What was rumored to be a $250,000/year 3-year contract was actually a $225,000/year 2-year deal for Lloyd Grove, who might be out the door at the New York Daily News by the end of the month.

Mort Zuckerman & Co. don't sound too enthusiastic about renewing his contract that's expiring, which means Rush & Molloy may step in as the clear frontrunners at the paper. Jo Piazza and Chris Rovzar must be ecstatic about all the extra chances at bylines, while there will be more room in the budget for Ben Widdicombe to hire stringers for his weekend run.

As Gabriel Sherman notes, Lloyd's departure may not be heavily missed as his column has dwindled down from 1200 words to just over 650. And with all his recent political coverage popping up, some (us?) have all but abandoned it anyway. We're just worried about Hud Morgan's future, as we might be his biggest fan.