Return of The Native

As founding editor of New York in 1968, Clay Felker pioneered the brash, trend-spotting magazine devoted to capturing the beat of a city. Felker, who went on to Esquire and U.S. News & World Report, is returning to native ground, this time as editor of Manhattan,inc. (circ: 85,000), a glossy, literate, monthly specializing in examinations of power and the powerful in New York City.

Jane Amsterdam, Manhattan,inc.'s founding editor, quit in March after complaining about interference from Publisher (and Owner) D. Herbert Lipson. According to insiders, Lipson wanted Amsterdam to meet with advertisers and sought more control over covers. Felker's challenge will be not only to sustain Amsterdam's success but to get along with Lipson. Felker's track record with owners is mixed: after first approaching Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch to buy shares in New York in 1976, he bitterly fought Murdoch's purchase of the magazine. When Murdoch prevailed, Felker quit.