Did the “Davids” of the blogosphere lay the print giants low, or is it just the economy? 

Several of us have heralded the coming fall of traditional print media, for good or ill, and it looks like the trend just took a big leap forward as Conde Nast is dropping several major publications… not the least of which is Gourmet magazine.  

I just saw an article about this in the SFGate, and from the sounds of things the economy is the biggest factor, which make some sense.  Conde Nast publications are known for their high-end finish, and that’s expensive to maintain in any environment.  Given that advertisers are being a lot tighter with their dollars, it’s no surprise that the big, glossy mags are feeling the bite.

What the heck does this have to do with hog hunting, or hunting in general? 

Very little, I guess.  It does concern me a bit about the future of our hook-and-bullet magazines, though.  I think I commented a while back on the layout and production changes in Field and Stream and Outdoor Life, wherein they’ve pushed the margins all the way to the edge of the page, and changed the paper quality as well… not to mention the dismissal/retirement of two classic writers, Jim Carmichel and Patrick McManus.  It’s expensive to run a quality magazine, and as cheaper, more efficient alternatives arise, we’ll probably see the old-tech fade away.

Anyway, those of us who still enjoy the look and feel of a paper-based magazine may want to pay close attention to the trend.  The economy may be starting to bounce a bit, but the long-term repercussions will be felt for quite some time.  Pretty much every major magazine has expanded into “new media” in one way or another, and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see more of them going purely digital in the next three or four years. 

As the luddites and pre-tech generations hand over the market to the Gen-Xers and their kids, there may very well come a time when you’ll need a mouse or a touchpad to flip through the pages of your favorite rag.

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