2009 was brutal in terms of celebrity deaths. Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson and Farrah were the headliners. But, from a journalistic point of view, we lost Robert Novak, who’s perhaps greatest claim to fame came in recent years with the outing of CIA agent, Valerie Plame. And, of course, there was Walter Cronkite, who represents the death of an era. He was a man who symbolized ethics and professionalism in news. A man who, in my mind, represented the opposite of sensationalism, which so dominates the airwaves today.
On top of the human losses, according to a MediaPost article today, 433 magazines died this year. The recession and the continued convergence of media paid its toll. While most have been reduced to back issues and memories, some will live on in digital format only.
Perhaps most shocking was the closing of Gourmet which was first published in 1941 but couldn’t satiate the ad community enough to persevere. Although I won’t list all of them, below are some big ones that couldn’t survive the turmoil. Let’s hope 2010 brings happier times to journalism, magazines and the media business as a whole. Carpe diem…
Cookie
Country Home
Blender
Vibe
Southern Accents
Met Home
Fortune Small Business
Giant
The Advocate
Nickelodeon Magazine
National Geographic Advenutre
I.D.
Editor & Publisher
Hallmark
Domino
Portfolio
Tennis Week
Modern Bride
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I will miss Gourmet, Country Home & Nick Mag. My boys looked forward to Nick Mag arriving every month. We were very sad to read that the December issue was to be the last.
I echo the sentiment in hoping that 2010 is a better year for journalism and media in general.