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While many of the magazine-related controversies over the past year have been happening over at Condé Nast, the Hearst Corporation is now making its way into the headlines. WWD reports that Esquire's longtime editor-in-chief David Granger is being "pushed out" to make way for current Town & Country EIC Jay Fielden.
"David is the longest serving editor at Esquire," Hearst Magazines's president David Carey tells WWD. "Nineteen years is one of the truly great runs we've seen in this business. He leaves the business in very strong shape."
Carey calls Granger's 19-year run at Esquire "epic," but with the magazine's print circulation dwindling — like most print magazines across the industry — he clearly felt like a shakeup was necessary.
While the former Town & Country EIC may not seem like an obvious choice on the surface, Fielden's résumé is filled with stints that make him a more than deserving replacement. Fielden worked at Condé Nast publications including The New Yorker, Vogue, and even served as the editor-in-chief of Men's Vogue until it shuttered in 2008.
Fielden is one of the few editors to find success with their print magazines. WWD reports that Town & Country's revenue increased 46% and its circulation and single-copy sales went up 6% and 12% since Fielden took the reins
Fielden will now oversee multiple titles, similar to Joanna Coles, who serves as both editor-in-chief at Cosmopolitan and editorial director for Seventeen.
Granger isn’t the only longtime editor-in-chief to be pushed out in the past few months. Linda Wells, former editor-in-chief and founder of Allure, was let go to make way for Michelle Lee late last year.
Granger released a statement about his termination to WWD. "The last 19 years have been the best time ever to be a creative professional. The explosion of new forms of expression has been breathtaking. Turns out that a print magazine has been the perfect hub from which to experiment with just about all of them. I'm in awe of my staff and writers for their genius and their commitment to Esquire and I can't wait to see what new opportunities await me."