That Shrinking Feeling: Time, Newsweek Narrow Their Focus

Washington Post ^ | Monday, January 19, 2009 | Howard Kurtz

[tom h]

NEW YORK -- When Rick Stengel joined Time in 1981, every story in progress filled a thick binder -- the reporter's version, the editor's rewritten version, the top editors' version, the fact-checked version -- that would be unimaginable in today's cut-to-the-bone corporate culture.

Many of the recently laid-off staffers, Stengel says, "were people whose jobs really didn't exist anymore."

...

Morale in both shops has been devastated as staffers complain about a blurred identity, lack of direction, management snafus and outsourcing to big-name writers that has left them wondering if reporters still have much of a role.

...

Time has reduced the circulation guaranteed to advertisers from 4.1 million to 3.25 million. Newsweek has cut back from 3.1 million to 2.6 million and is mulling further reductions. U.S. News & World Report essentially left the field this month, becoming a Web site with monthly editions on consumer issues. ...

Both magazines have moved away from the health and pop culture covers that were so prevalent in the past.

...

The magazines are facing the same problems as every other part of the news business: declining revenues, shrinking audiences and a speeded-up digital culture that makes them seem slow. ...

The cutbacks are taking their toll in more ways than one. As several key women have left Time, nearly all the top editors are now male, prompting considerable internal grumbling. Stengel acknowledges the criticism, saying, "I would love to rectify that."

...

[mjp]

I cancelled my subscription to Time - in 1973.

[BluH2o]

There will be a huge reaction, but by this time (June? later?) much of the nation will accept the fact that he is a liar and a deceiver, much better than they would have late last week.

Yeah let's wait for the hot summer weather ... great timing. Riots rarely occur in the winter months ... so if this is going to be delayed (which, of course, it will) save it for next winter.

[CharacterCounts]

Time and Newsweek only have two problems:

The Right won't read their leftist tripe; and

The Left won't pay for it.

[Pharmboy]

HA! One of the best analogies I’ve heard in a while...

[Pharmboy]

As several key women have left Time, nearly all the top editors are now male, prompting considerable internal grumbling. Stengel acknowledges the criticism, saying, "I would love to rectify that."

As we say in New Jersey--"Hey--rectify THIS!"

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I like the comments section in the Compost. People are smarter than these rags think otherwise. These rags are condescending, arrogant, and conceited. Especially that stupid Newsweek “Conventional Wisdom” crap. Typical snob liberal elitism.