New Times was an American glossy bi-weekly national newspaper published from 1973[1] to 1979[2] by George A. Hirsch.[3]

New Times
FrequencyBi-weekly
Circulation350,000
PublisherGeorge A. Hirsch
ISSN0092-2463

History

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Hirsch had been publisher of New York magazine, but resigned after conflicts with Clay Felker, the magazine's founder and editor. New Times began as a bridge between the newsweeklies and the more reflective monthly opinion magazines, notably Harper's and The Atlantic. The first issue appeared in October 1972.[4] Initially, the magazine featured a marquee roster of the era's best-known new journalists, including Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill, Jack Newfield, Mike Royko, and Dick Schaap.

However, as the magazine's ad revenues lagged, contributions from the big names soon dried up, and under the editorship of Jonathan Larsen, New Times shifted to a more investigative journalistic approach, publishing articles on topics such as the CIA,[5][6] congressional committees, political spying, political activism, the murder of Mary Pinchot Meyer,[7] the cult or system of psychological training est[8] and the JFK assassination "cover up" thesis.[9][10][11]

Contributors

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Contributors were often freelance writers, many just out of college, including Frank Rich, Ron Rosenbaum, Nina Totenberg, Harry Stein, and Geoffrey Wolff.[12][13] Robert Sam Anson was political editor and Robert Shrum was a political columnist. The late NBC television executive Brandon Tartikoff was an occasional contributor.

Typical of the magazine's later direction, one issue featured a cover depicting Bozo the Clown behind the Presidential podium, a broad comment on the mistakes and misadventures of then-U.S. President Gerald Ford. Another issue saluted the 10 Dumbest Congressmen, judging Iowa's newly elected Republican Senator Charles Grassley as the so-called King of Dumb.

New Times never found a sufficient base of advertisers. The magazine's final issue was published on January 8, 1979.[4][14] Hirsch then launched The Runner magazine,[15] one of the first of a new era of specialty "active lifestyle" monthlies in 1979, after initially creating it as the New York City Marathon's official program in 1977.

References

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  1. ^ "The Press: New Times's Party". Time. 22 October 1973. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. ^ "List - New Times". pastpaper.com.
  3. ^ David Armstrong (1981). A Trumpet to Arms: Alternative Media in America. South End Press. p. 309. ISBN 978-0-89608-193-2. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b "New Times magazine / selected pages". Past Print. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  5. ^ Cerny, Danielle (22 September 2004). "Electric Keeney Acid Test".
  6. ^ "Cosmetics: the kiss of death?". 15 April 2017. Archived from the original (JPG) on 15 April 2017.
  7. ^ "A Gorey story". 15 April 2017. Archived from the original (JPG) on 15 April 2017.
  8. ^ Haldeman, Peter (28 November 2015). "The Return of Werner Erhard, Father of Self-Help". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Guess who's fooling around with the weather?". 15 April 2017. Archived from the original (JPG) on 15 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Women who murder". 15 April 2017. Archived from the original (JPG) on 15 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Music". 15 April 2017. Archived from the original (JPG) on 15 April 2017.
  12. ^ "New Times: Journalists in Bars - News - The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com.
  13. ^ "Bio - Robert Ward". www.robert-ward.com.
  14. ^ Egan, Jack; Kramer, Larry (16 November 1978). "New Times Magazine Going Under This Year". Washington Post.
  15. ^ Jerry Knight (2 March 1978). "Firms Stumble After The Runner". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 August 2016.