Time no more

Long ago I used to subscribe to Newsweek. Then i changed to Time. I am still receiving the latter, though i have been less than diligent in keeping up with the weekly magazine. In part because i would get caught up in school work; with the ever-increasing amount of readings accumulating every week during school term, i could scarcely devote precious time to read the magazine. It sure feels like a waste of money when you can't do a thorough reading. But i reckon that reading (almost) every article isn't necessary a good measure of getting your money's worth. What's important is that the magazine matches your expectations in terms of the subject of its articles, and how you regard as sufficient amount of reading you do in order that your subscription is justified.

What i usually do is to scan through the magazine, and if there are articles that catches my attention, i would give it a quick read. Almost without fail, however, i always faithfully peruse the travel section (Time Global Adviser) which comes at the last pages. This section, of course, makes for light reading, a far cry from the current affairs and political issues that dominate the rest of the magazine. But i like reading this section because it is always intriguing to read about unheard of or less-commonly known places in other parts of the world. For someone who doesn't have the chance to be a globe trotter, i love reading the pieces and learning about places, especially the ocassional ones which cover some quirky or fascinating corners of the earth. I probably will never get to visiting those places that i read about, but no matter, at least in reading them my imagination gets stirred and my curiousity piqued.

Save for that, i am finding Time a rather unsatisfying read. Not because its editorial standards or articles are deteriorating, but as my intellectual and academic interests broaden, the magazine becomes less able to meet that level of needs. (I never bother to read the almost guaranteed weekly articles on George Bush, the Iraq war and the likes of American politics.) Its articles serve more the purpose of informing rather than providing in-depth analysis, and furthermore, its coverage of issues is usually more American-centric - which is perfectly understandable, given where the magazine comes from. But above all, Time, as with Newsweek, is really more for people who want to get something more than their local news, who want to read stories about salient international issues with that personal touch that come from the way they are reported.

I, however, crave for a greater coverage of current affairs and global issues; articles writtern intelligently and with a particular focus on fiercely but objective critical analysis. I don't just want to be informed of issues; I want educated opinions and incisive analysis of issues. Which is why i am not going to renew my Time subscription this year. Not because Time has become worse, but because I am no longer its target consumer. The last time I renewed my subscription, it was because they made me an offer I thought quite good: six months of free subsription. That was almost 3 years ago when i hardly knew or cared about what's happening in the world, much less about critical analysis of social/world/regional issues. This time round, in fact, Time is offering me an even better deal. After ignoring their first letter sent to urge me to renew my subscription, i received yesterday another telling me that I would get one year of issues free if i renew my current subscription.

For a second, i was seriously considering it. But I made up my mind long ago that i would switch to The Economist after my subscription with Time ends this year - if i so decide to. Besides, I am reading less and less of my Time these days, save for those double and special issues like The Asian Journey, which i happily devour and save alongside other noteworthy magazines in my bookshelf.