Details magazine will cease publishing effective as of its December issue, Condé Nast president Bob Sauerberg told staffers on Wednesday in a memo obtained by TheWrap.
The men’s monthly is shutting down production for the second time in its history, having most recently suspended operations before relaunching in 2000.
A number of changes were announced in the memo, including the merging of the sales and marketing staffs for Glamour and Self magazines, as well as the expansion of the company’s GQ Style franchise, which will ramp up publishing to a quarterly schedule and augment its presence online. Details.com will continue operations during the transition to GQStyle.com.
The move signals the departures from Condé Nast of Details longtime editor-in-chief Dan Peres and publisher and chief revenue officer Drew Schutte, formerly the publisher of Wired and The New Yorker. Self publisher and chief revenue officer Mary Murcko was also let go.
The moves are among several prescribed recently by Sauerberg who, after five years with the company, was announced as the company’s new CEO in September, effective Jan. 1. In October, Condé Nast acquired Pitchfork Media, making it the music vertical of Condé Nast’s expanding online footprint.
Read the memo from Sauerberg to staff:
Dear Colleagues,
Today, our premium digital network reaches an all-time high of 98.6 million consumers–nearly double the size of our audience just two years ago. We also rank #1 in comScore’s Lifestyle Category among affluent millennials, a position we have held for 24 consecutive months. As we evolve our business and respond to the changing behavior of our audiences, we also need to change how we work with our advertising partners.
With this in mind, today I’m pleased to announce that we are bringing together the sales and marketing teams at Glamour and Self. Under the direction of Glamour publisher and chief revenue officer Connie Anne Phillips, the unified teams will leverage the audience scale of two great brands and create a leading women’s advertising platform for our clients. The editorial teams at both brands will continue to operate independently and maintain their unique voices and perspectives.
Additionally, we have decided to build on the success and massive overall audience of GQ as our men’s brand, and will be expanding the business through their GQ Style franchise. GQ Style, which has consistently been popular among upscale millennials and luxury advertisers alike, will significantly expand its digital presence and also increase to a quarterly print schedule.
As a result of these changes, Details will cease publication with the December 2015/January 2016 issue. Details.com will continue to operate as we transition to GQStyle.com in the coming months. Details editor-in-chief Dan Peres and publisher and chief revenue officer Drew Schutte in addition to Self publisher and chief revenue officer Mary Murcko will be leaving Condé Nast. I would like to thank Dan, Drew and Mary for their many contributions over the years.
Our audience results speak for themselves and prove to me that we are well positioned for future growth and vitality. I’m looking forward to working with all of you toward making that a reality. Thank you for all of your continued hard work that makes Condé Nast a world-class media company, without peer.
Bob