Gawker Trims Portfolio, Lays Off Bloggers

The New York Times is reporting that Gawker Media founder and CEO Nick Denton is putting two of his lowest performing blogs on the block, reorganizing others and laying off several people.

Sploid and Screenhead are being sold. Editors at Gawker, Wonkette, Gizmodo, and Gridskipper were moved or replaced, the Times reports. Jesse Oxfeld - one notable example - is out at Gawker.  Jessica Coen remains. Mediabistro rounds up all the personnel moves.

This isn't the first time Denton has sold a blog. He shut down Oddjack last year. However, it continues to publish today without Gawker branding. It was sold late last year.

Even though Gawker is a blog publishing company, it is not exempt from the laws of media gravity.  Denton faces the challenge of retaining top talent like Coen. These stars get lots of other opportunities as their profiles grow. For example, Jessica Coen wrote a byline in Sunday's New York Times. This means Denton's cost of doing business is rising.

It sounds to me like Gawker Media is practicing smart business. Nick is like an NFL owner. He's trying to stay within the salary cap. This means he has to trim some blogs to invest in others. That's why he will continue to thrive. He's committed to quality and the survival of the fittest. That's the way the media biz has operated for decades.

Technorati Tags: Gawker, Gawker Media, Nick Denton, Jessica Coen, Screenhead, Sploid