As everyone is well aware, print news is dying a slow death, and news organizations everywhere -- like our very own Faded Floozy -- are changing hands or closing up shop completely. Fortune reports that while the NYT may be doing better than many other papers in terms of subscribers (over 800,000), the growth of their web presence, and national ad revenue, they've still had a shit year and several folks with a few extra billion dollars lying around have danced around the possibility of buying The Times Co., which is currently controlled by the Sulzberger family. Billionaire gay media mogul David Geffen was allegedly negotiating the purchase of a 19% stake in the paper in the last several months, but those negotiations fell through. Google also considered the purchased, but decided against it for now.

The long and the short of it is, the paper isn't up for sale, and isn't in immediate financial trouble, but it has been losing some money and the company is said to have to potentially sell off most of their new Times Square headquarters, which they only moved into less than two years ago.

Fortune cites Geffen's overtures as evidence that there are "other billionaires out there who may yet come out of the woodwork, either for financial or altruistic purposes." And if the owner did turn out to be Geffen, then the old Grey Lady might need to be renamed the Pink Lady after all.