Ruth Reichl turns 65 today. It is hard to believe that there was a time when a dining critic could be considered controversial. But, then again, I have a hard time believing that anything ever somehow seemed to matter that much. In the end we all die. What difference does it make? Anyway, happy birthday Ruth.
Broke: "Conde Nast plans to announce this morning that it will close Gourmet magazine, a magazine of almost biblical status in the food world; it has been published since December 1940." I love me some Ruth Reichl, so this makes me sad. Also, they decided to close this over Bon Appetit? What a world.
ALSO: "In addition to Gourmet, Conde Nast plans to announce this morning it will also close Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride. Parenting magazine Cookie is a relatively new introduction, started in 2005, while the bridal magazines were seen as offshoots of the bigger Brides, which Conde Nast also owns."
There's this: At General Motors, executives originally cultivated distinct personalities for its Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac divisions. But those divisions began to blur into one in the 1970s. In the 1990s, General Motors bleached from Saturn (a GM startup) and Saab (an acquisition) their distinctive, desirable qualities.
At GM, the least successful divisions have often found it easier-at least politically-to compete against their corporate brothers instead of the real competition (Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, et al.). If Chevy had a successful SUV, Buick wanted an SUV. If Chevy had a successful two-seater sports car, Pontiac wanted one, and so did Saturn. If Buick succeeded in selling luxury, [...]
Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townshend tells the Times' Stephanie Clifford that none of the company's other titles will be shuttered, although some may reduce frequency. And the poorly-received decision to kill Gourmet rather than Bon Appétit?
