Ebony may be doomed

Johnson Publishing, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines and the largest black-owned American publisher, is searching for potential buyers for Ebony due to its third year of declining advertising revenue, which has been exacerbated by the current economic downturn.

John H. Johnson’s daughter and CEO of Johnson Publication, Linda Johnson Rice, has asked Time Inc, Viacom, and a few other potential private buyers about purchasing the publication. If Time, Viacom or another company don’t buy or heavily invest in the magazine, Ebony might go out of circulation like so many other magazines in these grim economic times.

At at this time, Time and Viacom are unable to release any major information on the possible purchase due to a signed confidentiality agreement.

For years, Ebony has graced millions of coffee tables, bedroom nightstands and beauty salons across the country. Covers adorned with positive images of black celebrities and politicians are a staple of the magazine, as are articles extolling African-American achievements. Considered one of the most enduring symbols of black America, it provides information from health tips to beauty pointers and even relationship advice.

Curtis Austin, director of the center for black studies at USM, said the impact a change in publisher would have on African-American culture would depend on who those new owners are.

“The Time Warner company isn’t owned by African-Americans, so there would be a different sense of what is important and what should be published,” Austin said. “We’ve seen this happen before with other magazines. When it comes to covering African-American history and culture, it might get [changed] with whatever parent company.”

Candace Roberson, a freshman nursing major from Mendenhall, Miss., predicted a great deal of discussion about these changes. “I’ve always read Ebony magazine and to hear that they might be selling devastates me,” she said. “I’m not surprised; I know how the economy is struggling, I’m just disappointed.”

Austin said there is a distinct difference between publishers that are African-American owned and those that are not. He cited the differences between the original BET and the station that is currently on the air. The station was sold to a company that was not owned by blacks, and according to Austin, the message of the station changed with it.

“Topics covered and willingness to be critical about how the economy affects black people [are important to consider],” Austin said. “You don’t see enough educational programs, you see detrimental things. You don’t see things that really matter to the upward movement of the black community.”

Johnson Publication first started in 1942 with a $500 loan from the collateral of John Johnson’s mother’s furniture. Eventually, he launched the world’s largest African-American-owned publishing company. Three years later he began publishing Ebony, which changed the face of publishing and media merely by its existence and mission.

“Ebony,” Johnson once said, “was founded to project a dimension of the black personality in a world saturated with stereotypes. We wanted to give blacks a new sense of themselves, a new sense of self-respect.”