• A round of staff cuts at the Journal may come next week. [Portfolio]
• CBS and David Letterman are negotiating a new deal to keep him on the network after his contract expires in 2010. [B&C]
• Is The New Yorker in trouble? [Gawker]
• Gannett, the largest U.S. newspaper company, is writing off $5 billion. [E&P]
• Dreamworks and Pepsi have a 3D commercial airing during the Super Bowl on Sunday. You'll need special glasses to watch it, however. [Time]

Stock downgrades. Acquisitions that didn't pan out. Businesses leaking cash. Layoffs. And a whole lot of pessimism about the future. Is Rupert Murdoch losing his magic, wrinkly touch?

In your overstuffed Thursday media column: Obama cartoons have big lips, rumored (update: confirmed) layoffs at Incisive Media, John Dickerson's dramatic novel, and more!

The Baltimore Examiner is closing 30 months after it launched because of low revenues. The Examiner chain of free papers will keep its San Francisco and Washington editions going. Memo below:

Congressional Quarterly is profitable. The company that owns it also owns the St. Petersburg Times, which is less (or un-)profitable. So the company is selling CQ to shore up the declining paper. Is that bad?

So much media news already this Wednesday, but there's more(!): WaPo Book World's gone, Super Bowl parties are canceled, and Reader's Digest's brutal recession memo:

With the steady crumbling of Conde Nast, you have to wonder how long their chairman, Si Newhouse, can hang tough. Great media baron families like his are a dying breed.

NYT Co. ending monthly financial updates. Less bad news!

The New York Times Co. released its fourth quarter financial results this morning. They are bad, bad, bad, and apparently without any upside on any front anywhere. Observe:

When he interviewed celebrities, typically over lunch, longtime Parade columnist James Brady often did not take notes; he only needed three soundbites, which he memorized.

Tuesday is a great day for a media column: The NYT's Stuart Elliott will not be stonewalled, hipster lady mag Missbehave stops printing, and Yahoo should either fund quality journalism or Gawker's next party.

• Reed Business has cut staff across its numerous publications. [NYT, THR, FB]
• Carlos Slim Helu's loan to The New York Times Co. is "an ominous move" by a "capitalist with loyalties to a foreign state," says the Seattle Times. [E&P]
• Pastor Rick Warren is launching a magazine. [WSJ]
• More on Conde Nast's new web strategy. [NYP]
• Meet the Huffington Post's new cast of celebrity bloggers. [Jossip]
• The Senate has voted to delay the transition to digital TV until June 12. [BN]

Journalism is complicated. New York Post statehouse hack-in-chief Fred Dicker has been leading the pack in Caroline Kennedy-related anonymous smear stories. And now he's basically outing his own anonymous source, to criticize the Governor. What?

Here are some of Chris Cillizza's tweets from the White House press briefing, where he represents the Washington Post. What is wrong with him, and why won't he stop?

In your sobering Monday media column: Publishers Weekly editor laid off, scrounging for dollars and cougars, former New York Times Hollywood reporter Sharon Waxman's web site cometh, and more!

Bill Kristol's getting a monthly column at the Washington Post. How wrong do you actually have to be to be barred from prominent punditry? This is why newspapers are dying, people! [The Corner]

Now that the subways are safer, everyone's scared to come into New York. Ah well. More room for us. [NYP]

It's time for another bitter shot fired in the impenetrable politico-media war over Caroline Kennedy's failed Senatorial bid! Today, more on Caroline's "secret reason" for dropping out. To the press, this is manly fun:

In your special weekend media column (whoa!): Traders die, generals lie, and the media influence of international oligarchs multiplies:

In your Friday media column: Facebook is unholy, business is business, and Nicolas Sarkozy got you a present!: