reinvention of the celebrity weekly genre. Much of the credit for the Us turnaround goes to editor Bonnie Fuller, who gave the title a makeover after her arrival in 2002. But since her departure—she was hired by David Pecker to clone the formula at Star—Us has continued to grow (and profit) under the watchful eye of Janice Min. The delightfully trashy tabloid now responsible for generating 60 percent of the company's revenue. Ironically, Wenner once wasn't optimistic about Us's prospects: In 2001, he sold a 50% stake in the magazine to Disney for $35 million. Five years later, he paid $300 million to buy it back.

It's RS, though—whose 1,000th issue was celebrated in 2006 with a star-studded gala—that remains closest to Wenner's heart. He still holds the title of editor, although Will Dana effectively functions as editor-in-chef. And just how much longer Wenner will remain in charge of his company remains an open question. In 2005, his longtime right hand, Kent Brownridge, departed Wenner Media after more than 20 years. (These days he's competing with his former boss: As part of Steve Rattner's buyout of Dennis Publishing in 2007, Brownridge is now overseeing Maxim and Blender.) Some observers saw Brownridge's defection as a sign that Wenner may be preparing to wind down his company and sell the titles in the near future.

Keeping score

Wenner is worth an estimated $500-$700 million. It's a far cry from what he'd have in the bank if he'd accepted the offer in 1981 to merge Rolling Stone with MTV in exchange for 25% of the combined company.

Drama

Wenner has never been known as an easy man to work with, and his battles with editors, artists, and critics are legendary. He's been accused of cozying up to the music industry and bullying his editors to run (or kill) features and covers; former employees have also accused him of insisting on freebies from companies whose products are reviewed. Now that Wenner's in his 60s, he's a lot tamer than he used to be. Once renowned for his ability to sip and snort with the very best, these days he claims espresso is his drug of choice.

Personal

Wenner's private life became a messy, public affair in 1995 when he was publicly outed, and it was revealed that he was involved with an aspiring fashion designer 19 years his junior named Matt Nye. Although Wenner's sexuality had been an open secret for years, the revelation caused a split with his wife of nearly 30 years, Jane Schindelheim, although the couple have never officially divorced. Jann has three kids with Jane: Alexander, Theo, and Edward. He has three kids with Nye, who were born via a surrogate mother. The family lives in a townhouse on West 74th Street. They have vacation homes in Tivoli, New York (he purchased the 65-acre estate for $5.8 million in 2008) and Sun Valley, Idaho.

No joke

He was actually born Jan S. Wenner. He switched to "Jann" several years after founding Rolling Stone.