Surely you’ve heard that the U.S. economy has been nose-diving for months now, with no foreseeable end, and that companies everywhere are either closing or laying off workers in massive numbers. The media industry is one of the most hard-hit, especially magazines, because who needs wonderful variety and niched interest publications when the basic structures of society have imploded?
What does it mean to be an aspiring writer in New York now?
It means work on that goddamn book-in-progress because there are no magazines that’ll hire you. Hey, it’s New York. You either live with harsh reality or you pack your bags.
So many publications have folded -probably some you even read- and not even the biggest titles are safe. To name a few: Radar, Men’s Vogue, Conde Nast Portfolio, CosmoGirl… Layoffs have been happening across the board, typically 10% of a magazine’s staff. It’s terrifying, and no company’s safe.
Just today, I heard that most of the staff of ForbesTraveler.com has been laid off. I have been doing an unpaid internship at this online magazine since August, knowing full well that they wouldn’t offer me a job at the end, but hoping for the chance to freelance with them and for leverage in the industry. Two days ago my first article got published on the site, a fluff piece on the show “Lipstick Jungle.” Yesterday NBC canceled the show, leaving my editors no choice but to take down my article which had become irrelevant in 24 hours. The day after, they fired most of the staff.
After I got my master degree in May, I knew it was going to be difficult landing a paying job in New York’s highly politicized magazine industry. Today it’s close to impossible, and I know I have to reassess my plans to survive in this cut-throat atmosphere.
It’s dismal out there. All those cliches about New York? You better make damn sure you’re made of the right stuff if you’re going to last in this town.
well the movie industry is taking a hit too, I’ve read today. An industry that’s supposed to be recession proof.
Didn’t bother reading this but man, what balls does Radar have to bash on NY magazine, my fave magazine of all…when they themselves have folded.
http://www.radaronline.com/features/2007/05/adam_moss_new_york_magazine_1.php
Maybe it’s like an Arrested Development thing? hehe.
Sorry I didn’t get to read your lipstick jungle yet. but was wondering why you wrote that coz the show sucks. haha. it was for work pala.
My proff at school used to be the editor of NYT’s sophicated traveller but it folded and is not a section of NYT’s sunday mag or something.
Gawker has a lot to say about the reinvention of Radar -apparently a gossip rag (can’t remember which one) took over the entire publication and changed everything up.
About Lipstick Jungle -of course it wasn’t my idea, it was assigned to me. Hey, I’ll take any clip I can get.
And yeah, I was interested in the NYT travel section, but I read months ago that it and the style section, I believe, have been collapsed into the main paper or magazine.
The world’s becoming such a boring place because they’re killing off the arts! Get to Broadway before it becomes a thing of the past.