I, too, wanted to like it. I LOVED some of the writers, and some of the articles. But I can't forget the Ducati piece, which babbled on and on like some cheap advertorial about a motorcycle which, in the end, it declined to picture, while showcasing several of the older models, badly-photographed. NOT the way to do a sexy piece on sexy machines.
The editor was either asleep at the wheel or completely incompetent.
And what's the betting that the Journal's lame ass WSJ is next? From all the protestations from editorial that being perfect bound gave it market differentiation, it only took two issues to send it out saddle stitched (vastly cheaper & the usual recourse when you don't have enough ads to make a proper book).
Their ads are way down from projection. It's still not a monthly as promised on launch for 09.
and Gaudoin managed to lose her fashion director and art director by the second issue (apparently due to her 'eccentric' style of editing; rumor has it the Brits weren't sad to send her off across the Atlantic) and there's a persistent rumor that more are itching to get out of there.
@microtony: Use of "the writing had been on the wall" is questionable, too, because it's a hackneyed phrase.
I read the whole letter and identified with it. But there is a slight amateur quality to the complaints of over-editing and the leader not listening to the bright, young recruits. (Typical complaints.)
The point about using top names who reserve the good stuff for other mags is a good one.
The mag was doomed for failure simply because it relied on Journal hot-shots to run a consumer magazine. That and all the other reasons why so many mags are shutting down. It will not be missed because the world lost nothing by its demise.
She did tell me that--just before getting to the Gawker part of my work history. Awk-ward!
More to the point: I met with the guy who was running the website a few months after they launched to talk about maybe doing a content partnership with Dealbreaker. We were talking about media coverage and I suggested that he hire Bercovici, who was then breaking some good stuff for Radar--which he subsequently did, though probably not at my suggestion. Felix was already there, which was a good sign. He was an appropriate and excellent hire. It had a lot of potential.
The site editor then mentioned that Joanne wasn't very hands-on, and I heard the same thing from other people later, with suggestions that her disinterest worked to their advantage. But I guess since she wasn't very invested in the website, she didn't think it was important, either.
What I don't understand, though, is why Conde Nast insists on neglecting the only hedge it has against the decline of print. With the resources they have, they should be making loads of money off the web--and putting the rest of us out of business. I get that they don't necessarily *need* to (i hear you, Peter Feld) but if the opportunity is there, why not take it?
I can shed a little light here. The reason that Conde, and every other magazine co, are effectively absent from online as a cultural force is that they have a problem accepting the narrow (if any) profit margins that online media businesses return. At this point in time, readers won't pay at all and ad agencies will only pay less than they did last year (per individual).
As the job of the heads of these companies is to grow profits, not just audience, you really won't see them making the kind of websites that they are capable of until there's real money to be made.
@LuigiPashnani: That is a good analysis. To be fair to Conde Nast, few if any other print publication companies have really solved the web puzzle. They get too obsessed with making print and web "work together" when they don't, and can't - if there's one clear fact about the web audience, it's that they don't want your magazine, and if there's one clear fact about the print audience it's that they aren't interested in your website. Audiences are more stratified by media habits than they are united by common interests.
-Publishing jobs are shitty. -I should have studied air conditioning repair. -No one wants to read about Gore Vidal's lack of sex drive. -Scar-jo has a wonderful rack. -A man is not complete without 5 $8000 suits. -Browns shoes, dude. Brown fucking shoes. -Size matters...when it comes to cufflinks! -Fiction can not only be bad, it can be reliably worse-than-McSweeney's bad. -Reading Esquire on the L train leads everyone to think you're a douchebag. -Electronic, E-ink covers, are expensive and may result in the downsizing of employees. -Hot girls are HOT!
i second saxon's point. noone reads Esquire anymore anyway. the only reason it survives is because Hearst offers free advertising to advertisers who place ads in its other magazines. which creates the impression it is still a healthy magazine and tricks a few other advertisers into actually paying to advertise in Esquire. (mostly foreign advertisers who are mostly clueless.) half the subscription base for Esquire are free (they kept sending it to me and all my friends for free.) the magazine doesn't turn a profit. they just keep it going since the trademark may have some value attached which they could sell later.
04/28/09
The editor was either asleep at the wheel or completely incompetent.
04/27/09
Their ads are way down from projection. It's still not a monthly as promised on launch for 09.
and Gaudoin managed to lose her fashion director and art director by the second issue (apparently due to her 'eccentric' style of editing; rumor has it the Brits weren't sad to send her off across the Atlantic) and there's a persistent rumor that more are itching to get out of there.
04/27/09
WSJ.
04/27/09
04/27/09
I read the whole letter and identified with it. But there is a slight amateur quality to the complaints of over-editing and the leader not listening to the bright, young recruits. (Typical complaints.)
The point about using top names who reserve the good stuff for other mags is a good one.
The mag was doomed for failure simply because it relied on Journal hot-shots to run a consumer magazine. That and all the other reasons why so many mags are shutting down. It will not be missed because the world lost nothing by its demise.
04/27/09
04/27/09
04/27/09
04/27/09
More to the point: I met with the guy who was running the website a few months after they launched to talk about maybe doing a content partnership with Dealbreaker. We were talking about media coverage and I suggested that he hire Bercovici, who was then breaking some good stuff for Radar--which he subsequently did, though probably not at my suggestion. Felix was already there, which was a good sign. He was an appropriate and excellent hire. It had a lot of potential.
The site editor then mentioned that Joanne wasn't very hands-on, and I heard the same thing from other people later, with suggestions that her disinterest worked to their advantage. But I guess since she wasn't very invested in the website, she didn't think it was important, either.
What I don't understand, though, is why Conde Nast insists on neglecting the only hedge it has against the decline of print. With the resources they have, they should be making loads of money off the web--and putting the rest of us out of business. I get that they don't necessarily *need* to (i hear you, Peter Feld) but if the opportunity is there, why not take it?
04/27/09
I can shed a little light here. The reason that Conde, and every other magazine co, are effectively absent from online as a cultural force is that they have a problem accepting the narrow (if any) profit margins that online media businesses return. At this point in time, readers won't pay at all and ad agencies will only pay less than they did last year (per individual).
As the job of the heads of these companies is to grow profits, not just audience, you really won't see them making the kind of websites that they are capable of until there's real money to be made.
numberwrangler
04/27/09
04/27/09
[www.portfolio.com]
04/27/09
04/27/09
04/27/09
11/07/08
11/07/08
11/07/08
11/07/08
It's also pretty thin compared to GQ.
11/07/08
-Publishing jobs are shitty.
-I should have studied air conditioning repair.
-No one wants to read about Gore Vidal's lack of sex drive.
-Scar-jo has a wonderful rack.
-A man is not complete without 5 $8000 suits.
-Browns shoes, dude. Brown fucking shoes.
-Size matters...when it comes to cufflinks!
-Fiction can not only be bad, it can be reliably worse-than-McSweeney's bad.
-Reading Esquire on the L train leads everyone to think you're a douchebag.
-Electronic, E-ink covers, are expensive and may result in the downsizing of employees.
-Hot girls are HOT!
11/07/08