And the conversations between Jared Paul Stern and Ron Burkle just got weirder.

As WWD reports today, Stern claims that he was offering Burkle a service in the form of a "consultant on media strategy." It seems the chains of grocery stores and Knight Ridder papers weren't enough for the millionaire mogul … he wants his hands on the New York gossip ring. Y'know, even more than he already has.

In their three meetings, Stern maintains Burkle solicited his advice on scenarios including the possible purchase of the New York Observer and investing in Radar magazine. (Stern says Burkle even told him, "Maybe I'd make you publisher of Radar.")

Whoa. Ron Burkle owning the New York Observer? That's not something you can just throw on our laptops and expect us to easily digest. Radar, maybe we could see. But, we were pretty sure Jesse Jackson already had things under control there.

Stern Und Drang [Jeff Bercovici, WWD]