On this edition of In Black America, producer/host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Michael Gibson co-founder and chairman of Clear View Group, LLC, an African American investment firm based in Austin, TX, the new owners of Ebony Magazine and JETMag.com; and Lynn Norment, former senior writer and managing editor with Ebony Magazine.
CVG purchased the Johnson publications in May of this year for an undisclosed price. Johnson Publishing will retain its Fashion Fair Cosmetics business and its historic Ebony photo archives, which remains up for sale.
The acquisition places the print and web titles under a new company named Ebony Media. They will continue to publish from their Chicago and New York offices under the new management structure.
A family-owned business throughout its history, Ebonyhas documented the African-American experience since it first hit newsstands in 1945. It has shaped culture ever since, coming into its own as it reported from the front lines of the civil rights movement during the 1960s in powerful picture and words.
Created by John H. Johnson, who modeled his publication after Life magazine, Ebony celebrated African American life and culture by depicting the achievements of African Americans. It honored black identity by portraying black life, refuting stereotypes, and inspiring readers to overcome racial and other barriers to success.
John H. Johnson began his career with Negro Digest in 1942, and started Ebony three years later. Both magazines were so successful that in 1972 the Magazine Publishers Association selected Johnson “Magazine Publisher of the Year.” Negro Digest changed its name in 1970 to Black World but ultimately folded.
