In your manly Monday media column: BusinessWeek's actual sale price revealed, America's most fucked newspapers revealed, Gene Weingarten revealed to still be (reasonably) funny, and a job revealed at Conde Nast! Oh, too late.

Ever since McKinsey & Company finished up its three-month review at Condé Nast a few weeks ago, the publishing giant has been busy cutting costs, closing down four magazines and laying off staff at most of its remaining titles. But perhaps instead of hiring the pricey consulting firm, Condé should have traveled to the front lines to talk to one of the guys who sells magazines for a living? To gain some insight into the future of printed media and find out what sells (and what doesn't), we headed over to a newsstand on Third Avenue to chat with a kind gentleman named Naseer. You'll find his thoughts on the layoffs and career advice for unemployed journalists below.

Journalists are often accused of being spies. Military sources now say that one, currently working in a war zone, is in fact a real-life secret agent.

We got word that there were even more layoffs than previously reported at Conde Nast this week. As it turns out, the sharp scythe of McKinsey cut into Women's Wear Daily.

• The job cuts at Condé Nast continue. (Apparently laying off everyone at once would have just been too easy.) Yesterday it lowered the boom at Vanity Fair and GQ, although VF editor Graydon Carter managed to shield his eyes from carnage since he'd jetted off on vacation earlier that morning. [NYP, WWD]
• News Corp. appears to be the front-runner to buy the Travel Channel. [NYT]
• NBC has picked up Community, Parks and Recreation, and Mercy for the full season. It's also signed Adam Carolla and Don Cheadle to each do a show.
• Last night's premiere of The Jeff Dunham Show set a new record for Comedy Central, which, if you've seen Dunham, is a sad statement indeed. [Wrap]
• Silliest rumor of the day: Politico reported this morning that friends were urging Fox News chief Roger Ailes to run for president in 2012. But that's not going to happen, of course, so a few hours later Politico posted Ailes' denial.
• The first official portrait of the Obamas was taken by Annie Leibovitz. [VF]
• A few early predictions for Best Picture, if you're interested. [LAT]

A tipster tells us Maxim fired three people in the art and photo departments today.

In your foreboding Friday media column: Rumors of impending Forbes layoffs, more details on the Conde Nast Traveler cuts this week, an editor quits over her commute(!), and a former AP newsman kills himself.

Amid all of the carnage at Conde Nast this month, rumors were floating that Si Newhouse was sheltering his three most precious magazines: the New Yorker, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. Well; the part about Vanity Fair, at least, was wrong.

As soon as New York magazine owner Bruce Wasserstein died last week, speculation about the magazine's future began. Would the Wasserstein family really want to hang on to a money-losing prestige title? Yes, apparently.

In your extra-good Thursday media column: We get results for aggrieved media employees, a scandalous media blind item for you to examine, a Texas paper loves LSD, and Chuck Todd is the new Samson.

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore met recently.

In your woebegone Wednesday media column: Rumors of more Conde Nast layoffs at Architectural Digest and the research department, ideas for BusinessWeek's future, Ross Douthat is insecure, and the Weather Channel grows ever more awesome.

This year, Conde Nast hired McKinsey, folded several magazines, and instituted across-the-board budget cuts and layoffs. Clearly, the fancy days are over. Right? No, says the company. This is just a temporary blip.

Playboy is cutting its rate base from 2.6 million to 1.5 million, nearly a 40% drop. But...but...naked cartoon characters! What more do you pervs want? [Mediaweek. Pic: TMZ]

Conde Nast folded Gourmet and spared Bon Appetit. But Bon App didn't make it out totally unscathed. We hear their layoffs came down today.

In your dangerous Tuesday media column: A media employee cries for help from the office bathroom, more details on yesterday's Glamour layoffs, a dangerous liberal media pumpkin, and a newspaper gets cheaper, on purpose.

Maziar Bahari, the Canadian-Iranian Newsweek reporter who has been detained in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison since his arrest while covering the nation's post-election uprising in June, has arrived safely in London in time for the birth of his first child.

We hear Wired had its own round of editorial layoffs today. What's going on at Conde Nast? A very bad Monday. In a very bad month. Let's review:

In your malicious Monday media column: computers replace sportswriters (finally), rumored layoffs at W mag and Lucky, a new way for death to save the media, and the salvation of publishing arrives.

Conde Nast layoffs never stop: A tipster tells us that Glamour had at least another half dozen layoffs today, including several editors. The magazine already had one round of layoffs earlier this month. If you know more, email us.