From the December issue: It’s the home of major media companies such as Viacom, the New York Times, Condé Nast, Reuters, Bertelsmann and Universal Music Group; broadcast studios for ABC, MTV, NASDAQ and others; headquarters of Morgan Stanley and law firms such as Proskauer Rose, Skadden Arps and Cravath Swaine & Moore. One-quarter of all hotels in Manhattan are there, along with Broadway theaters and some of the best retail in the world. And, oh, tens of millions of visitors annually come by.

So before the world’s eyes turn to Times Square for New Year’s Eve, it seemed like a good time to consider the state of the office market in the city’s most famous district. After all, some 200,000 people work in Times Square, 70 percent of them in finance and creative fields.

Let’s use the Times Square Alliance’s borders for the district: 40th Street to 53rd Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues, as well as Restaurant Row (46th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues). [more]

For those who are short on attention and flush with the woes of shared New York City real estate, reality TV has the answer. MTV is offering the chance to vent roommate frustrations to the entire country. The network — via Craigslist — is scouting Lower East Side residents with “SERIOUS roommate issues” for a reality show segment called “True Life: I Have Roommate Issues.” Those without truly “nightmare” living situations (and a photo) need not apply. [Craigslist via EV Grieve]

The Seaside Heights home and the cast of “Jersey Shore”

The oiled-down, slicked-up stars of MTV’s “Jersey Shore” aren’t the only ones cashing in on the fame of the Jersey beach’s eponymous reality show. The Situation is, the landlord for the gang’s iconic vacation home, at 1215 Ocean Terrace in Seaside Heights, says he’s raking in more than three times what he did before the show, with fans clamoring to bask in the glowing residue of self-tanner and new stardom. The 3,200-square-foot house is reportedly being rented out for $3,500 per night from now until May, when prices will jump to $6,500 a night. While the landlord said he cleaned the place from top to bottom after MTV wrapped filming, most of the décor remains. [more]

MTV leaves 1515 Broadway (Photo source: PropertyShark.com)

One of Times Square’s most recognizable tenants, MTV, may soon be vacating the neighborhood. Its parent company, Viacom, has chosen not to renew its lease at 1515 Broadway between 44th and 45th streets. The music entertainment juggernaut moved into its glass-paneled digs back in 1997, when crime was high and rent was low, for around $40 per square foot. The Post estimated that rent in that neighborhood could now be more than 10 times what it was then. The space’s property manager, SL Green, has already begun marketing the spot.