Memo Pad: Reunited... Off The Street... Southpole Style...

OFF THE STREET: Rupert Murdoch's takeover of The Wall Street Journal has sent its first high-ranking official for the hills, and several more top departures are expected to follow. Dow Jones chief executive officer Richard Zannino resigned Thursday, after nearly two years in the position. Dow Jones did not officially name a replacement, but a report by the WSJ on Thursday said Murdoch lieutenant Leslie Hinton is expected to be named as Zannino's successor. Hinton was most recently executive chairman of News International, a post he has held since 1995, and had also been ceo of News America Publishing Inc., whose titles included the New York Post. The WSJ also reported that Times of London editor Robert Thomson will become publisher of The Wall Street Journal, replacing Gordon Crovitz. Dow Jones chief financial officer Bill Plummer is also expected to leave his position once the sale is finalized next week. — Stephanie D. Smith

SOUTHPOLE STYLE: Southpole has found its new face. The junior apparel brand just shot 29-year-old K.D. Aubert, an up-and-coming actress who can soon be seen alongside Woody Harrelson in "The Grand" in January and opposite Matthew McConaughey in next summer's "Surfer Dude."

Aubert, who will appear in Southpole's spring-summer ads, was shot late last month on location in Miami at the Green Span mansion. She modeled five looks from Southpole's collection, from comfortable logo beachwear to sexy printed tops and denim skirts.

"Being that we target a diverse consumer market and age group, her look and attitude are a perfect match for our brand," said Janice Welles, director of marketing for the New York-based Southpole.

Southpole's national ads are slated to hit select fashion and lifestyle magazines and billboards in March. — Julee Greenberg Kaplan

EMAP BUYER?: According to a report on FT.com late Thursday, German publisher H. Bauer won the auction for Emap's consumer magazine and radio business, with a winning bid of approximately 1.15 billion pounds, or over $2 billion. A spokeswoman for Bauer in the U.S. said the company had no comment and Emap, publisher of magazines including Grazia and Heat, did not comment by press time. Past bidders for the consumer magazine division are said to have included Hearst Corp.'s National Magazine Co., and private equity players including Apollo, Providence, Exponent and Cinven. For the first half ending Sept. 30, Emap's total group revenue fell 26 percent to 408 million pounds, or $836 million, from 554 million pounds, or $1.14 billion, due mainly to the impact of disposals and closures, including Emap France. — Amy Wicks