8 posts and columns on Chuck Townsend

News Byte

Condé's Corporate Shuffle: Sauerberg Moves Up to Number Two

in Media on July 23, 2010 at 2:08 pm PT

Condé Nast has gone through all sorts of change in the past couple years–shuttered titles, layoffs and a couple of high-profile executive departures. Here’s yet more: A corporate reshuffle that moves Bob Sauerberg, who ran the company’s consumer marketing arm, up to the president title and sets him up as the most likely candidate to replace Chuck Townsend when he leaves the CEO spot. As best as I can tell, this is an ultra-rare corporate re-org in which no one loses a job. But that’s not to say there won’t be some shoes falling down the line. For the record, Sauerberg’s mission is to “move the company to a new business model focused around digital connectivity, technology development, and consumer insight.”

Condé Nast’s iPad Plan Gets Caught in the Apple-Adobe Crossfire

in Media on February 28, 2010 at 6:00 pm PT

The Wired iPad app Condé Nast showed off this month looks great. But the chances that the publisher will give its other magazines the same treatment don’t look promising–unless Apple and Adobe can figure out their Flash problem. Anyone want to bet on that?

Condé Nast’s Offering for Apple’s Mystery Tablet: Wired Magazine

in Media on November 18, 2009 at 1:19 pm PT

Here’s yet another content creator that’s convinced Apple has a tablet device in the works: Condé Nast says it will have a digital version of Wired magazine ready for the purported gadget by the middle of next year and will eventually create similar versions for all of its 18 titles. But Condé, like other publishers, says Apple won’t actually talk to the company about its plans for the device–or even acknowledge that it has plans.
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The Web Helped Kill Gourmet? If So, Now I Hate the Internet!

in News on October 6, 2009 at 8:39 am PT

Let’s all agree first to blame owner Condé Nast for deciding to shutter Gourmet–the elegant and iconic magazine, which has been around since 1941, after the November issue. While circulation remained steady at Gourmet at just under one million monthly paying subscribers, Condé Nast Chief Executive Officer Chuck Townsend pointed to a fall-off in advertising spending by luxury brands that result in a money-losing mess. But some are blaming a movement of readers to the Web. Is it true?
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Here Are the Condé Nast Cuts: Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Gourmet, Cookie Closing

in Media on October 5, 2009 at 7:56 am PT

Here are the long-awaited cuts that Condé Nast has been mulling: Modern Bride, Elegant Bride, Gourmet and Cookie are all closing. More details via an internal memo from CEO Chuck Townsend.
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Here’s Why McKinsey’s Coming to Condé Nast: The Coming Black September

in Media on July 21, 2009 at 9:53 am PT

Here’s why Condé Nast is bringing in McKinsey & Co. for an emergency overhaul: The publisher’s lousy year isn’t getting any better. New numbers out today show that Condé’s September issues will be miserable across the board, with ad pages down anywhere from 17 percent to 47 percent. And that’s if you interpret the data favorably.
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Forbes Starts a Second Round of Layoffs; Who Else Will Join It?

in Media on March 31, 2009 at 4:00 am PT

Forbes Media has begun a new round of layoffs and will let go of more than 50 people on its editorial and business teams, I’m told. The cuts are roughly proportional to the ones the business publication made in November and January when it consolidated its Web and magazine operations. The question for the rest of the industry: How many other publishers will have to make a second round of cuts themselves?
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Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townsend to the Troops: Keep Your Heads Up, and Your Expenses Down

in Media on March 5, 2009 at 6:38 pm PT

Condé Nast is reportedly “having the worst year of any publisher,” the New York Post reported last month. So, the fact that that CEO Chuck Townsend sent out an all-hands memo entitled “Managing Through Challenging Times” must have sent a shiver through the magazine empire this afternoon. The good news: He doesn’t mention layoffs or reorgs. The bad news: He warns of “difficult decisions” ahead.
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