The Post's Keith Kelly reported today that Elle's parent company has been in discussions to turn over a stake in the magazine to Hearst. Could to be true? For what it's worth, a Hachette spokeswoman tells the Observer there's "no truth" to the report. And while we were hoping that Joe Zee might be able to shed some light on the situation, he seems to be preoccupied with whether or not he has swine flu. Only time will tell if a deal for Elle is in the works. In the meantime, though, feel free to a little prayer for Zee. Catching swine flu five weeks before Fashion Week? That could be tragic. [NYP, NYO]

In your woozy Tuesday media column: MSNBC pulls in the crazies for airtime, Gallant former journo beats Goofus current journo, NYT family members catch the swine flu, and the LA Times is all fucked up.

In your mockable Monday media column: Fox News needs sources for a follow up to their "Tin Foil Hats" scoop, Thrillist gets down, Carol Rosenberg's colleagues speak, Tom Shales is replaced, and we are all corporate tools.

In your finally Friday media column: The NYT looks ethically inconsistent and its management is mush-mouthed, Bruce Wasserstein contemplates buying BusinessWeek, and Fleet Street dies, unnoticed.

Complex puts together a very impressive compendium of of 48 separate dead hip hop magazines. Vibe and Mass Appeal were just the latest. I didn't even notice Elemental was gone! R.I.P., One Nut! [Complex]

In your inexplicable Thursday media column: picturing the New York Times' printing presses, Porsche's CEO pays off old reporters, a 174-year-old newspaper folds, and Steve vs. Steve. Steve?

• BusinessWeek's Jon Fine reports that New York owner Bruce Wasserstein may be in the running to break out a dollar bill and buy BusinessWeek. [BW]
• ESPN banned New York Post employees from appearing on the network yesterday after the paper ran (blurry) pics of a nude Erin Andrews. [AP]
• Will will happen with McKinsey consultants now infiltrating Condé Nast? How should you behave if you work there? Some answers and tips. [NYM, Gawker]
• Martha Stewart loves Twitter, doesn't particularly care for Facebook. [TDB]
• Kate Major, the Jon Gosselin-loving, publicity-seeking reporter for publicity-seeking Star magazine, has resigned from the junky tabloid. [Star]
• Ad revenue fell precipitously, but the New York Times Co. reported second-quarter profits of $39.1 million, up from $21.1 million a year ago. [NYT]
• Related: Is the Times Co. planning to hang on to the Boston Globe? [E&P]
• America's most trusted newscaster? That would be Jon Stewart. [Time]

The management at Conde Nast is well aware that lowly assistants—who are paid poverty wages in order to take order from high-strung self-important media assholes in $8,000 outfits all day—could snap at any time. Solution: divide, conquer.

Speculation has abounded over whether Mike Steele, Janice Min's "acting" successor as editor-in-chief at Us Weekly, is the real deal, or just a temporary space-holder. Wenner Media boss Jann Wenner tried to clear it up in a staff memo yesterday.

In your cackling Wednesday media column: Hoda Kotb describes her love of working with the mentally ill, Conde Nast's other McKinsey go-around, an intern is led astray by J-School demons, and Janice Min denies everything.

• Why did Janice Min leave Us? It was about money, reports WWD, which explains that given the economy, Jann Wenner wasn't prepared to offer her the $2 million a year she's been collecting. Min is denying it. [WWD, NYDN]
• Dan Rather’s $70 million lawsuit against CBS is back on track. [NYT, WSJ]
• McKinsey has been retained by Condé Nast to do the sort of "rethinking" and "realigning" that the consulting firm gets paid enormous sums to do. And while it isn't the first time McKinsey has been in the building—they were hired by Condé in 2001—this time employees are totally freaking out. [NYO]
• One title that is doing well: Food Network Magazine, apparently. [CNY]
• ESPN's Erin Andrews was secretly videotaped in the nude while staying at a hotel. Now an ESPN employee is said to have been behind it. [NYDN, AP]

Floundering Conde Nast has hired McKinsey & Co. to help them "rethink" the way they do business, which usually involves layoffs. Not to worry, Conde Nasties! Our worldly readers will help you survive this trying time.

Did you subscribe to Portfolio just before Condé Nast announced plans to shut down the magazine? Perhaps you were burned when you plunked down a few bucks for a Men's Vogue subscription? Kenneth Rogers feels your pain. The Alabama resident subscribed to Vibe three months before the magazine announced it would discontinue publishing, an event that Rogers says "injured" him, since he's hasn't "received a refund for the remaining balance on his magazine subscription and is no longer receiving Vibe Magazine." Rogers isn't writing off the loss and moving on with his life, though. He's filed a class action lawsuit against Vibe and its owners for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and for violating New York State's deceptive practices statute. Rogers is asking a judge to give him his $10 back as well as award punitive damages and pay for his legal fees, too. In the meantime, you can review Rogers' slightly ridiculous lawsuit for yourself below.

Condé Nast editors used to be too fancy to bother with the grubby Web; they dumped all their content onto online junkyards. Greed and petty jealousy, though, have turned them into true believers, and they want their "websites" now, please.

In your drenched Tuesday media column: Rupert Murdoch's son is directly implicated in the News Corp. UK phone-hacking scandal, the WSJ tells you how to get rich on NYT Co. bonds, The Wanted is unwanted, and more.

Just after announcing it would bring in McKinsey & Co. for some horrific cost-cutting, Conde Nast has released its official projections for its crucial September ad sales. We knew the numbers would be bad; they lived up to expectations.

• Janice Min isn't renewing her contract as editor-in-chief of Jann Wenner's Us Weekly. Her No. 2, Michael Steele, will become acting editor in chief. [NYT]
• Condé Nast announced yesterday that it had retained the management consulting firm McKinsey to "develop new perspectives." They sure have their work cut out for them. Condé revealed today that its monthly mags witnessed a 37 percent drop in advertising in September. [Gawker, AdAge, NYO]
• More pain at Condé may be on the way: "Significant cost cuts, including more layoffs and the closing of more magazines" are coming, says Keith Kelly. [NYP]
• Yet more Condé news: The company is closing down Men.Style.com so it can focus on the soon-to-be relaunched websites of GQ and Details. [AdAge]
• The Boston Globe's largest union voted yesterday to approve the new contract that had been proposed by the New York Times Co. [NYT, E&P]
• This can't be a good sign about the state of affairs at CNN: Time Warner Cable is moving it from channel 10 to 78 and replacing it with FX. [MCN]

Today we learned that Us Weekly editor Janice Min was considering leaving her post at the magazine when her current contract expires in two weeks. Tonight she issued a statement announcing her plans to move on.

In your muggy Monday media column: New bosses at Interview Magazine, CBS keeps Walter Cronkite around, the Ahwatukee Foothills News' reputation is tarnished by a faux chef, and Cody Willard sits at a bar.

Us Weekly editor Janice Min is reportedly considering quitting her job when her contract's up in two weeks. And why not? She's made her millions, and millions. But! The post-magazine life of a celebrity editor is fraught with danger.