Out with the old

As struggling newspapers start to hack away at bone, some of the shining stars of yesteryear are getting hit with the knife. Last month, the New York Observer dropped columnist Nicholas von Hoffman. On Tuesday, the Village Voice gave columnist Nat Hentoff the pink slip.

On a personal/professional note: I've booked von Hoffman on "To The Point" a couple times in the last year to offer his curmudgeonly wisdom and perspective to the presidential race. I've never booked Hentoff, but he spoke up for TTP when WNYC dropped it from its schedule earlier this year.