Condé Nast is "having the worst year of any publisher," or so a "rival executive" tells Keith Kelly today. The facts pretty much speak for themselves, though: While there's been a 24 percent drop-off in ad pages industry-wide, the Joanne Lipman-edited trainwreck otherwise known as Portfolio is down 60 percent, and Wired has seen its ad pages plummet 57 percent. Any good news? Why, yes, there most certainly is. Golf World is doing quite nicely these days, you'll be happy to hear. [NYP]

The "Dating a Banker Anonymous" girls, who quickly became America's least favorite gold diggers when the NYT profiled them last month, now say that they were just playing around! But this doesn't absolve them, no:

Yesterday Rupert Murdoch himself, the big guy, took the time to sign off on an uncommonly civil apology for the New York Post's racist cartoon. But Al Sharpton is still demanding actual actions. Whoa now!

Hearst Newspapers could shut down San Francisco's dominant daily, the Chronicle, if unions do not agree to major job cuts. The threatened shuttering would leave the city without a real newspaper. Would anyone notice?

Liz Smith's time at the New York Post is done. It's time for a lifetime retrospective! Who is this gossipy lady? It all started back in a dusty little place called Texas...

Here is a humdinger of a bit of gossip actual confirmed news: Liz Smith, octogenarian gossip queen of New York, has been dropped as a New York Post columnist. Sad, but expected.

In your crazyland Tuesday media column: PR wizardry at the bankrupt Philly papers, Starbucks sliding down the publishing D-list, the perils of journalism in Utah, and Getty says you owe it money:

Peter Chernin stepped down as Rupert Murdoch's #2 man at News Corp yesterday; now the stories hit, complete with the attendant flackery. Would a News Corp-owned paper report it differently? Let's see!

Long-form trend alert: Lots of former print media people are launching websites. There was another one today! It's time for us to rate five of these—and their chances of survival—honestly. This is important:

The Post is dropping gossip columnist Liz Smith. The reason? The economy, naturally. "Like so many other newspapers around the nation, we are buffeted by unprecedented economic gales," Col Allan, the Post's editor, explained in a letter to Smith earlier this month when he informed her that the paper had decided not to renew her $125,000-a-year contract. But if you're thinking the 86-year-old gossip is planning to retire her quill pen, think again! Smith says she'll continue turning out a column five days a week for syndication to other newspapers, she'll be penning a twice-a-week column for Daily Variety, and she's also signed on as a contributing editor of Parade magazine. Oh, and she'll be contributing to wowOwow, the website for elderly women that she co-founded last year, where, she says, she's looking forward to posting scoops "free from the constraints of newspaper deadlines." [NYT]

Jerelle Kraus, former art editor of the NYT's Op-Ed page, has a new book out, and she's telling all of the paper's sexy art secrets! Here, three images the Times killed for being too erotic:

• More on Peter Chernin's departure from News Corp. and the likely possibility that Rupert Murdoch will hand over the reigns to his son, James. [WSJ, NYT]
• Rupert Murdoch has issued an apology for the Post's chimp cartoon. [NYP]
• Kathy Griffin scored a $2 mil. advance from Ballantine for a memoir. [NYO]
• The FT is cutting costs by giving employees three-day weekends. [E&P]
• The recession is wreaking havoc on pilot season in Hollywood. [Variety]
• Your amusing and totally frightening stat of the day: The average television viewer watches 151 hours of TV each month, a new record. [B&C]
• Oscar picks for 2010, just in case you wanna get a head start. [NYO]

Sean Delonas' New York Post cartoon said, essentially, "Screw you, monkeys." The Post itself said, "Screw you if you didn't like it." But Rupert Murdoch—their boss—is suddenly being polite! Did Rev. Al win?

The publishing industry is led by experienced professionals with deep knowledge of literary appeal. So if they say Kathy Griffin deserves a $2 million book deal, who are you, the public, to argue?

Aaron Bruns, the Fox News producer arrested on child porn charges earlier this month, had a softcore side gig. He posed naked for The Complete Idiot's Guide to Supercharged Kama Sutra Illustrated.

Oh the Brits, with their breezy resolve and false good cheer in the face of obstacles! The FT needs some staff to take a pay cut. I mean, extra summer vacation time!

CBS just hired some guy with the improbable name of Jeff Ballabon to be their Senior Vice President of Communications. Boooring! But wait, outrage: he's a Republican!

In your chesty Monday media column: the Oxford American lives, the Journal Register goes broke, Geraldo is trespassing, and Madoff pics are hottttt:

Following months of rumors, Rupert Murdoch's No. 2 at News Corp., Peter Chernin, has confirmed he plans to leave the company. The LA Times reports that Murdoch has no plans to name a successor. Instead, Murdoch "is expected to pick up many of the duties handled by Chernin, including oversight of News Corp.'s Fox movie and television operations." [LAT, WSJ]

Have you read the controversial New Yorker profile of Rahm Emanuel? It's controversial because it uses that word, in describing Rahm, a bunch of times, and also it pissed off some liberals.