Times Pitching Woo at Observer Scribe

NEW TIMES? Dana Jared Kushner, the new owner of the New York Observer, may be about to lose one of his key assets. According to sources, Rebecca Dana, who writes the salmon-hued weekly's "NYTV" column, is in advanced talks with the New York Times. Dana declined to comment, but one source notes the position she's considering there would be covering television and emerging media for the business desk. While the Times already has two reporters on the TV beat, Bill Carter and Jacques Steinberg, both report to the culture desk.

The mood at the Observer has been somewhat uneasy since Kushner, the 25-year-old son of developer Charles Kushner, acquired the paper for $10 million in August. Dana's departure, if it comes to that, won't help matters. Though a youngster herself, Dana has earned a formidable reputation in the two and half years since she graduated from Yale and landed at the Observer, by way of the Washington Post. "She's incredibly wired for someone her age and has amazing sources," says one admiring network executive. "She's a marquee talent. But, then, the Observer has always been a talent mill."