Lisa Gersh is resigning as CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia after only five months.

The New York Post reports that Gersh’s departure is due to two big factors: 1) MSLO is struggling (as evidenced by it cutting staffers and folding titles) and looking to alter its focus to include more merchandising deals and 2) Martha Stewart and Gersh weren’t getting along:

For months, there also has been talk of tension between Gersh, an experienced media executive, and the company’s namesake founder and chief creative officer. Stewart was said to crave broad television exposure and was upset in January when the Hallmark Channel ended her daily talk show. Gersh worked out deals with Hulu and AOL to distribute new and archived clips from Stewart’s TV shows, but her only program currently airing on television is ‘Martha Stewart’s Cooking School’ on PBS.

“There is an exciting future ahead for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and I am committed to working with the board to ensure a smooth transition,” Gersh said in a statement.

–JENNIFER PULLINGER

Will there come a day when online and mobile media overtake traditional media as the best way to reach audiences? Writer Jennifer Pullinger put the question to Janet Balis, executive vice president of media sales and marketing for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and a speaker at the Mediabistro Circus May 20.

“I don’t think the old types of distinctions will matter any more. We won’t think in terms of digital vs. traditional media. I even think that online will become a superfluous designation since most media will be connected to the Internet and/or delivered in digital formats. The definitions for media will shift someday to focus on consumer experiences as defined by new dimensions: passive vs. interactive, individual vs. social, linear vs. non-linear, video vs. photo vs. text vs. commerce, size of the screen, portability of the screen, and that sort of thing.

The channel or device delivering content is less and less important everyday. Ultimately, the quality of the consumer experience and the consumer’s ability to find those experiences are what drive the audience — not the form factors we choose to deliver those experiences. The consumer marketplace is increasingly experience-centric and platform agnostic.”

Janet Balis reveals “The Power of a Cross-Platform Strategy” in her upcoming presentation at Mediabistro Circus on May 20 in New York.

Layoffs, magazine closures and a racially charged cartoon top FishbowlNY’s most-read stories this year. A quick skim through the list says it all about what was most important to you in 2009, from massive layoffs at Forbes and Condé Nast, to bidding mediabistro.com founder Laurel Touby farewell as she headed out on sabbatical.

1. February 18, Is the New York Post Comparing Obama to a Rabid Monkey?

2. February 9, Anderson News Suspends Operations

3. October 5, Breaking: Condé Shutters Four Magazines: Cookie, Gourmet, Two Bridal Titles

4. January 28, Will The New Yorker Fold Next?

5. October 28, Forbes Layoffs Decimate Staff

6. September 30, Exit Interview: Mediabistro Founder Laurel Touby

7. September 17, Ira Glass Reveals The End Of ‘This American Life’ TV Show

8. May 14, Times‘ Frank Bruni Leaves The Restaurant Beat Behind

9. December 15, Breaking: I.D. Magazine Shutters

10. October 26, Breaking: More Layoffs Hit Forbes

Honorable mentions:

What It’s Like To Go On The ‘Today’ Show

Exclusive: MSLO Faces Discrimination Suit After Firing ‘Phenomenal’ Staffer With Broken Back

Confessions Of A Condé Nast Layoff Victim