New York mega publisher Conde Nast has decided to cut four of its less profitable magazines. Most notable among them is the monthly Gourmet magazine.
Gourmet magazine chief editor is the culinary critic Ruth Reichl. It’s recipes and luscious photographs and is beloved by upscale foodies. Its advertising revenues for the first six months of the year fell by more than 40 percent against last year. Elegant Bride, Modern Bride and Cookie, a lifestyle publication for mothers of young children, are also scheduled to be closed after suffering significant revenue losses.
Other Conde Nast publications, part of the Newhouse family’s media empire, such as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and GQ remain untouched for now. The Newhouse Family is known for their largesse and pride toward the publications, and many of their editors have themselves become celebrities, such as the fashion arbiter of Vogue, Anna Wintour, who’s inspired a documentary, a novel and a movie.
The recession, therefore, came as a shock to the system at Conde Nast. Most of the magazines that survived were forced to make cuts. Conde Nast hopes to hold on to readers as it still publishes Bride magazine and the foodie Bon Appétit. The Gourmet name will live on through a new television series and the company’s successful Epicurious Web site, which draws 4.5 million unique visitors each month.
Not all publishing news is bleak. The smaller rival Saveur magazine has seen a rise of nearly 20 percent in ad sales in the same period.
As reported by NPR , October 5th, 2009
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113579998
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