I’m heartbroken by the news that Gourmet is closing. I can’t stand Bon Appetit (the other Conde Nast cooking magazine). I know they had to make decisions to close some magazines because of the economy, but, I really wish it had been Bon Appetit. My heart goes out to everyone in the magazine industry who has lost a job — the editors, writers, photographers, printers, adverting folks.
What makes me saddest is that the closing of Gourmet comes after months of research by consulting firm McKinsey which means that somehow there aren’t enough people like me to keep my favorite magazines alive (Blueprint, Gourmet). It really makes me feel lonely.
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Honey, it’s not about how many of us there are in the world. It’s all about advertising dollars, not subscribers or how well the magazines connect with the world. The magazine model is deeply broken–success is totally unrelated to editorial content or fan base, most of the time.
Look around the blog world–we all loved the same magazines and miss them terribly. Blueprint, Domino, now Gourmet and Cookie (worst name ever but good content). Don’t feel alone; take heart in the fact that we do have a strong like-minded community online, we just aren’t being served by the magazine publishers anymore.
I feel the same way. sigh.
I can’t believe it. First Domino and Blueprint, now this. Maybe there’s a new future for such magazines out there, a new medium or way of doing things. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the people at Gourmet find a new and equally fantastic home.
I’m completely heartbroken as well! It’s such a fantastic magazine. Great recipes, articles and gorgeous photography. I will miss it greatly!
I’m sure you’ve read by now, that Cookie is closing as well. Such a sad day for print.
I feel your loneliness and so does my mailbox!
Domino, Blueprint, Gourmet. Cookie. The world of inspiring print magazines is slipping through our fingers. On the bright side, the online publishing gods gave us Lonny last week…
I KNOW! Waaaaah. Losing Blueprint was crushing enough, and now they’re closing all the things I replaced it with…
It really does feel like every single magazine I care about has closed or is closing. Like everyone else, Blueprint, then Domino, and now Gourmet and (to a lesser extent) Cookie. It does feel very lonely.
Have you checked out Saveor, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=saveur+magazine&aq=0s&oq=saveour+ma&aqi=g-s1. I actually like it better than Gourmet.
What a depressing Monday. I can’t help but think of all of those amazingly talended creative people that make these magazines so special. That’s a lot of people out of work. And we all suffer the creative void.
What a sad Monday morning! My heart goes out to the employees and their families who have been affected.
I remain hopeful that Gourmet and Cookie will rise like a phoenix from the ashes and into a newer format, perhaps with only online content or something of that nature.
Working for a magazine publishing company myself, it’s all about the $$$ brought in by the advertisers. All advertisers have been pulling back over the last year and if there are not enough advertisers bringing in the money to support the magazine, companies are folding them, no matter how great the editorial content. I too will miss Gourmet very much! Reading Gourmet and cooking from their recipes was my little escape from the daily grind…
i love love love gourmet so much. soooo sad. and it’s such an institution.
I so agree. I cannot stand Bon Appetit either, and I hate what this decision reflects about the American palate.
What?! Devastation. If things continue at this rate, magazines will become a thing of the past.
I once heard that a full page ad in Elle Decor is (roughly) $30,000. Compare that with the rate of the most popular design blogs on the internet. Is it any wonder advertisers are taking their marketing dollars online? I think that as the blogging platform becomes a stronger and more respected media outlet, the more we will see seemingly strong periodicals fold.
I was looking at the magazine rack at the bookstore the other day and thought where did I go? Too many of the magazines I identified with are gone. It is sad but I understand companies have to cut their advertising in times like these. Luckily we have Lonny and a great blog community to keep up going!
Have you ever read Cooks Illustrated? It’s not very pretty, but it’s got fantastic recipes.
A number of you have said it’s not about number of readers that makes a magazine fold, that instead it’s about advertisers — but, if a magazine had enough readers, the advertisers would be there, is my feeling. So, I still feel lonely.
I am in total agreement with you. I bailed on Bon Appetit and have been a Gourmet subscriber for about 10 years. I will miss this magazine every month in my mailbox. And I will miss Ruth Reichl. She’ll be fine, but I’ll miss her nonetheless.
I’m with you! I’m a cash strapped graduate student but for the last 3 years I continue to subscribe for Gourmet. Sufficient to say, I learn to expand my cooking from Gourmet. I usually took new edition with me to be read on the train or bus. This is one magazine I read from back to back! Even though the photos are sometimes gloomy and recipes were not always working, but the writings are always interesting! Gourmet is one fine magazine to read, even when you’re not interested in cooking. Sad, sad day…
very sad about Gourmet, but please lets remember that many people lost their jobs today. Bon Appetit is an incredible magazine and just because YOUR personal favorite closed…please dont be negative and ruin your post by being so nasty. To each his or her own and if you read foodie magazines, you live your life by this.
Alot of hearts were broken today- mine included! I’m a relatively new subscriber to Gourmet but I looked forward to receiving it every month. It was the perfect mix of gorgeous photography, great writing and stellar recipes…something like this won’t come along again for a long time…maybe never. What a sad state we’re in.
I, too, am heartbroken. I used to collect Gourmet and Saveur magazines several years ago, then got rid of them when we made a big move and I decided to un-packrat myself. I always liked Gourmet magazine though. It seems like just about every magazine I have fallen in love with over the years has died…Shopping Etc, Budget Living, Blueprint, Domino, and now this. It’s really quite sad. At least the new Lonny Mag is online. Maybe eventually there will be an online foodie mag too.
it’s so sad about gourmet, truly. i certainly don’t wish bon appetit was closing instead–no one wants the talented people at ANY magazine to be jobless (as someone who worked in the magazine industry and was laid off herself, believe me, i know!)–but gourmet was an institution, and i really hope ruth reichl and her team can make the best of these horrible circumstances. same for the folks at cookie.
p.s. i still miss blueprint. sigh.
I don’t get it. Who wouldn’t rather read dreamy articles about far away places (or ones right around the block, for that matter), look at stunning photographs and try recipes that are sophisticated and don’t talk down to you? What’s fun about convenience and meals in under 10 minutes? I just don’t understand. I’ll be sad to get that last issue in mail.
i had the same thought – wish there was an option to buy a printed version. i would definitely do that!