Blogger behind "Kenneth in the (212)," is a NYT News Service union-busting/layoff victim, "strangely unbitter."

In your flippant Friday media column: everyone's very excited about Time's "Person of the Year," as always, Playboy may be sold, fashion magazines stay positive, and CNN decides to waste less money.

Rugged personality-possessing newspaperman Charlie LeDuff can typically be found roaming Detroit in search of frozen hobo bodies and colorful raccoon hunters. Today, he has a more serious topic: Enough violence to make you...well, never want to go to Detroit.

Bloomberg, the new owner of Businessweek, is dumping Maria "Contractually Obligated to be called 'Money Honey'" Bartiromo from her gig as a BW columnist, Business Insider reports. That's not the worst decision in the world.

Imprisoned journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were freed from North Korea's clutches in August. One week later, Ling—the more telegenic one, with the famous sister—was shopping a book. But Euna Lee beat her to a book deal!

With 100 buyoutlayoffs already assured by the end of the year, the New York Times is tossing in a bit more good news for employees: 25 additional layoffs, thanks to the magical economics of outsourcing.

The papers have toured around the world, from London to the Bay, abandoned their slavish devotion to Fort Hood and Afghanistan and come up with a day of fun stories that feature MC Hammer as a fashion icon among others.

The Post and the Times both covered this story, about a man accused of robbery whose alibi was a Facebook status update. Both papers though, censored the update itself, which was apparently "indecipherable". Except it wasn't.

Katie Couric made a list of the "most powerful" people in media for Forbes and they're all... Jews. Kidding, only six of 11 are Jews. The real power belongs to computer nerds. Couric mentioned zero old media people.

Struggling Alaskan newspapers have come up with a new revenue source that could well become a model for the whole industry: Being paid restitution by a Hollywood studio that used your paper's name without permission to advertise an alien movie.

It's been months since we outed some media deadbeats. Having trouble getting paid? Email me.

• John King will be replacing Lou Dobbs at 7pm on CNN. [WP, NYT]
• CNN execs had been looking to part ways with Dobbs for many months now, although CNN president Jon Klein is denying that all the anti-Dobbs fervor had anything to do with his leaving. Meanwhile, Dobbs' departure is expected to leave up to 30 people without jobs. [TDB, NYT, AP]
• Dobbs' first post-CNN interview will be with Bill O'Reilly. Naturally. [DF]
• Iconix, the apparel company that owns Candie's, Badgley Mischka, and Rocawear, among other brands, is in talks to buy Playboy Enterprises. [BN]
• Bloomberg LP is ducking out of paying severance to BW staffers. [AdAge]
• A dozen staffers were laid off at Newsweek today. [Gawker]
• Martin Scorsese will receive the DeMille award at the Golden Globes. [LAT]
• Katie Couric is assembling media power lists now, apparently. [Forbes]

In your misogynist Thursday media column: a college man uses journalism to ensure every woman on campus hates him, the Hartford Courant is counterproductive, Stephen A. Smith is BACK, and Katie Couric makes a listicle.

Yesterday, fancy media types got together at the New York Times building to remember recently deceased columnist William Safire. The small talk, naturally, centered on the expensive schools where fancy media types send their kids.

An Arkansas man has been convicted of killing Anne Pressly, the 26 year-old Arkansas TV anchorwoman with a small role in the movie W who was attacked and stabbed in her home last year. The motive was not grand.

First a recession starts and there are a lot of personal recession features. Then everyone gets bored and there are no personal recession stories. Now, they're back! Along with some war, a sad President and more on Fort Hood.

Newsweek laid off "about a dozen" editorial staffers Wednesday. The weekly posted a 48 percent drop in revenue in the third quarter, resulting in a $4.3 million loss. Memo from editor Jon Meacham after the jump.

Talking Points Memo is reporting on the ongoing implosion of a right-wing newspaper. All because the cult leader owners are having a family feud!

We all saw the Daily Show fact-checking Fox clip, right? Where Hannity reused 9/12 rally footage and pretended it was from last week? Guess what: Hannity is going to "respond" tonight, on his show! So we'd better all watch!

Final tally: ad pages dropped 32% (or 8,359 pages) at Condé Nast in 2009.