NY Post And Liz Smith Part Ways

Legendary gossip columnist Liz Smith is leaving the NY tabloid pages: CityRoom spoke to the 86-year-old who explained that NY Post editor-in-chief Col Allan sent her a letter that he was not renewing her contract for her three-times-a-week column, stating, “Like so many other newspapers around the nation, we are buffeted by unprecedented economic gales." Smith joked, “I figure that without having to pay my salary"—$125,000/year—"The Post will immediately go into the black" and did admit to meeting with Rupert Murdoch to protest, "He said he wouldn’t interfere with Col Allan. Well, isn’t he right? Shouldn’t publishers believe in their editors?” (And Murdoch does believe in Allan.) But this gives Smith more time to work on Wowowow.com, the website she co-founded with other female boldface names (and where she just asked New Yorker editor David Remnick his thoughts on the newspaper business conundrum)—plus she plans to syndicate a five-day-a-week column.

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By Jen Chung in News on February 24, 2009 4:12 PM

Comments [rss]

inoyourider

This woman was an integral part of the iconic (I hate gossip FYI) Page 6 for so many years. The POST will CERTAINLY LOSE readership over this. A very short-sighted way to view long-range problems. You will only LOSE for this NY Post.

Dirk

Are you being serious? Someone will actually stop reading the Post because Liz Smith is gone?

NannyState

At 78, Rupert Murdoch himself is fit to be pushed out a window...but not before he makes a try to get the NY Times. He wants it badly to hang on his trophy wall, next to the WSJ but the Sulzbergers would rather whore themselves on a darkened Jersey City street and later resell the crack than let that shitbag near the family jewels.

babyhitler

what about the dude that writes blind items? how can you get paid to make shit up? oh wait. it's the post

Rocknrope

I hope I'm not working when I'm 86.

longacre

Clearly they'll use that money to give Delonas a raise.

Snoopy

What will page 6 be without her?

moocowtoo

3 articles a week, 52 weeks = $801 per article. Not bad if you can write that article in a few hours.

Tgirl

that's just what the Post pays her to publish, not write, a column that other papers pick up as well. She only writes it once, but get paid several times over. THAT's not bad, and works out to be much more than $801. per.