New Yorker Observer editor in chief and editorial director Elizabeth Spiers is leaving the pub at the end of the month to form a new company.  Aaron Gell, now executive editor, will take over the editor in chief job.

A group of weekly community newspapers covering downtown Manhattan formerly owned by Community Media -- Downtown Express, East Villager, Chelsea Now, Gay City News and The Villager-- have been sold to Jennifer Goodstein, a former MetLife digital business executive, reports Ian Thomas.

Two "final bidders" are left in the contest to buy Variety, the 107-year-old Hollywood trade mag, from Reed Business Information: Prometheus Global Media Chairman Jimmy Finklestein, co-owner of competitive pubs including The Hollywood Reporter, and billionaire Ron Burkle. This according to an anonymous source cited by Josh Kosman and Keith Kelly.

Eighty-four percent of newspapers surveyed by the Newspaper Association of America use metered paywalls for online content, with an average of 11 free stories allowed per month, writes Steve Myers. Among other stats unearthed by the study: The third quarter of 2011 was when the majority of paywalls were implemented.

Here come the Q2 earnings reports. At Comcast, "one continued weak spot"  was NBCUniversal, whose broadcast network revenue fell 9%, with flat ad revenue, according to Amy Chozick. Cable channels like USA, CNBC and MSNBC improved their ad revenue by 4%. But the biggest gain for Comcast overall was "$2.38 billion in revenue from high-speed Internet subscribers," which helped to bolster "its net income by 32% and [underscore] the company’s continuing transition from cable giant to broadband provider," writes Chozick At Time Warner, revenue for networks like TNT, TBS and HBO rose 4%, with high ratings and …

"Busted banquettes in the once-gleaming Frank Gehry cafeteria" (boo-hoo!), a budget-minded editorial director -- all signs that Condé Nast may be losing its “ineffable lustre that long captivated advertisers and readers" and helped its "stable of glossies" become "one of the most influential corporate architects of consumer aspiration," writes Kat Stoeffel. It's not only the obvious reason -- loss of revenue due to print's downward spiral -- creating the cracks in the glossy kingdom. Anonymous "insiders" Stoeffel cites also mention the waning influence of Si Newhouse, the 84-year-old chairman who built up a company culture devoted to style, culture  …