The National Museum of African American History and Culture to acquire archive of Ebony and Jet magazines

The National Museum of African American History and Culture will acquire a significant portion of the archive of the Johnson Publishing Company, the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. The acquisition is pending court approval and the closing of the sale. 

A consortium of foundations—the Ford Foundation, the J. Paul Getty Trust, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation—is making this acquisition possible. The consortium will transfer the archive to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Getty Research Institute.   

The archive, purchased at auction for $30 million, includes more than four million prints, negatives, and media that explored, celebrated and documented African American life from the 1940s and into the 21st century. 

“It is a distinct honor for the museum to be invited to join the Getty Research Institute and other leading cultural institutions to safeguard and share with the world this incomparable collection of photographs,” said Spencer Crew, acting director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

“We applaud the generosity of the consortium of foundations that made this acquisition possible.  And we pay homage to the vision of John H. Johnson and his commitment to bringing to the nation and the world, the story of the African American experience—in all its complexity and all its richness. Ebony and Jet were the only places where African Americans could see themselves. They were the visual record of our beauty, humanity, dignity, grace, and our accomplishments. 

“Being the steward of the archive is an extraordinary responsibility, and we are humbled to play a critical role in bringing new life to these images. With the depth of its curatorial expertise and the technical skills in digitization, the Museum stands ready to marshall its forces to make this archive accessible to the widest possible audience.  We are honored to work with our recipient colleagues to make this gift to the nation possible.”  

The Museum has built a distinctive photography collection that includes more than 25,000 prints, negatives, and photographic materials. Photographers represented in the collection include Anthony Barboza, Cornelius M. Battey, Arthur P. Bedou, Bruce Davidson, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Danny Lyon, Jack Mitchell, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Gordon Parks, P. H. Polk, Addison Scurlock, Lorna Simpson, Aaron Siskind, James Van Der Zee, Carrie Mae Weems, and Ernest Withers.  

EBONY Media Operations not affected by Johnson Publishing Company Bankruptcy Filing

EBONY Media Operations, LLC brands, which include EBONY magazine, EBONY.com, digital magazine JET at jetmag.com and its related businesses, have viably operated independently of Johnson Publishing Company dba/ Fashion Fair Cosmetics (JPC) since Black-owned Ebony Media Operations, LLC (EMO) purchased the media assets of JPC in 2016. Black-owned investment firm CVG Group LLC assisted in the formation of EMO.

EMO is unaffected by the Chapter 7 bankruptcy announcement regarding the dissolution of JPC. EMO is not able to comment further and is not familiar with the facts or events of the JPC business.

EMO looks forward to continuing to delight and serve the Black community in America and worldwide for years to come.

[SOURCE EBONY.COM]

Black-owned media losing influence

For the black community in Chicago and elsewhere, Johnson Publishing Co. represented a certain kind of hope.

The company’s magazines, most notably Ebony and Jet, gained prominence during the struggle for civil rights — Jet published graphic photos of the murdered black teenager Emmett Till that helped intensify the movement — and made it their mission to chronicle African-American life.

So when Johnson Publishing, which is based in Chicago, announced a little more than two weeks ago that it had sold Ebony and Jet to a private equity firm in Texas, there was a sense of loss.

“It was a very heartbreaking day,” said Melody Spann-Cooper, chairwoman of Midway Broadcasting Corp., which owns a Chicago radio station, WVON, aimed at a black audience. “Ebony gave to African-Americans what Life didn’t.”

Ms. Spann-Cooper’s reaction underscored a deeper concern: As racial issues have once again become a prominent topic in the national conversation, the influence of black-owned media companies on black culture is diminishing.

Read more: Black-owned media losing influence

EBONY & JET magazines under new ownership

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Clear View Group (CVG), today announced that it has acquired the assets of Ebony Media, the publisher of Ebony Magazine, the premiere destination for African-American cultural insight, news and perspective. The iconic brands of EBONY and JET are under new management and heading in a bold new direction and will now be known as Ebony Media. The Clear View Group is an African American led investment group that brings to bear over twenty-five years of experience creating, developing and running successful corporations.

“We are excited about the future of Ebony Media and the opportunity to position the enterprise for long term growth. Our team has a true understanding of the Ebony brand as well as its legacy, and is committed to providing its audience with premium content across all media platforms,” said Michael Gibson, CEO of Clear View Group and Chairman of Ebony Media.This acquisition will position Ebony Media for long-term growth by diversifying its revenue streams and expanding its business footprint by magnifying black culture through a wide spectrum of print, event and digital mediums.

Moving forward, Linda Johnson Rice will serve as Chairman-Emeritus and will continue to be on the board of Ebony Media. Cheryl Mayberry McKissack will lead Ebony Media as the CEO. The Clear View Group will be led by Michael Gibson, who will also serve as the Chairman of Ebony Media.

"This is the next chapter in retaining the legacy that my father, John H. Johnson, built to ensure the celebration of African-Americans," said Linda Johnson Rice.

“I am excited about the opportunity to lead these world renowned brands to the next level, expanding the editorial offerings for our readership while providing new opportunities to our valued advertising partners,” Mayberry McKissack states. “Through offerings such as our annual 'Power 100' event and issue, ground breaking covers on 'The Body Brigade', Women Up and Black Hollywood events, and expanding our digital coverage, we are already seeing tremendous gains in extending our brand’s reach well beyond paper and electrons. Our legacy is not only thriving, it’s evolving.”

There are also exciting changes in store for the editorial direction of the publications. Kyra Kyles, who previously led the digital editorial strategy and operations, is promoted to Editor-in-Chief/SVP Digital Editorial, overseeing editorial content across both print and digital platforms. Kyles, a longtime content producer who has co-created and directed award-winning, viral Webisodes, will unify print, digital and social operations in an unprecedented move to enrich the overall audience’s experience. Kierna Mayo, current EIC of Ebony, will be leaving to pursue other endeavors.

About Clear View Group

Clear View Group specializes in private equity acquisitions of U.S. based, middle market companies. By partnering with businesses with experienced and proven operating management, Clear View Group helps mid level companies to grow their profitability through proven professional financial models.

Contacts

Smith & Company
Ashley Blackwood, 917-463-3436
ablackwood@smithandcompany.com

Jet Magazine to Stop Printing, Change to Digital App

[ SOURCE ] Jet magazine, which first hit newsstands at the dawn of the civil rights era, is ceasing regular print publication and transforming into a digital app.

Johnson Publishing Co., which owns Jet along with Ebony magazine, says the switch will occur at the end of June. The Chicago-based company says the move is a proactive effort to adapt to its readers' growing desires for quicker and easier access to information.

Desiree Rogers, Johnson Publishing's CEO says the change will take the magazine back to its roots. She notes that Jet, which was founded by John Johnson in November 1951, was originally intended as a newsweekly digest for African-Americans living in an increasingly faster-paced world.

At that time, the magazine cost 15 cents and was small enough to be carried in a purse or a pocket, perfect for on-the-go information, just like today's smartphones and tablets.

"I think if Johnson were here today, I think he would say 'what took you so long?'" Rogers says.

The app will launch on June 30 and cost $20 a year. It will contain shorter, more mobile-friendly, articles and return to a weekly publishing format, with breaking news updates on a daily basis. The print magazine currently publishes every three weeks.

The app, which will be available for all smartphone and tablet platforms, also will allow for new features such three-dimensional photography and more video, with the potential for adding new features such as movie and music clips that can run alongside reviews, Rogers says.

There will be an abundance of entertainment and celebrity news, along with coverage of politics, pop culture and social issues that impact African Americans. The company also will publish an annual special print edition.