Strike another blow for new media. The old media monolith, Time Inc., has cut 289 employees from its magazine business in order to focus on its web presence. The layoffs at Sports Illustrated, Time, and People affect cities nationwide, with editorial and business staffers in New York, LA, Chicago, and Atlanta all getting pulled. Even Austin will feel the impact since People’s local bureau is included in the shut-down.

You’d be forgiven for not knowing that People even had an Austin bureau, since apparently it contains all of two people. I’m pretty sure the Chamber of Commerce won’t be losing much sleep over that one.

But fans of local celebs might. Without People in town, who could possibly cover the boyish shenanigans of BFF’s Matthew McConaughey and Lance Armstrong, or the marital dealings of mold victim-cum-restauranteur Sandra Bullock? Oh right, just about anyone. There really isn’t any need for a “professional” magazine to dredge for celebrity gossip, since such reporting requires neither research skills nor journalistic integrity.

Kinda like blogging.