MASTHEAD MADNESS

The Hollywood Reporter has long been a revolving door for journalists.

First to go under the year-old regime headed by editor Teri Ritzer was former editor Paul Wilner, who was demoted to managing editor after Ritzer stepped in. Four months later, she gave him the ax; he’s now features editor at the S.F. Examiner.

Now Tom Gilbert, who replaced Wilner as managing editor, has left--more quickly than he had planned. He gave notice a few weeks ago so he could take an “unspecified” editor slot at Weekly Variety in NYC. News editor Therese L. Wells was tapped to replace Gilbert, who planned to stick around through September until her job could be filled. But when Gilbert showed up to work Tuesday (after being out ill the previous day), he found a front-page Reporter article announcing Wells’ “promotion.” Her new status was “effective immediately,” since Gilbert was “relocating to the East Coast.”

“Not exactly a professional way to go about this kind of thing,” said Gilbert, who “relocated” right out the Reporter door.

Laughed Gilbert: “I didn’t even get a going-away party.”

Gilbert is one of half a dozen Reporter staffers who’ve exited in the past two months.

We tried editor Ritzer for comment but she didn’t return the calls.