The Future of Print Media / Would You Rather Read a Conventional Culinary Magazine or an Online Version?

[FlavoursGal]

I'm curious about how others feel regarding the proliferation of online "magazines" and blogs. I, for one, am still getting the paper delivered every morning, enjoy going to the bookstores and magazine shops to leaf through books and magazines, and buying those that interest me.

I spend so much at the computer for work-related and Chowhound (!!!) purposes that a break from the computer - literally, down time - is essential for me. I've never been tempted to curl up with my laptop. Besides, there's something about flipping through pages - that tactile element - that is immensely appealing. Not to mention the fact that words and photos on the printed [paper] page are so much easier on the eyes.

Do you think there's hope for the survival of culinary magazines? New ones do crop up (the "Edible" publications spring to mind) and do well apparently. What's your take on this?

[edibelly]

I often search for recipes on the internet, but I'd never want to read in-depth articles and editorials online. I am selective about the food magazines I buy, and I do not subscribe to any because I like to leaf through the choices each month. Many months, there's nothing inside worth buying the magazine for.

FlavoursGal referred to the Edible Communities publications. I've had the opportunity to read both Edible Portland and Edible Boston, and have been extremely impressed by the format and content of these magazines. I don't know how many Edibles exist, but they appear to be franchised and distributed free of charge. The editions I've seen focus on sustainable local agriculture, artisanal products and slow food. An added bonus is that the whole issue pertains to one region. I see these magazines, which are published quarterly, as a very welcome alternative to online blogs and high-priced monthlies. If only there was an Edible in my area!

[HillJ]

edi, I enjoy Edible mags as well and just learned that the publication is coming to NJ.
Here's the main link: http://www.ediblecommunities.com/

[pepper_mil]

I hardly ever cook from books anymore, though there are some that I love. Online sites offer far too many things that print can't - being able to search by ingredient, for example, and the interactivity that comes with sites such as this one. I've been curled up with my laptop all day. I do think there will remain a niche for books, particularly the comprehensive, heavily researched type. Would not miss magazines if they disappeared - I am aware that there is content there that I can't get online, but don't find it more valuable than the content I can get online.

[ClaireWalter]

I would have written what Lea/canada-eats did if she hadn't first. The issue of publishers (newspaper and magazine alike) isn't reader preferences (or even regard for the environment) but advertiser dollars. I'm a long-time freelance writer whose markets have shrunk and income has stagnated because of the sorry state of print publishing. Still, I support the business that has long supported. I have subscriptions to "Gourmet" and "Cook's Illustrated" and often/occasionally look at "Sauveur," "Bon Appetit," Rachael Ray's magazine and "Food and Wine" too. Yet times are changing, whether we want them too or not. I love chowhound.com as well as other foodie blogs and sites, and in fact, have my own culinary blog, which is slowly building visitorship. I don't want to be trapped in 20th century nostalgia as we are in the 21st.

[kawarthagirl]

For many publishers, it is a question of balance - finding that line that satisfies both the advertiser that pays for the publication and yet having a publication that people will read and respond to. If you can find that line, style, method of distribution, you are in a good position...

[fryrose]

The biggest issue I have with online versions is that the content I want to see is not online. I get very frustrated that the small or whimsical items are left out of online versions and many times that is exactly what hooks me as a reader.
I agree with Canada eats regarding advertising. At this time it is possible to dodge a lot of ads, but I am sure it will change. I find myself logging off a site at times when an ad is constantly flashing; I get so visually distracted and annoyed that I give up. I dread the day when sites will be flashing all over and to access flash free you will have to pay.

[Canada Eats]

I hate to be the curmudgeon in the room (ok, I lie, I love it), but I think the future of print is really tied to advertising. Once advertisers figure out a viable way to make a decent living online (Salon.com is a prime example), a lot of print will shift that way. This isn't to say that print will disappear, but it will likely become an increasingly expensive and specialized product. Media, publishers, and others, will have to come up with a way to offer something different in print than online, to convince people to continue buying. At what point the cost of print will outweigh the benefits for individual buyers is anyone's guess.

