Layoffs Hit 'New York'

New York may be the buzz magazine du jour, but it's not immune to the industry's economic pinch. The company has been trimming expenses over the past two months, and now the time for layoffs has come. While the number of employees being let go isn't large -- one source put it at "five or six," while another estimate of a dozen was termed "significantly high" by a spokeswoman -- it does include a familiar name: former Gawker editor Jesse Oxfeld.

A New York staffer for the past two years, Oxfeld says the elimination of his job was part of a move to integrate the staff of the magazine's "Intelligencer" section with that of the website's Daily Intel blog. He says editor in chief Adam Moss was "totally menschy" in his handling of the situation. "As Stephen Sondheim wrote, 'Plush velvet sometimes; sometimes just pretzels and beer," he adds.

At least he's in good company.

A New York spokeswoman provided a statement via email:

New York Media, like every responsible company in this economic climate, is cutting costs and finding efficiencies as we plan for the year ahead. After five consecutive years of magazine ad page growth, dramatic online traffic and revenue increases, and continuing plans to build the company through strategic product development and acquisitions, New York Media entered this "bear market" from a uniquely strong position. But even the healthiest companies have to respond to the economy. While we won't discuss the details of internal personnel matters, I can tell you that headcount changes here have been minimal, especially when compared to some of the cuts that other media companies are implementing.