Sunset’s growth parallels that of California in the 20th century.
“This is a magazine that has existed almost as long as California.”
“What makes this so sad is that it’s Sunset,” said Matt Villano, a travel writer and contributor since 2003. co-founder, acquired the publisher of Pop-Up magazine and the California Sunday magazine. This week, the philanthropic firm led by Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of the Apple Inc. Some billionaires have come to the rescue. Magazines have been particularly hard hit publisher Condé Nast last week announced it was ending the print edition of Glamour. Publications are suffering from a defection of advertisers to the internet. Sunset’s struggles are emblematic of the challenges facing print media. “I view Sunset as my life’s work making it live another 120 years is core to me,” he said. He said his firm was simply working through a backlog of bills, and that he was invested in the magazine’s future. Reinstein said Sunset was not experiencing a cash crunch. Feral cats congregated near the door.Īs staffers were settling into the WeWork space, the parking manager from the previous offices showed up unannounced, demanding that Sunset pay its past-due parking fees. Without a test kitchen to fine-tune recipes or prepare dishes for photo shoots, editors schlepped food and supplies to a basement kitchen in Mountain View, which they shared with food truck vendors. In September, Sunset’s staff was abruptly moved from its upscale waterfront offices to a WeWork communal workspace several blocks away in downtown Oakland. Sunset’s holiday issue, which typically lands in mailboxes in late November, has been delayed until nearly Christmas, in part because of a lack of advertising. Some freelance writers haven’t been paid for months. Five top editors, including the editor in chief, have quit in recent weeks. More than a dozen current and former employees and contributors interviewed by The Times describe an organization in disarray. The pioneering publication survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Great Depression and ownership changes.īut there are dark clouds on Sunset’s horizon.
For 120 years, Sunset magazine has been synonymous with California living.Ĭreated by Southern Pacific Railroad to promote westward travel, Sunset has long been a tastemaker for the masses, popularizing backyard barbecues, hot tubs, midcentury architecture, weekend getaways, California wines and food culture, including a boom in avocados.