Hearst has installed Jay Fielden as the new editor at Esquire, ending the 19-year run of David Granger as the longest-serving editor in the history of the men’s magazine.
Fielden has been editor-in-chief of sister title Town & Country since January 2011, and will keep oversight of that magazine as its editorial director. Hearst said a new editor of Town & Country will be named shortly.
Granger had come to Esquire at a pivotal time in its history, when it was sagging in circulation and advertising. Rumors swirled that the venerable title could be shut down.
But he breathed new life into the moribund title, which went on to win 16 National Magazine Awards, while driving new efforts across digital and TV platforms.
His hiring from Condé Nast, where he was No. 2 to GQ editor-in-chief Art Cooper, opened a rift between Granger and his mentor that took several years to heal.
Fielden is also a respected editor with roots at Condé, where he was editor of the now-defunct Men’s Vogue.
Similarly, he helped revitalize the sleepy Town & Country. During his time at the helm, the title’s revenue grew 46 percent and total circulation is up 6 percent.
The company said in the first half of 2015, the magazine posted a 7 percent increase in single-copy sales and traffic to the website quadrupled year over year.
Fielden will report to Hearst Magazines president David Carey.