Queerty breaks news from “multiple [anonymous] sources” inside The Advocate’s parent company Regent/Here Media that the entire company is a sinking ship. Around 13 staffers at the closest thing the LGBT community has to the New York Times were fired on Wednesday, including some top dogs who were replaced by their less-experienced and less-well-paid deputies. Even worse, some freelance writers and contract photographers haven’t been paid in months — given how magazines rely on freelance writers for a good chunk of their content, this is a sign that the magazine is seriously low on cash. Regent/Here tells Queerty that The Advocate will now be distributed as part of a package with glossy Out, but argues in a long letter posted in the comments section that “gutting” is far too harsh a term.

“Strategic and sometimes difficult staff changes” sounds so much more pleasant, doesn’t it?

The letter goes on to hype a new, monthly TV show modeled on CBS’ “60 minutes” that will air online and on the company’s “gay on-demand” TV channel, here! TV. It’s possible this expansion broke the bank.

For Minnesotans, the slow death of print media is not a new story, but there has always been implicit hope that “niche markets” would continue to be profitable, because advertisers could more explicitly target a specialty audience. Here’s to hoping that theory still holds true, and The Advocate is just a victim of mis-management.

Elsewhere…

Maine – Nate Silver, poll analyst at FiveThirtyEight.com, thinks same-gender marriage is sorta-safe in Maine. While he gives the ballot question in tomorrow’s vote decidedly underdog odds of 5-2, off-season like this really rest on voter turnout, as Silver points out. With no presidents, senators, or congresscritters to vote for, generally speaking few folks even remember to get down to the polls — so keep those calls to likely voters coming! No on 1, the group fighting to keep same-gender marriage on the books, still has openings for remote trainings and calling shifts to remind supporters in Maine to get to the polls! All you need is an internet connection, a printer, and a phone.

Michigan – The Family Policy Network bust out the tired, hurtful slur that LGBT Rights = Men in Dresses Using the Ladies’ Room. (JMG)

D.C. – The Senate’s Health, Education, and Labor Committee will be holding hearings Thursday on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

D.C. – US Reps are attacking a bill in the Ugandan Parliament that could make homosexuality punishable by death. Or, more specifically, they’re asking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to leverage the massive amount of US aid Uganda gets to fight AIDS to “convey to Ugandan leaders that this bill is appalling, reckless, and should be withdrawn immediately.” (Box Turtle Bulletin)

Georgia – Atlanta-based CNN is working on a “Gay in America” series, modeled on similar series on the Latino and African-American experiences. (PHB)

NYC – And speaking of TV, MTV is looking for closeted gay athletes for their “True Life” series. (Gay Agenda)