For two and a half years, no one was quite sure what was going on with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, when its namesake was tangling with U.S. prosecutors and the federal court system.
   We have a better idea today, on the week of Stewart's release from federal prison in West Virginia.
    There's an ongoing shakeup in the works under new MSLO boss Susan Lyne, and one casualty, announced yesterday, is Suzanne Sobel, publisher of Martha Stewart Living for the past seven years. The company released a statement that Sobel had decided to go on to other things. Sobel held the title of executive vice president of MSLO and also oversaw Everyday Food, Martha Stewart Weddings and Martha Stewart Kids.
   While surprising to some, coming days before her longtime boss's release, Sobel's ouster should not come as a shocker to the media world and others who observed the parent company over recent years.
   The ouster is less a reflection of Sobel's abilities than an indication that Stewart and her top executives feel the need to craft a new image for the company, with as few as possible remnants of the dark days. Certainly, getting Martha Stewart Living's ad page back up in a hurry tops the list of must-dos for Lyne.
   More than half of MSLO's 2004 revenues of $187 million came from publishing. And that’s in what was an off year for Martha Stewart Living. Last year the magazine was down 46.6 percent in ad pages, to 658.8 from 1,233.7. 
    Sobel had been the magazine’s publisher since 1997 and with the company since 1991. Lauren Stanich will take over for Sobel until a replacement is named.
   Sobel’s ouster comes just as Lyne reportedly implemented plans to give the other Martha Stewart magazine publishers more control over their publications.
    MSLO has not commented on the reason for the change, but rumors have floated for two months that the magazine was looking for a new publisher, and with Lyne taking over and Stewart coming back, big shakeups seemed inevitable.
   MSLO has already endured one big management shakeup in the past six months. In November Sharon Patrick resigned as president and CEO of the company, clearing the way for former ABC Entertainment president Lyne.