While I love print, and will to my dying day, when I stop to think about it, many of my habits have changed simply because certain things are available online when I would previously have paid for them. I've become more selective about what I pay for in print (and often get a better quality product and/or experience- ie. nyfoodjoe's magazine and young lady- for that money), when I know there's a lot of information I can get online, and it's generally free. Consumer expectation of getting service journalism/info for free, such as the recipes on Epicurious, is, IMO, a big hurdle for print providers to get over.

That being said, as other discussions on this board have pointed out, finding reliable online recipes is always a problem, although food bloggers, and even this month's cook"book" of the month, Leite's Culinaria, obviously indicate it's not impossible.

Ok, 'nuff said.

- Lea
http://canada-eats.com

[sweetie]

Actually when you think about it, it is actually cheaper to print a mag these days then it was 10 years ago. For the most part the newsstand price or subscription price of a mag covers only shipping and postage really. The ads in the mag are what pay for the actual production. So theoretically as long as we put up with the ads, a print magazine is still viable.

[HillJ]

So true of every magazine. Most Editors/Publishers base their assessment of a "successful" and "failed" magazines on advertising revenue not readership.

While the few mags that are selective about advertisers and/or offer little to no ad noise are looked upon as rogue or charity cases..with little support for having a conscience among their publishing peers.

So perhaps what WE think matters little. I see very little difference btwn ad decisions in print or online.

What I hope remains is CHOICE.

[nyfoodjoe]

I agree Sweetie...there are two things I enjoy curling up with a good book or magazine, and a young lady

[Phaedrus]

People have been announcing the demise of print media for years. There is something comforting about a real book or magazine. I love reading in bed, on the couch, sprawled out. I hate reading while sitting at a desk, in front of a computer.

[SarahEats]

For me, there is something special about holding a newspaper/magazine in my hands. I don't look at any newspapers or magazine online because the experience loses a little something that way. I know the future of print is dim, but like sweetie said, I hope to never see the day when everything is online. You can't leaf through a magazine or newspaper online.

[davina]

I agree, sweetie. I wouldn't give up magazines.

[sweetie]

I hope to never see the day when my favourite mags are on line only. I can't take my computer on the plane and read. I can't curl up on the couch with the computer.

[davina]

I love print mags, with their big photos and nice layouts. But mags are expensive and wasteful, and have largely adapted their content to appease short attention spans. (I do look forward to the New Yorker food issue each year.) As a cooking resource, the web is becoming invaluable. Being able to search for a recipe and print it out -- or even send it to my cell phone -- is pretty damn cool. Of course, I work for CHOW, so I'm biased. When it comes to recipes, I still love cookbooks.

[HillJ]

I also jump back and forth. I can't imagine a time when giving a book/mag/paper as a gift would be a matter of sending "just a link, happy birthday" but I'm inclined to think the possibility exists for those watching the print media trade.

I tend to think of the online experience as a virtual library. If something really strikes me, I want to own it; add it to my culinary collection. But for temporary engagement, say a recipe I'm curious enough to try once, printing from an online source is a remarkable convenience.

[Chowpatty]

I jump back and forth between both. But I have let my subscriptions to all the monthly food magazines run out because they pile up too fast, and I can get the recipes online. I still prefer to read our local morning paper, but read the food section online in the NY Times each Wednesday. It's important to be able to read through an entire book and really get a deep knowledge of something.

[Seattle Rose]

I still read the paper newspaper, and enjoy paper magazines. I have a huge food/cookbook collection. That said, I also read a lot online, but I would not be happy if that was the only choice.

[amkirkland]

i enjoy reading something i'm holding. it makes me concentrate. but i'll only buy it if it's really high quality, otherwise it's the net for me.

[xena]

I enjoy the online for reference and some entertainment but need books and magazines for real reading. If I had to choose one over the other the printed material in hand would win out easily.