Gourmet Magazine to Fold after 68 Years

In a print media shocker today Media Decoder reports that Conde Nast is shutting down Gourmet magazine, the almost 70 year-old glossy food mag.

The magazine has suffered a severe decline in ad pages, but the cut still comes as a shock. There was speculation that Conde Nast would close one of its food titles — Gourmet or Bon Appetit — but most bets were on the latter. Gourmet has a richer history than Bon Appetit, and its editor Ruth Reichl is powerful in the food world.

It's a huge blow to the print media world, the food writing world, and of course, Reichl (keep an eye on her twitter for the goodbyes). New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton is calling it a sad day for anyone who loved the mag's "recipes, lush photography and endlessly curious, immensely smart travel and food writing." Meanwhile, some bittersweet congrats are in order for the folks over at Bon Ap, who will keep their jobs for now.
·Conde Nast to Close Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride [NYT]