Welch on top, Weekly in trouble, Books Everywhere

LIFE FORCE Welch • She's got Jack's back: The New York Times looks at the busy life of Jack Welch, retired G.E. chief and possible future owner of the Boston Globe. Barry Diller calls him "a life force," but the Times then goes on to reveal the force behind that force: "In many ways, Jack Welch L.L.C. could just as well be Jack and Suzy Welch L.L.C. A former editor of the Harvard Business Review and onetime thriller writer, Ms. Welch has done most of the writing for their two books, the second of which is largely a collection of their columns in BusinessWeek. The column is syndicated by the New York Times and is one of its most popular offerings." That fruitful partnership started out in controversy after Welch left his second wife for Suzy Wetlaufer who had profiled Welch for the HBR.

• New Times, new tensions: Looks like the Village Voice's post-New Times merger growing pains are spreading to west coast sister paper LA Weekly, where news editor Alan Mittelstaedt has been replaced by Jill Stewart. Stewart was previously a columnist at New Times Los Angeles, a newspaper that was closed amid controversy and a Department of Justice antitrust probe.

• Steam this book!: Books are now on sale at Starbucks and other non-traditional outlets. The Times quotes Chronicle Books VP of sales and marketing Abby Hoffman as saying, "It's a way for the book business to stay alive... Anyplace that sells merchandise is a place to sell books."