new magazine era who dis

Today’s link: David Remnick’s remembrance of The New Yorker’s former longtime owner & Condé Nast chairman, S.I. Newhouse, who passed away at the beginning of October this year. There’s a good bit of basic New Yorker history (the better to smarm at your next cocktail party, of course) and also some interesting insight into how the role of a media outlet owner has changed over time.

In light of Newhouse's death and coupled with other recent tectonic shifts in the magazine world — Graydon Carter leaving Vanity Fair, Robbie Myers leaving Elle, Nancy Gibbs leaving Time, and Cindi Leive leaving Glamour — the tweeters are calling it an end of an era, and they’re probably right. Gone are the fabulous Four Seasons lunches and like, easy money in general; now the digital Hunger Games only gets tougher.

And being a legacy publication is tricky, no? On one hand, you can point to decades/centuries of good work and name recognition, but on the other hand, the pressure is ON to try to get right what you think your OG Jazz Age founders would have wanted in a VR-podcast-social-video-whatever-series. So, who’s playing the legacy game well, and who isn’t?? @ me your beliefs.

Like Deez Links? Forward to a New Yorker smarm.