Last week was short, and nobody likes to give out a pink slip just before Thanksgiving, so we’re bracing ourselves for a bad week this time around. Already British journalists are covering their necks, Time doesn’t have room for all corners of Asia, and more media soirées have been slashed. The media-deathwatch pulse quickens:
• Time had a bit of good news today when a survey said it was the No. 1 magazine among college students. But today’s Times points out that the posh winter Time Style & Design issue may not be the most popular with recession-savvy consumers. A rep conceded that the issue of high-end items was written “before the severe downturn” and, anyway, “the only real luxury is time and a cup of tea.” So lay off! [NYT]
• As predicted, Time is amalgamating its international editions. Its South Asian edition is now just plain Asian, and its European editorial offices will probably become, well, New York offices. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
• Über-blogger Julia Allison might be putting down the pen — er, BlackBerry keypad — and going to business school. The end of an era? [Gawker]
• The tidal wave of media layoffs could soon reach shores across the pond, with “tens of thousands” of British journalists likely to be fired soon. [Reuters]
• NBC Sports staffers might have gotten the ax, just after their halftime special aired. [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
• Four Hollywood publicists at PMK/HBH, which reps the likes of Matt Damon and Will Smith, are feeling the burn. They’re fired, but they’re saying it’s just exhaustion and that they’re just friends, on repeat. [Deadline Hollywood]
• I Want Media, a media-news Website, has a front-runner for its Media Person of the Year: the Laid-Off Journalist. And he’s single. [Page Six]
