Ebony Magazine's Financial and Cultural Survival

African American Storyteller and Rich History Keeper

Oct 6, 2009

Ebony magazine has served as a keeper of African American history through decades of resistance, struggle and challenge.

John Harold Johnson founded Johnson Publishing Company in November 1942. During the company’s early days, staff went door-to-door throughout African American communities to spread the word about Negro Digest, the company first magazine. As noted in his autobiography Succeeding Against the Odds, Johnson sharpened his vision for the firm with solid financial acumen.

Media Mogul John H. Johnson and $500

After getting off of welfare payrolls as a young man and taking out a $500 loan to start Johnson Publishing Company, it is no wonder that the deceased media mogul kept a watchful eye on the firm’s profits and losses (P&L). It is nothing short of amazing that Johnson, the grandson of former slaves, built Johnson Publishing Company into a $250 million dollar empire before he passed in August 2005.

Ebony, Jet, Fashion Fair, Fashion Fair LLC and Ebony Jr. are some of the products that Johnson Publishing Company has created since its inception. The company also creates television productions, Ebony Inspirations and a line of African American books by writers like Lerone Bennett, Jr., a long time regular contributor to Ebony magazine.

A monthly periodical, Ebony is one of the products that the company is widely known for. Its large layout mirrors the classic Time magazine format. Costs have seen the magazine shrink in size over the years. Ebony Jr. went out of print in 1985. The pages of Jet magazine have decreased significantly over the last two to three years. Changing media outlets have demanded that the publishing company and Ebony magazine continue to evolve.

Both Ebony and Jet magazines have taken steps to remain viable in a changing technological and virtual world. The magazines have a virtual presence through their Internet Twitter and Facebook pages. They also have featured blogs, podcasts and copyrighted photographs that are available for their magazine’s online visitors to peruse.

Subscribers and readers can sign up to receive a regular newsletter that alerts them to updates impacting the African American culture across industries and life fields. Sections covered in Internet editions of Ebony and Jet magazines include Politics and Perspectives where local, regional, national and international government issues are spotlighted.

October 2009 topics under Politics and Perspectives deal with the conflict in Afghanistan, pros and cons of snitching and Atlanta, Georgia’s mayoral candidate race where Kasim Reed is running for the city’s top office. Since its inception, Ebony magazine has unearthed stories impacting the African Diaspora and worked to present the information in a balanced light to its loyal subscribers and readers.

Focus on Societal and Cultural Issues

Arts, Culture and Entertainment sections of Ebony magazine bring musicians, singers, actors, actresses, writers and entertainment events to the forefront, many which might not gain an international platform. For example, a recent 2009 issue of Ebony spotlighted Tage Larsen, a talented and gifted trumpeter in the Chicago Symphony.

Tech, Living and Multimedia are other magazine sections. Multimedia allows readers and online viewers of Ebony to click on an artist or photographic event, pull up and watch videos related to the event. Tech offers articles on topics like video game reviews, automobile concepts and electronic book readers.

People looking for reviews on recently released books, information on how they can save and invest their money or how they can grow and strengthen their business can find those articles in the Living section. Following the passing of musical genius, Michael Jackson, Ebony magazine compiled a tribute to the entertainer titled “Ebony Special Tribute: Michael Jackson In His Own Words and Notes From Those Who Loved Him.” The magazine tribute is 100 pages long and includes quotes and observations made by Michael Jackson himself.

Other historical notables featured in Ebony magazine include President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, Coretta Scott and her husband, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Muhammad Ali, Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Cicely Tyson, Mike Tyson and Dr. Ben Carson.

September 2009 rumors began to circulate that Ebony magazine was facing financial challenges and seeking a buyer. In an era when some print media struggles to survive, Ebony has continued to expand its Internet presence. As a keeper of rich African American history, the magazine might find itself looking to the people whose history it captures and celebrates to help it withstand the 2009 economic downfall that some magazines and newspapers have already crumbled beneath.

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