Condé Nast Shutters Four Magazines
Gourmet, Cookie, Elegant Bride and Modern Bride to cease publishing.
UPDATE: Condé Nast CEO: No More Magazine Closures
The first wave of big changes have hit Condé Nast following its restructuring evaluation by consultants McKinsey & Company.
Effective today, Condé Nast’ is shuttering four magazines: Gourmet, Cookie, Elegant Bride and Modern Bride. Brides magazine will increase its frequency to monthly to “solidify its position” in the bridal magazine category.
Gourmet’s book publishing and television prgramming will be retained, the company said, and Gourmet recipes will continue to appear on Epicurious.com. Condé Nast also publishes Bon Appetit.
The news was announced this morning by CEO Chuck Townsend in a memo to staffers. “These changes, combined with cost and workforce reductions now underway throughout the company, will speed the recovery of our current businesses and enable us to pursue new ventures,” Townsend wrote. “In the coming weeks, we hope to announce initiatives to develop digital versions of our brands that will make use of new devices and distribution channels.”
A Condé Nast spokesperson declined to say how many layoffs were associated with the closings.
The affected titles had seen a rough first half in regard to advertising page losses, according to Publishers Information Bureau numbers. Through the first half, Gourmet saw ad pages tumble 46.1 percent, Cookie’s ad pages fell 19.5 percent, Elegant Bride’s fell 32.5 percent and Modern Bride saw pages decrease 21.5 percent.
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Gourmet shuttering
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 11:28.This is very sad. Gourmet has been a mainstay for decades.
Layoffs?
Submitted by Paul on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 11:31.Why would there be layoffs if the brand is continuing with a digital presence? Call it what it really is, another greedy company trying to pay CEO bonuses while letting go talented people who really need jobs. I subscribe to MANY Condé Nast magazines which I may now be canceling as a result of this.
Jay Rayner article at Guardian..
Submitted by Paola on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 11:51.http://tinyurl.com/ycgsbdv
Agreed with both of the above
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 11:54.Gourmet Magazine is a national treasure - first published in 1941. Killing it is almost like killing National Geographic.
McKinsey & Company
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 12:15.I would love to know what the industry findings were from McKinsey.
Gourmet Shutdown
Submitted by Sail on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 12:20.I would have suspended publishing Bon Appetite before Gourmet.
Much better brand and I get both publications and was thinking of cancelling Bon Appetite and keeping Gourmet. I guess I'll stick with Cuisine and Cooks.
Why didn't they try a "no
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 13:08.Why didn't they try a "no advertising" model like Cuisine at home does? There have to be enough people willing to pay more just to keep Gourmet alive.
Ground breaking magazines
Submitted by Angus on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 13:59.What a shame - but that's not a commercial sentiment is it? I'm from the UK and loved my US trips and visits to specialist newstands, being able to pick up CN food and lifestyle magazines. I wonder if CN ever thought that if they asked their most loyal subscribers to pay an extra $X they could keep the title open? It wasn't a magazine, it was a friend and an inspiration. RIP and all who created you.
Hard to Swallow
Submitted by Karen on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 14:35.I'm sadden by this news. I would have payed more to keep the print magazine. I didn't read it for the recipes, I read it as a treat to myself. I could live as a well-traveled, well-connected foodie through its pages.
Gourmet shutdown: alternative
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 14:45.There's always Taunton's Fine Cooking magazine, it's excellent.
Don't give up yet!
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 14:46.To those of you who are upset enough to think about canceling your subscriptions because of these closures. Don't do anything yet. I am sure that a sound company like Conde Nast would never harm their employees by laying off without great pain or great reasoning. They have always been a very dedicated company to the employees and I think it would be a travesty to believe they cut just to give the upper half a bonus. It is a very sad day that Conde has lost four publications. Don't be a party to making it more.
sad day
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 14:58.Truth is it's a sad day and this is true for CN as well as other companies tied to CN, like CMG. This is going to mean more cutbacks for sure in both companies.
magazines
Submitted by advertiser on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 15:38.Its' sad,but they had it coming. Ad costs are absolutely insane. 1 full page add in a magazine usually cost about $4,000-7000. Not many can afford those rates. For bridal magainzes, only top disigners and vendors could afford paying $5,000 per page/per issue. They should have reduced those rates to attract normal vendors. I am videographer myself and I can't pay $5000 per issue for an ad. If they priced it at around $1,000 then it would've made it more reasonable and not only affordable to high end wedding gown designers.
What's the point?
Submitted by Angus on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 18:32.OK. There are a gazillion reasons in bad times why a magazaine has to close, particularly if it's in a stable of other products considered to have a brighter future. As a consumer one hopes, and over the years I#ve seen it happen, that the essence of a magazine remains and is reborn a little later somewhere else - same values, same excitement, same novelty - but with a new brand. In the UK there was "Eat Soup" and "Taste" - but stand aside Jamie Oliver - I'm still waiting for the Phoenix moment....
There will be layoffs...
Submitted by Mr Furious on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 21:52.With a monthly publication ceasing, there absolutely will be an excess of manpower. The continuing operations were already staffed, and cannot absorb a staff the size of Gourmet's—there is simply no need for that many people unless they plan to dramatically increase publications of books.
An online presence requires far fewer people than print. A web site won't even necessarily require new content.
Full page ads in Gourmet certainly cost far more than $4000-7000, by the way, at least ten times that amount.
The best thing that could happen would be for Conde Nast to sell the title to someone else to continue publication...even if after a hiatus.
Ad rates
Submitted by Mr Furious on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 21:56.I just looked it up. Full page ads in Gourmet were $75,000-100,000 depending on frequency and position in the book. With numbers like that, it's hard to understand how it could lose money...
The crime is that the magazine could certainly be produced on a less extravagant budget than Conde Nast spent. I'd be curious what the art and editorial budgets per issue were...
Print vs. Digital
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 10:29.When will these publishers realize that there is still a HUGE segment of their readers that will ALWAYS want print! I will grant you- there is a future for Digital formats, but to kill print is a mistake! With ad sales down 46% it is clear CN needed to revamp ad rates long ago! This is a sad day in more ways than one! I am dissapointed and discouraged by this news.
Ruth
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 10/06/2009 - 12:23.I'm guessing, because i used to work there, that Ruth and her execs were TOTALLY overpaid. If you weren't part of her click, you were GONE. Too much politics. Good magazine, though, in spite of her.
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