The United Church Observer The United Church Observer is a publication of the United Church of Christ. The Observer is the oldest continually published journal in North America and the second-oldest in the English-speaking world, with origins reaching back to 1829. It contains news about church affairs and people's lives in and around New York City.
The Observer was founded by Ebenezer Mack and William Maclay, two British immigrants who came to New York City as missionaries for the Church of England. They began publishing an eight-page newsletter called The Christian Register to spread awareness about their faith among Christians and non-Christians in what was then part of New York State but is now included in all of New York City.
Mack and Maclay worked together until 1832 when Mack left to start his own newspaper called The New York Observer. The United Church Observer continued to be published until 1939 when it was replaced by a weekly newspaper called The United Church.
In 2016, the United Church of Christ announced that it had entered into an agreement with American University to publish a new academic journal called Convivium. The first issue of this quarterly publication was released in fall 2017.
Convivium will focus on the theology of community and communication, with a special interest in how these topics relate to church life today.
The Spectator, which was founded in 1828, has been delighted to call itself "the oldest continuously-published weekly in the English language." However, this is quite modest given that it is both the world's oldest weekly magazine and the world's oldest general-interest magazine still in existence. It is also worth mentioning that The Spectator is not only published weekly but is also issued annually in twelve volumes.
General interest magazines are those that cover topics that are of interest to a wide audience, including news, entertainment, sports, science, politics, culture, food, technology, health, and many more. They often have long running series or issues that focus on one topic for several months or years at a time. For example, Reader's Digest began in 1920 with an issue focused on nutrition. It wasn't until 1976 that another issue was printed focusing on something else entirely. The longest-running series in the history of American journalism is the Pulitzer Prize, which was first awarded in 1902. Today there are eight different awards, each for a specific category. Some run for a single year while others continue indefinitely. There have been no further awards since 1971 when the committee making the decision felt that continuing the series would help publicize the prizes and increase their prestige.
In addition to being published annually, The Spectator also publishes special issues during particular events or times.
The German Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen (1663–68; "Edifying Monthly Discussions"), founded by Johann Rist, a Hamburg theologian and poet, appears to be the first magazine. It included articles on theology, history, politics, science, and literature from contributors all over Europe.
The first American magazine was Boston Magazine, which began publication in 1770. The first issue was printed in London and contained articles by American writers on subjects such as government, history, literature, religion, and society. It is not known who edited the magazine or how it was financed. It ceased publication after only six issues.
In 1836 William Cobb, Jr., established the first successful monthly magazine in the United States when he launched Southern Literary Messenger, which ran for 36 years. It was devoted primarily to poetry but also featured essays, reviews, and stories.
In 1843 James McMaster started Western Monthly Magazine, which published 12 issues before it was merged with Southern Literary Messenger. Thus, Southern Literary Messenger became the first national magazine in America.
In 1847 Robert Carter published the first English-language literary magazine in the world, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. It lasted for six months and included articles on literature, art, philosophy, politics, education, and commerce from contributors all over the world.
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