Two biz reporters taking leave from media beat

Peter Kafka of All Things Digital reports that two well-known business journalists covering the media beat: Tim Arango of the New York Times and Jon Fine of BusinessWeek, are off the territory for the time being.

Kafka writes that Fine is taking a six-month sabbatical to travel the world. As for Arango, he writes, “I’ve heard that Arango is leaving for six months and that the Times doesn’t have plans to replace him while he’s out. But media editor Bruce Headlam, via email, says the paper is still figuring all of that out:

A lot is still up in the air -– When Tim might go and for how long. We do know that he will be coming back, however, and he’s a huge asset to our group so we’re looking for creative solutions in the meantime.

“Arango came to the Times after stints at Time Warner’s Fortune and News Corp.’s New York Post. I’ve asked him for comment -– for instance, I’d love to know why he wants to trade midtown office suites for the desert -– and will report back if I hear from him.”

Read more here.