Bon Appetit and Gourmet are slated to die?
Just read at Slate (KausFiles) that Bon Appetit and Gourmet are the next Conde Nast mags slated to die.
He refers to this Newsweek article
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195313
Can either of those glossies survive the decline in ad pages and problems at Conde Nast?
Will you miss them?
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21 Comments:
while i no longer read these magazines, it was nice knowing they were there .... extinctions are occurring all around us.... but there are many new things on the horizon as well.
the times they are a changin'.....
pooch at 4:49AM on 05/01/09
As pooch I no longer read these magazines either. Too expensive and all they do is collect dust.
pjracz10 at 7:00AM on 05/01/09
Will they still have an online presence through epicurious.com? What about "Diary of a Foodie"? Will they still produce that? Since I'm no longer purchasing either magazine on a regular basis, I'm not as concerned that they'll stop producing the print copies - but I do like the other media in which they've become involved.
Amandarama at 7:32AM on 05/01/09
I have subscriptions to both. Christmas Gifts from family. Gourmet is still decent and Bon Apetit is still good. Time magazine however is so thin I am wondering how long it will survive.
JerzeeTomato at 8:12AM on 05/01/09
I don't read them either - their editorial seems to have gravitated from a cooking focus to a bacchanalian eating focus. Big difference. I'm still browsing for recipe ideas almost every day on epicurious.com though.
finewinendine at 8:14AM on 05/01/09
I just discovered epicurious.com & downloaded the app to my iphone, i hope it doesn't go away!!
cookinmama at 9:14AM on 05/01/09
Won't really miss them. Dollar for dollar, I think Saveur is a much better read.
spiceweasel at 9:52AM on 05/01/09
I subscribe to both and would hate to see them die, but I also prefer Saveur to all of the foodie mags. It's the only one I read cover to cover.
kathyvegas at 10:05AM on 05/01/09
I just renewed my Gourmet subscription....26.95 for 3 years....which isn't even a dollar an issue....so...I think far from being expensive, it is a bargain for the entertainment & information each issue provides.
Other than Saveur (My favorite magazine), it is the only food related magazine I subscribe to....and I would miss it if it went away...
If you look at the newsstand, you see the same phenomenon happing to print media as we have seen on television. The "quick" "simple" "lite" "30 minute" "semi-homemade" titles all get the shelf space & exposures.
I would hope that two iconic brands like Gourmet & Bon Appetit would be able to weather this economy rather than fold completely.
I can only speak with regard to Gourmet....but the brand has reinvented itself with a web presence, the tv shows & documentaries and a revamped magazine. I think it is adapting to the changing market, I just hope it isn't too little too late.
2qrs at 10:15AM on 05/01/09
I like Gourmet.. my family has been subscribing to it for 40+ years.. :(
seikel at 10:31AM on 05/01/09
can't find the article...
renzata at 11:06AM on 05/01/09
While living in the USA I subscribed to the magazine as it was much cheaper for a subscription, $11.00
Now that I am back in Canada, I have let my subscription go as prices for magazines are much more here, triple in price.
Honestly, I liked the old Bon Appetit format much better.
Callyn at 11:23AM on 05/01/09
The internet loves ringing the death knell for print magazines; it validates their existence. Nowhere in the Newsweek piece does it say anything about either magazine dying. It is one line of gossip, badly punctuated, on the internet. Portfolio was a huge mistake, badly timed and poorly run and bears little resemblance to these old CN stalwarts. Gourmet isn't going anywhere. I doubt that BA is going anywhere either.
BUT when is the print industry going to learn that you can not give away content for free?
Deb07 at 12:19PM on 05/01/09
When newspapers and other print media go under, I don't think one can blame the economy. You can get *so much* on the internet for free.
Those companies will just need to change with the times. Mediocre/being like everyone else isn't going to cut it anymore.
Cassaendra at 12:28PM on 05/01/09
I miss the "old" Gourmet too - before it was before it was bought by Conde Nast. The recipes were formatted in a Joy Of Cooking-like style, they had a strict ad/edit separation, and the focus was on cooking and food, with travel (a more like source of ads) and luxury goods running a scant second; the travel articles were more about dining and ingredients than fancy hotels and spas.
Although Bon Appetit had more traditional recipe layouts before it was bought by Conde Nast, it also had a lot more accessible food, ingredients and cooking articles, and was more of a quick and easy and recipe focus than it did post acquisition.
Even at the cheapo rate offers I keep getting, I let my subscriptions lapse to these magazines years ago. I get so much, and so much better, cooking/dining/foodie stuff online now - esp. at Serious Eats.
MMinNYC at 12:51PM on 05/01/09
Is the demise of newspapers and magazines contributing to the recession? I think so. I'm old-fashioned enough to enjoy a real newspaper with my morning coffee - leaving the office at the office and not have it on a ringing monster that roosts in my handbag. I admit to getting some great-sounding recipe ideas from the internet, but print journalism is concise and, often, more complete and thoughtful articles from the likes of Laurie Colwin and Anna Quindlan are there when I have time to read them. The news produced on the internet reads like the Daily Enquirer and almost never tells the whole story. Also, bloggers slant what they write to suit their opinions. Give me the facts, please! Off the soapbox except...if the prez once tasted my mom's recipe for pickled beeets, he'd change his tune....
suegsf at 1:12PM on 05/01/09
I have subscribed to BA for many, many years and have given it as a gift to several. I would definitely miss it and hope that they can stay afloat. I think the subscriber price for this magazine is practically free, it comes out to about $1 an issue. You can't beat that and you have something in front of you to keep and read over and over. I have stacks from over the years and go back to them often.
onionlover at 3:46PM on 05/02/09
I nuked my subs to BA and G because I found them to be more about selling expensive watches and yachts than they were about food - and that is my area of interest.
Does it make me sad that yet another American institution (or in this case, two) will bite the dust? You bet your ass. We can all sit around and talk about how the unions ruined the car industry, blah, blah, blah, f*ing blah - but we are missing the big picture. The more products, services and even media we lose, so go our strength and our ability to compete in the global market.
In a nutshell... Failing US businesses = a bad thing.
therealchiffonade at 4:01PM on 05/02/09
I love Gourmet. BA isn't bad, but Gourmet is a better read overall.
I don't use either to cook, so...
I'd be so sad to see Gourmet go under. It's a publication with rare quality.
fuuchan at 12:02PM on 05/03/09
Recipes nudged out of chefs at restaurants were always interesting to read, and the travel articles were my favorites. Would that they had a searchable index for all that; maybe that would sell separately. Does the business model have to be print?
Caramanlis at 12:51PM on 05/03/09
Oh no! My boss is going to loose her mind! All she talks about is Gourmet and Bon Appetite. How else will I get my fix of foodie news and such...oh Seriouseats.com I heard is decent site. And it even has an online community to boot! But, that's just something I heard in the wind...
philadooklyn at 2:28PM on 05/06/09