Murdoch Shuts Down PageSix.com

PageSix.com, the online version of the New York Post's celebrity gossip column, is shutting down after just three months, Gawker reports. The Rupert Murdoch project attracted 1 million pageviews last week when it published photos of Eliot Spitzer's escort, but, "given the difficulty in the economy, it was not the right time for this launch," said one manager.

About 20 staffers have lost their jobs, and three have been given positions at the Post. PageSix.com wasn't keeping up with gossip sites like Time Warner's TMZ.com, Gawker notes. With News Corp. stretched thin over its Wall Street Journal acquisition and an advertising downturn at Fox, Murdoch couldn't afford to risk covering the Post's losses again. (More economy stories.)