Did you catch yesterday's buzz on the revived Gourmet magazine? Yes, Condé Nast is bringing it back — as an iPad app. No, there won't be any new content, Ruth Reichl, or Romulo Yanes. It's a zombie resurrection — how do you feel about it?
This is simply a re-presentation of the archives, along with corporate potential for "social gameplay, e-commerce opportunities," and perhaps a small amount of new content by "producers." Just to be really clear, Condé Nast executive Bob Sauerberg said of the two Gourmet magazines: "You can’t compare the two things because they’re completely different."
So, on the one hand, we are glad that Condé Nast is not just dumping Gourmet's back issues in an archive somewhere. Some of the best food writing of the past century lives in those issues, and it would be a shame for them to get locked away. We are glad that they will be re-presented and made widely available.
On other hand, this not a re-launch of Gourmet. We can only hope that any new content from these "producers" is not something driven by advertisers, or the anemic stuff that litters food magazines these days.
• Read more: Condé Nast Brings Gourmet–But Not Its Staff–Back From the Dead
• See the Gourmet Live presentation at Gourmet
How do you feel about this Gourmet "re-launch"?
• Related: Gourmet Magazine To Be Resurrected By Condé Nast?
(Image: Gourmet)
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Comments (15)
If this gives us easy access to all the archives, articles and recipes included, then I'll definitely take a look at it when it comes out. That would be worth the price of the app alone.
The "new content" they talk about doesn't thrill me very much - I'm guessing this will be very watered-down food writing, at best.
Maybe we'll be surprised? Hopefully? Fingers crossed?
I didn't watch the video--but is this all for ipad only? What about those of us who don't have iphones, ipads, or anything but old-fashioned computers?
It's a smart way to make money off of old content, but to be honest, I'd prefer an active website (full of new stuff, of course.)
Meh. I like the irony of naming it "Gourmet Live" when it's Gourmet Fossilized.
The weirdest part of this ad campaign is the word they keep using: "reward". "Good living rewarded." WTF? What on earth does that mean? (paying for) this app is supposed to be a reward for... choosing it? Are you rewarding yourself? Are they rewarding you? Is the reward the resurrection of the Gourmet brand? And what is this good living that will or will not be rewarded?
Will non-iPad/Pod users still have access to the archival stuff? Because I'd like to be able to browse their recipes, but not if I need to buy a new piece of hardware to do it.
I believe that it is free.
Also they say on your device meaning it won't be ipad only.
This just makes me so angry all over again. Conde Nast killing Gourmet has got to be one of the worst decisions they've made. Gourmet is so missed. And, now they trot out the zombie. Jerks.
I suppose it's nice that they've realized (too late) how beloved Gourmet was.
Though this is more than a little bizarre ("Gourmet Fossilized" -- ha!), if they brought back "Domino Live" as an app, I know we would all snap it up in an instant.
ZOMBIE GOURMET HAS DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINS
(sorry, couldn't help myself)
I actually wrote about this the other day:
http://www.dogsandwine.com/gourmet-rises-from-the-ashes-sort-of/
Of course it's delightful to see the return of such a prestigious brand, but I have my concerns...
Oh come on - There's got to be a few decades worth of material here for folks to go through...
...and if there's a better way to search and discover ideas that may still apply to today's needs, what's wrong with that?
Recipies don't become obsolete once a magazine is chucked in the trash.
...it's a closed-source, closed platform zombie resurrection. That's like a triple dose of evil or something. *shudder*
Great that old content will be made easily available. But this is still just a horrific sign of the crap hole the publishing world is sinking farther and farther into.
Conde Nast doesn't value content new or old. They simply seek opportunity to make new ad revenue off of something they don't have to pay journalists for. If they truly valued content, they would appreciate the decades of quality they produced and make a commitment to carrying it on so future generations will have the ability to look back at our current cooking climate and gain all the insight we glean from old Gourmet mags. What will our kids get? An ipad relic full of ads?
I understand that publishing is an industry, but profits not content have become the bottom line and readers suffer the loss.
I was fearing something like this when Conde Nast said it had big plans for the Gourmet "brand." I don't want a "brand" offering stale "content" -- I want my magazine back, with the beautiful pictures and the reviews of restaurants I'll never see the inside of and the in-depth articles that make me remember why I care so much about good, fresh food -- and Ruth Reichl and the Sterns and the occasional eminent author penning a brilliant article just for the heck of it.
Cremedela wrote - >
I'm right there will you on that.
& It had the best food photography.