In your sweltering Monday media column: Reader's Digest is going bankrupt, Ted Nugent loses his journalism gig because he is too hardcore, Dan Rather's madness debated, and Mediaite traffic numbers.

Reader's Digest announced today that it's planning to file for bankruptcy and give its lenders control of the company. Being America's best magazine is worthless these days.


Ted Nugent has been fired as a columnist for the Waco Tribune-Herald after refusing to bow the the demands of The Man and refusing to "only write nice things about people." After standing up for his First Amendment rights, Ted will stand up for his Second Amendment rights, by taking his well-regulated militia to the offices of the Waco Tribune-Herald and killing everyone, with gunfire.


CBS execs make the point: Dan Rather is kind of making himself look obsessive and nuts with his relentless legal hounding of CBS. But, counterpoint: At least he is keeping busy!


So anyhow enough with that, how is Mediaite.com doing? "1.2 million page views and about 300,000 unique visits during its first month," according to managing editor Colby Hall.