Advantages
Photography is excellent, and so are some of the writers
Disadvantages
Short articles at the end of each issue are forgettable
The Bottom Line
Time is a fairly good magazine, with a mixture of good and
not-so-good articles.
AOL Time-Warner is a large U.S. conglomerate that provides
internet service, music, cable television services, filmed
entertainment, and other communications- related business.
Besides all of these lines of industry, AOL Time Warner is also a
major publisher, producing approximately 140 different magazine
titles. The best known among them all is Time Magazine, a well-
respected news source that has been printed since 1923.
Basic Contents of This Magazine:
Each issue of Time includes regular featured articles and
columns, along with a few surprises thrown in from time to time.
Some of the regular features include the following:
Letters - Pretty self explanatory, this is a two- page section
of letters that have been mailed in to Time, from its weekly
readers.
Notebook - This is a collection of about six or so short
articles, with each one relating to some important or interesting
news story from the past week. These short articles can include
just about anything. Some are political, some deal with a social
issue, some deal with health, etc.
Milestones - You will find this at the end of the “Notebook”
articles. It informs the reader of any well- known individuals
who are recently deceased, along with famous individuals who are
recovering from a serious illness or injury.
In the Arena - This is a weekly commentary written by Time staff
member Joe Klein. Mr. Klein keeps this commentary within the
confines of a single page in the magazine. Each time I have read
this section, it has always been political in nature, often
featuring a prominent individual in Washington.
World/Nation - A substantial proportion of each issue of Time is
devoted to world and national news. The cover story, along with
other newsworthy commentary, can be found in this area of the
magazine.
Other Articles:
News and politics might be the main reason that people reach for
a copy of Time, but there’s more to read than just news columns.
Time also has sections (that vary slightly from issue to issue)
on subjects like Business, Television, Health, Arts, Lifestyle,
Money, and Society. These can always be found in the back half of
the magazine, following the news stories. Columnists here include
such writers as Richard Corliss, Jeffrey Kluger, Josh Tyrangiel,
Lisa McLaughlin, Jean Chatzky, and others.
Subscription Cost:
Like most magazines, Time can save you a bundle on each issue
if you subscribe. The cover price is currently $3.95. If you
subscribe using a card insert from the magazine, you can reduce
your rate per issue down to $1.29. However, I don’t recommend
this because it’s basically a “rack” rate. You can find much
better deals if you search on- line. The best deals I have found
for Time are through Amazon.com ($29.95 for 54 issues, or 55
cents per issue) and through Time’s own web site, time.com
($24.95 for 54 issues, if you subscribe on- line and use a credit
card). There are other good deals out there in cyberland besides
these two. You just need to search until you find the best price.
Final Thoughts:
Time magazine is a primarily a news magazine, but it includes
other topics of interest as well. It combines coverage on world
events with the latest trends in science, art, television,
business, etc. into one magazine publication.
I’ve been reading Time on and off again since I was a teenager.
Back then, my mom was an active subscriber and I would often read
the weekly issues that came in the mail, making Time the first
“mature” magazine that I became familiar with. I remember that I
was impressed with the photography in Time and I enjoyed some of
the articles very much, while others seemed to be rather shallow
and one- dimensional. I feel the same way today. I like some of
the worldwide political stories that are covered in Time, but
other articles bother me with their one- sided approach. Once
a Time journalist has made up his/her mind what direction an
article will go, he/she usually sticks with his focus and makes
an all- out attack, or lavishes all- out praise, on the subject
at hand.
Many people criticize Time because they consider it a “leftist”
magazine. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that label or
not. It’s true that Time often features an article or two that is
centered around a liberal cause and it often presents critical
assessments of George W. Bush’s policies and the actions of other
conservatives. But I have also read articles that support certain
views of the president and other prominent conservatives. In
addition to that, I have read articles in Time that criticize
traditionally liberal subjects. So I don’t know if it’s fair to
just brush Time Magazine off and give it a “leftist” label.
Besides, Time is more than just a political magazine (although
news is the main focus). It includes many articles on subjects
that are more neutral in the liberal/conservative spectrum and
that have nothing at all to do with politics. Overall, it does
lean left, yes. It’s definitely more liberal than, say, U.S. News
and World Report. But it’s not a socialistic publication, like
some of the more harsh critics claim it to be.
Time is published weekly and it’s one of America’s most popular
magazines, with more than four million subscribers. This makes
Time the ninth most popular magazine in the U.S. (based on 2002
figures). Each issue is about 70 to 90 pages in length, with
advertisements found on about 40 percent of the pages. This
figure might sound high at first, but it’s really not all that
bad. I have read many magazines that have advertisements on more
than 50 percent of the pages.
Time is a magazine that I began receiving in the mail back in
January of 2003. I didn’t purchase a direct subscription. I had
been a subscriber to Yahoo Internet Life, but that magazine went
defunct before my subscription was over. To compensate me, I was
given a six- month subscription to Time. I’m not sure whether or
not I will renew, since my feelings on Time are mixed. I like
some articles, but I really disagree with others and I find some
of the “filler” material at the end of each issue to be a waste
of time.
Overall, though, I give Time Magazine a thumbs- up
recommendation. I really like the photography in Time, as well
as certain authors. It’s not the perfect news magazine, and its
liberal- leaning perspectives will bother some readers. But it’s
still a good news source, full of timely articles and good
commentary from time to time. You might have to sift through some
less- than- desirable articles to find the good ones, but they
are there.
Pick up a copy of Time, and get informed about the latest
happenings on the world and national fronts!
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