WWD is reporting today that Oscar traffic for Vanity Fair’s Oscar traffic declined as a result of the lack of the usual Academy Award pomp and circumstance. Exclusive footage of the red carpet leading to Graydon Carter’s annual bash at Morton’s seemed a brilliant idea, catering to both the public’s voyeuristic appetites towards celebrity and the strength of the Vanity Fair brand.

The WGA strike, however, claimed another casualty. And CondeNet’s Oscar momentum has been thwarted, for this year at least. From WWD:

”… Vanity Fair, who signaled to Hollywood it was not in a celebratory mood when it canceled its annual Oscar bash at Craft weeks before the ceremony, reported a 25 percent decline in traffic from last year across Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. A spokeswoman attributed the drop to the fact that the magazine had no party coverage on its site.”

Regarding the Oscars, Sarah Chubb, CondeNet’s President told The New York Times last year, ”one reason people chase these big events on the Web is the big burst in traffic, and the ability to sell a sponsorship becomes more profitable the bigger you get.”