Gourmet Magazine Closes After Almost 70 Years
Condé Nast Announces They Will Shut Down Popular Culinary Magazine
Oct 6, 2009
Started in 1940, Gourmet magazine has delighted the nearly one million subscribers and fans around the world with their delicious recipes, engaging articles, and inspiration to travel the world in search of culinary delights. However, Monday brought the sad news that after the end of 2009, Gourmet magazine will exist no more. Although Gourmet's website seems pretty mum as to this fact, they posted a link on their Facebook Fan page to an article in the Washington Post discussing this unexpected announcement.
The Condé Nast Announcement to Close Gourmet Magazine
There has been speculation in the industry that either Gourmet or Bon Appétit was likely to be cut, but most were assuming it would be Bon Appétit since it was just redesigned in 2008. The memo released by Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townsend came as a huge shock to many, including Gourmet's Editor, Ruth Reichl, who is a powerful voice in the world of food. Ruth Reichl posted a Tweet on her Twitter account stating, "Thank you all SO much for this outpouring of support. It means a lot. Sorry not to be posting now, but I'm packing. We're all stunned, sad."
Many subscribers continue posting supportive Tweets and comments to Gourmet's Facebook page as they mourn the upcoming loss of the fine cooking magazine. Fans also hope more definitive information will be announced soon as many just renewed their subscriptions and are left wondering what this announcement means for them. Although Bon Appétit will still be produced, some comments have expressed a preference for the mix of recipes, unique travel stories, and food politics that graced the pages of Gourmet.
Why Condé Nast is Closing Magazines
Gourmet was not the only magazine to be cut in the announcement made yesterday. Condé Nast has decided to also cease production of three other magazines - parenting magazine Cookie, and two bridal magazines, Elegant Bride, and Modern Bride. In the memo, Townsend said the decision is part of an effort to "narrow our focus to titles with the greatest prospects for long-term growth."
It seems the decision to close these magazines also a result of competition from popular food shows on television and online sites. Those avenues cost the magazine a portion of the advertising revenue it relied on over the years.
Townsend has also indicated they will still support the Gourmet brand and will use it in book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet's recipes will still appear on Epicurious.com. As it stands, the other magazine, Bon Appétit, will remain intact. To help fill the void of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride, they will increase the production frequency of Brides magazine to make it a monthly publication.
The announcement of the four publications being cut will affect nearly 200 people. The closure of these magazines is being combined with cost and workforce reductions already underway throughout the company, in an attempt to "speed the recovery of our current businesses and enable us to pursue new ventures," Townsend wrote in the memo released yesterday.
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