gourmet magazine, july 1970

i couldn't really decide if i wanted to do a quick little post about how sad i am that gourmet magazine was shut down yesterday or go on at length about how much i love magazines and am worried about what might go next. but the truth of the matter is that i really don't know what to think.

i do miss blueprint and domino but i got over that pretty quickly because they were relatively new. it really hurt when craft magazine folded because of my close ties to them (i had a column and they are a great bunch of folks) but at least it lives on in blog form. but gourmet  had been around since the 1940s, was beautifully designed & photographed and hired amazing writers like david foster wallace ("consider the lobster" august 2004). such an engaging magazine with a rich sense of history.  i am also a huge fan of ruth reichl.

i am one of those people who finds it very difficult to relax. but there's just something about flipping through the pages of magazine that i find to be so peaceful. i love having a big pile of magazines next to my bed, i enjoy holding a magazine and a trip to a newstand is my idea of fun. now that i'm thinking about it magazines have played a very big role in my life. when i should have been reading all of those books that you are supposed to read in high school i was instead studying vogue magazine. i save magazines that most people toss - if peter walsh ever showed up at my house i am sure his first order of business would be to put my complete set of budget living in the dumpster. but how happy am i that i saved those few issues of jill and nest magazines that now go for big bucks on ebay.

it's all very tricky with magazines. we can support them by subscribing and by purchasing the products they advertise - but it's not really up to us. if they are not getting the big advertising dollars then it's over.

i will need to be sedated if sunset or martha ever go under.

(image via cover browser where you can also view gourmet covers from 1959 - 2007)

Comments

[Sister Diane]

Yeah, the magazine is in a huge moment of evolution. I love them too, but perhaps the model is no longer sustainable. I'd love to see a paper magazine evolve a money-model that isn't reliant on ad dollars. (And that doesn't undercut its subscription prices in order to build up a false idea of readership to attract advertisers.)

There's a world of possibilities for new and different business models out there. It's up to publishers to get exploring.

[cathy of california]

well said diane!

it's always so easy to fall for those low subscription rates - "only $1 an issue!" - in reality they are not offering you a deal but actually in need of more readers so they can charge more for ads. kind of a vicious cycle.

one of the biggest losers in all of this is independent/up and coming shops and designers. a mention in domino was potential for alot of business and exposure.

[susie]

I agree with you Cathy that this is so sad. I, too, will throw myself under a bus if Sunset ever closes. When magazines charge $50,000 per page in ad fees...it is not so hard to see how they are not feasible anymore, when advertisers are suffering like everyone else. But magazine cost a lot to produce...so i'm not sure what the answer is. I know that I would have no problem paying 4xs as much for my favorite magazines....but i don't know if that would make a dent.

[Alison Marie]

i never really thought about the economics of magazines, but I can't give up my Martha Stewart magazine subscription no matter what my personal economics are....and I can't throw them out...I've even lugged them up and down stairs when moving.