Michael Wolff’s revamped AdWeek published its thirty-first annual “Hot List” yesterday—its ranking of the top ten magazines of the moment. Number one, of course (?!), was Hearst’s Food Network Magazine, which nabbed the heaviest crown for refusing to take itself too seriously while cooking up a 1.3 million circulation in just two years. (Somewhere under a layer of rich, truffle-addled soil in leafiest Park Slope, a certain former Conde Nast-er is rolling in its grave.)
As explained by AdWeek’s editors, the “rankings are based on financial performance metrics—ad page, ad revenue, newsstand, and overall circulation, growth—along with an influence measurement derived from social media footprint, press impressions, and search engine results. Also factored in is a product quality measurement, based on the number of edit pages, Web traffic, awards, and other reader satisfaction benchmarks.”
The result is an eclectic group: 1. Food Network Magazine, 2. Marie Claire, 3. Elle Decor, 4. Wired, 5. GQ, 6. People StyleWatch, 7. Cosmopolitan, 8. Rolling Stone, 9. Bloomberg Businessweek, and 10. Vanity Fair. Some shrewd choices—Rolling Stone’s impact has been outsized, with influential reporting on America’s wars and the people running them, even as it has physically shrunk—along with a fair number of head-scratchers.
But it got us thinking: this isn’t necessarily the list that we’d put together if we were thinking of America’s finest journals. As such, we’d like your help to put together an alternative “Hot List” of the ten most essential magazines in America. So give us the names of up to ten magazines you feel qualify as “essential,” and tell us why you feel they are. We’re thinking of those that feature exemplary writing in their fronts, backs, and features; striking and relevant photography and design; and a distinct, recognizable voice all their own. And they should have influence and a cultural impact.
Oh, and no need to cite CJR—that’s assumed.
Can we say the Economist, or are we looking for American magazines? The economist is concise, factual, and seems to allow their writers a modicum of humor as long as they remain within the bounds of good objectivity...
#1 Posted by ESB, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 02:55 PM
Mother Jones meets all your criteria.
#2 Posted by RDJ, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 03:49 PM
Sure, The Economist counts.
#3 Posted by Justin Peters, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 03:55 PM
Harper's!
#4 Posted by Lauren Kirchner, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 04:56 PM
The New Yorker. No explanation necessary, in my view--it's tops.
#5 Posted by Emily Schneider, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 05:31 PM
Slate Magazine. It's the new "New Republic" -- an eclectic mix of culture, politics, and plain good writing.
#6 Posted by TCH, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 06:12 PM
The Economist, Atlantic, and New Yorker, although the NYer is in danger of getting dropped from the list. Too predictable. I used to love the Far Eastern Economic Review before it was relegated to a booklet - where is its replacement today?
#7 Posted by JLD, CJR on Tue 26 Apr 2011 at 09:19 PM
I like the Economist and Bloomberg Businessweek
#8 Posted by ying, CJR on Wed 27 Apr 2011 at 12:22 PM
I like the Economist and Bloomberg Businessweek
#9 Posted by ying, CJR on Wed 27 Apr 2011 at 12:31 PM
The Week is concise and trusted by both sides of the political aisle. The Economist's coverage of US politics is usually banal, CW stuff - I suspect it is written by members of the American media-political echo chamber.
#10 Posted by Mark Richard, CJR on Wed 27 Apr 2011 at 12:32 PM
I think the magazine list would be much more useful, inclusive and influential in its own right if it were broken down by category. Is it really fair to compare a mass-market women's mag with a literary journal? There are a LOT of wonderful mags nowhere close to making the Adweek list. Would love to see that worked into an alternative ranking.
#11 Posted by Magazine Designer, CJR on Wed 27 Apr 2011 at 05:48 PM
I'd say The Economist (top of the list) and Foreign Policy
#12 Posted by Stavroguine, CJR on Sat 30 Apr 2011 at 10:19 PM
ArtForum is probably the most important "high art" magazine there is. It's read by everyone in the art world, and its writings are always first-rate and of the highest intellectual caliber without being alienating or obscurantist.
Mother Jones and Harper's should definitely be there, too.
#13 Posted by Sean, CJR on Sun 1 May 2011 at 08:49 PM
Top of the List? - The Economist
In no particular order: Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, ArtForum (in total agreement with Sean) and Bloomberg Businessweek
#14 Posted by Alexia Katz, CJR on Mon 2 May 2011 at 08:10 AM
I agree with the first few comments here, the Economist. National Geographic has the best writing.
#15 Posted by R, CJR on Mon 2 May 2011 at 09:56 AM
New Scientist
#16 Posted by RL Sanderson, CJR on Mon 2 May 2011 at 11:51 AM
Three magazines of commentary and long-form journalism: Atlantic, New Yorker, Harper's
Scientific American (Articles are well-written and understandable by nonscientists, but not so dumbed down as Discover)
McSweeney's (does anyone else show that even the format of a magazine can be vital, let alone the quality of the authors it attracts?)
New York Review of Books (somebody has to carry the torch for books, and the NYRB does it every issue)
Arizona Highways (probably the best of the 'state' magazines. No depth in the articles, but the quality of the photography is unmatched.)
#17 Posted by Sean, CJR on Wed 4 May 2011 at 01:36 PM
Listed in order of preference:
Harper's
Lapham's Quarterly
Mother Jones
Poetry Magazine
Rolling Stone
Vanity Fair
Esquire
McSweeney's
NYReview of Books
New Yorker
#18 Posted by Samson Shillitoe, CJR on Fri 6 May 2011 at 01:23 PM
The Christian Science Monitor has focused on developing a robust "Web first" culture, but has kept its roots and excellence intact with its print publication of the Weekly. It is a magazine of great importance to me, and is deserving of consideration for its "exemplary writing in their fronts, backs, and features; striking and relevant photography and design; and a distinct, recognizable voice all their own." Each issue, to me, has been "a keeper" because of its quality of journalism - news and commentary - and with features that consistently inform and entertain. Please examine a few issues from your unique perspective and I think you will agree that it measures up to your criteria. Thank you.
#19 Posted by David McClurkin, CJR on Sat 7 May 2011 at 07:34 PM
Since nobody's mentioned it, I would like to nominate Scientific American, which acts as a bridge between the scientific community and the lay public and has been doing so for something like 175 years.
#20 Posted by Jonathan E. Schiff, CJR on Mon 9 May 2011 at 10:07 PM