• So, important election results: Which anchor won? The general consensus seems to be Charlie Gibson, although Tom Shales gives it to Brian Williams, with Katie Couric getting an "affably in command." Meanwhile, the kids at Fox News were kinda bummed. [WaPo]
  

More in sorrow than in joy (oh, who are we kidding) Keith Kelly reports this morning on the dismissal of the Daily News' Andrea Dove, vice president of classified ads. Kelly gives a roll call of recent News departures, both voluntary and less so: Editor-in-Chief Michael Cooke, executive vice president Ira Ellenthal, investigative reporter Russ Buettner, feature writer Caitlin Kelly, food writer Isabel Forgang, and Michael Segell, Rebecca Louie, Breanne Heldman, Jami Bernard, Graham Fuller, Michele Ingrassia, Michelle Leifer and Celia McGee.

• Wenner Media buys out Disney's share of Us Weekly. We're not sure why this is important, but the folks at WWD thought it merited an e-mail alerting us to it, so what the hell. [WWD]
• Asking a quarter for Keith Kelly's work always struck as a stretch; $950 is too much for even Kelly himself. [NYP, third item]
• When Jon Friedman says it's time to give someone her due, well, it's time to give her her due. Okay: Maria Bartiromo is both cute as a button and a well-known business journalist! Just out of curiosity, how does this shit keep getting linked on Romenesko? [Marketwatch]

Because few things make us happier than idle bitchery, we of course enjoyed Keith Kelly's roundup in the Post today of all sorts of AMI staffers' anonymous snipes at their newly and richly re-contracted editorial director, perennial employee fave Bonnie Fuller. We remain, however, mystified by Keith's lede:

In his column today, merry media man Keith Kelly reports that American OK! and Us Weekly just missed winning the rights to the baby pictures of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, both bidding in the $4 million range but losing to People's $4.1 million (and to what length they'll go to get their money's worth). And since they were already tossing around the petty cash, People went ahead and bid $5 million for worldwide rights, but Getty laughed in their face. Kelly also reveals that Hello! paid around $3.5 million for British rights, then introduces us to his special brand of math:

• Bill Powers says blogs are not, recent hype notwithstanding, dying. But you knew that. [National Journal]
• Old men make good anchors, says Mark Jurkowitz. [Public Eye]
• Because there aren't enough glossy style mags for rich people, the Wall Street Journal Europe is set to launch one targeted at rich men between 30 and 55. Style Journal launches in Europe next month, in the Asian edition in the fall, and could be coming to the United States, too. Thank God. [WWD (last item)}
• Speaking of mags for rich people, Keith Kelly thinks a trademark threat from Absolut vodka helped shutter Absolute mag, even though courts kept siding with the mag's publisher. [NYP]

Why is this man smiling? Because he's Keith "R." Kelly, the Post's resident media hack, and his adorable face is gracing the online edition of his column! After the darkness of internet anonymity, Kelly's friendly visage is now ours to cherish: the ruddy cheeks, the fluffy hair, the too-healthy-for-a-newsroom glow. There's that mischievous sparkle in his eye — like he's about to blow us all away with an amazing tale of circulation drama. And is that a seersucker shirt he's wearing? Charming!

The Post's Keith Kelly gets a preview of Talk veteran Maer Roshan's soon-to-be-launched magazine, Radar, and notes that it's already taking swipes at other magazines. Media targets include Jann Wenner, Bonnie Fuller, and particularly Details editor Dan Peres. "Let's Get One Thing Straight," says one article, "Dan Peres, editor-in-chief of Details, is not gay. But his magazine sure seems to be."
Radar's attitude: more SPY than Vanity Fair [Keith Kelly - Post]

Keith Kelly reports that Bloomberg LP is rewarding good reporting with flamingos. Plastic. Pink. Flamingos. Kelly asks the obvious question and Bloomberg PR responds, "It's neither a reward nor a punishment, it's an acknowledgement." That this is considered a "morale booster" is perhaps indicative of the state of morale at Bloomberg LP.
Bloomberg flips a bird [Keith Kelly - Post]

The Conde Nast empire has spawned a new magazine, Keith Kelly and the NYT report. The yet-unnamed title will be a men's magazine that will focus on shopping. Conde Nast spokespeople, however, deny that anything new is in the works.
Conde Nast's big tease [Keith Kelly - Post]
A men's version of Lucky Magazine [NYT]

Keith Kelly reports that Bloomberg LP spokeswoman Chris Taylor cut short a performance by a dance act Full Frontal PR authors Richard Laermer and Michael Prichinello hired for their book release party. In the "sexy and flirtateous routine," two dancers "basically undressed one another to the point where both were standing in skin-tight leotards." It was supposed to be a metaphor for the interaction between PR people and journalists. (I think it would be more accurate if money changed hands and/or at least one party felt vaguely dirty afterwards.)
Bloomberg execs put kibosh on full frontal book party [Keith Kelly - Post]

Have they no decency? Quicker than Art Cooper's tears can dry, the media commentators are handicapping the race to succeed him as editor of GQ. Keith Kelly is offering odds.
· Dylan Jones, editor-in-chief of British GQ: 2-to-1 favorite
· David Zinczenko of Men's Health, although he's taken himself out of the running: 5-to-1
· Michael Hirschorn, past editor of Spin: 10-to-1
· Kurt Andersen, resting at public radio: 35-to-1
· David Kamp, a VF editor: 35-to-1
· Maer Roshan, if Radar doesn't fix: 50-to-1
· Glenda Bailey of Harpers, because SALTYT thinks it's time a lad's mag had a woman editor.

Keith Kelly reports that Jann Wenner renewed Us Weekly Editor Bonnie Fuller's contract for three years. Newsstand sales have increased over 55.2% during her tenure. (According to our completely unscientific estimate, tacky photos of 20 year old pop stars have increased 72.3%. Actual text has decreased 89.6% and multisyllabic words have decreased 63.4%. Not that we're saying there's a correlation...)
Bonnie's bonanza [Keith Kelly - Post]

The reporters on the media beat, before whom even magazine editors quake, get a taste of their own medicine. Us Weekly, with some blurby and occasionally snarky reviews of their characters and reporting. So a media weblog, linking to a review of journalists who themselves cover the media: an
object lesson in swallowing one's own tail.
· Jacob Bernstein of Women's Wear Daily is "excitable" and, yes, that's his dad
· Matthew Rose of the Journal: "the hottie of the bunch"
· David Carr of the New York Times is "a merry prankster"
· Keith Kelly of the Post is "sufficiently bitchy", and right 70% of the time
· Sridhar Pappu's nickname is "Binky"
The Big-8 Media Gossips Exposed! [Us Weekly via I Want Media]

Keith Kelly reports that Bloomberg LP chiefs have been ordered to make a list of employees who aren't happy, possibly in an effort to find out who's been talking to the press. Says one insider, "There isn't enough paper in a printer to print out that list." On a side note, Kelly says that US Weekly's Gabriel Snyder is leaving to work for Variety.
Bloomberg: A list-ing ship? [Keith Kelly - Post]

The NY Press's recent acquisition may not be such a good thing. The Village Voice says that the company's backers have had financial problems and the Post's Keith Kelly reports that editor Lisa Kearns quit today after only two weeks.
On the road with Bubba [Keith Kelly - Post]
Window of Opportunity [Village Voice]

Keith Kelly reports that John Huey, editorial director of Time, Inc., has had his plane priveleges curtailed. His $13,000 jaunts to his $1 million place in Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, have gotten to be too much for CEO Ann Moore.