Home > Relish Austin > Archives > 2009 > October > 05 > Entry
After 68 years, Gourmet magazine to close after Nov. issue
What a day for food news.
The New York Times is reporting that Gourmet magazine will cease publication after the November issue. After 68 years as one of the best food magazines around (the most recent 10 years with food powerhouse Ruth Reichl as editor), this news is a sad reminder of the changing times.
Yes, the economy is bad, but magazines have been struggling for a while. Ad sales are down. Subscriptions are down. Free content is everywhere, but you can’t find the quality of photography and articles published in Gourmet just anywhere. Especially in Bon Appetit, the “other” food magazine Conde Nast owns.
Few in the industry thought that Conde Nast could continue to publish two food magazines for much longer, but many put their bets on the less-prestigious (and to me, less engaging and enjoyable to look at) Bon Appetit. But when you look at the other food publications out there — Cooking Light, Eating Well, Saveur, Food + Wine, Every Day with Rachael Ray and even the Food Network’s magazine — readers want quick bites, tips, low-fat recipes and dinners they can cook in less than 20 minutes.
Gourmet just released “Gourmet Today,” a collection of more than 1,000 new recipes for “how we cook today.” A great concept and a fine book, I’m sure, but I haven’t seen it. Budget cuts must have forced them to reduce the number of review copies they sent out. (We haven’t received review copies of the magazine in a long time, but I subscribed anyway.)
It’ll be interesting to see what Reichl, a former New York Times restaurant critic, does next. She has a series on PBS that is supposed to air this fall and has had success with her memoirs, but what do you do after 10 years at the helm of the world’s most elegant food magazine?
UPDATE: It appears Gourmet will continue in book publishing and television programing. From an e-mail quoted on LA Observed:
Gourmet magazine will cease monthly publication, but we will remain committed to the brand, retaining Gourmet’s book publishing and television programming, and Gourmet recipes on Epicurious.com. We will concentrate our publishing activities in the epicurean category on Bon Appétit.
As if the news of Gourmet closing wasn’t enough to digest this morning, the Federal Trade Commission announced that starting December 1, bloggers must disclose freebies or payments they get from companies in exchange for reviewing their products.
From AP: “It is the first time since 1980 that the commission has revised its guidelines on endorsements and testimonials, and the first time the rules have covered bloggers. But the commission stopped short Monday of specifying how bloggers must disclose any conflicts of interest.”
This is an interesting ruling that will without a doubt affect the food blogging community. Violators could face up to $11,000 in fines, but I’d really like to know who is going to be perusing the millions of blogs to find out who is breaking the rules.
Permalink | Comments (6) | Post your comment Categories: Chewing the fat, Food in the news
Comments
When commenting, we ask that you keep things civil and abide by our Visitor Agreement. To report comment abuse, click here.
By ELL857
October 5, 2009 10:50 AM | Link to this
It leaves a fowl taste in my mouth.
By LazySmurf
October 5, 2009 10:57 AM | Link to this
I like Gourmet too, certainly better than Bon Appetit although Saveur is my favorite.
I think bloggers should certainly disclose if they are getting things for free but how on earth are they going to enforce this law? Is the FBI going to be trolling blogs and then hacking into emails to find out if people got their product for free? It seems pretty absurd.
By Brittany (HeCooksSheCooks.net)
October 5, 2009 12:08 PM | Link to this
That is incredibly sad news about Gourmet! My parents first got me a subscription when I was 5 years old, and I’ve only been able to appreciate it more over time. I loved the recent redesign. And I still go back through old issues when I visit home.
As a foodie and a journalist, this is very depressing news.
By Stephen
October 5, 2009 12:59 PM | Link to this
There is a lot of overlap in magazines like Bon Apetit and Gourmet as well as free content
By myrnatheminx
October 5, 2009 3:16 PM | Link to this
To answer your last question—The AP. Kidding! Sort of!
By enerislaplece
May 10, 2011 1:44 AM | Link to this
Hi, my english isnt the most beneficial but I think by regulary visits of your respective blog it is going to be far better inside the next time. You possess a very good wrting style that is quick to understand and can helps individuals like me to learn english. I will be now a regulary visitor of your blog.