The 60th anniversary cover featuring actors, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Jamie Foxx, November 2005 |
|
| Editor-in-Chief | Amy DuBois Barnett |
|---|---|
| Former editors | Bryan Monroe |
| Categories | Lifestyle magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Johnson Publishing Company |
| Total circulation (2011) |
1,235,865[1] |
| First issue | 1945 |
| Company | Johnson Publishing Company |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Chicago, Illinois |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.ebony.com |
| ISSN | 0012-9011 |
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945. A digest-sized sister magazine, Jet, is also published by Johnson Publishing.[2]
Ebony cover photography has since its inception focused on African-American celebrities and politicians, such as Dorothy Dandridge, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Carol Moseley Braun, Barack Obama, Zoe Saldana, Tyrese Gibson and Tyler Perry. The magazine has evolved over the years, last year - in 2010 - starting an obvious and persistent redesign with an end goal of updating and enlivening the age-old brand. In the past, the magazine was persistently upbeat, much like its generic contemporary Life, Ebony has striven always to address African-American issues, personalities and interests in a positive and self-affirming manner. Advertisers have for decades created ads specifically for the pages of Ebony that featured black models using their products. However, in today's times, many ads already feature black people - no matter the publication. And, "Ebony" frequently runs ads that feature non-black models.
In November 2010, the magazine featured a special 65th anniversary edition cover featuring Taraji P. Henson, Samuel L. Jackson, Usher and Mary J. Blige. A second cover showcased Nia Long atop a birthday cake - Marilyn Monroe style. Inside that issue were eight cover recreations from historic and iconic old covers of Ebony. Blair Underwood posed inside, as did Omar Epps and Jurnee Smollett. Mary J. Blige even made her 1940's style recreation image her Twitter profile picture. This was the beginning, according to National Public Radio, of the obvious changes at Ebony magazine. Former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers became the CEO, becoming the latest in a string of management changes that had up to that point lasted for five years. In August 2008 the magazine featured a special 8-cover edition featuring the "25 Coolest Brothers of All Time". The lineup featured Jay-Z, Barack Obama, Prince, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Marvin Gaye, Muhammad Ali and Billy Dee Williams.[3]
Ebony is the best known Black American magazine in the United States and in the world. Interestingly, though ads fell with the recession and with the ensuing effects on car companies, the magazine is in the news again for making its "rate base" - which is a measure of the circulation. When the magazine makes the rate base, it is delivering on its circulation promises. According to Crain's Chicago Business, "Ebony" is doing just that. Ebony magazine's current staff is a departure from the staff of old. Many have come from mainstream publications, and are part of a trend of black journalists leaving publications such as Playboy and The Boston Globe and trading those appointments for one in the black press.
Ebony Magazine frequently makes headlines in the blogosphere and in the mainstream press. The November 2011 cover features a pregnant Nia Long, reminiscent of the iconic image of Demi Moore posing naked on a magazine more than a decade earlier. Some of Ebony's more conservative readers disagreed with the cover choice, stating it inappropriate to feature an unwed, pregnant woman on the cover. However, another segment of the population found the cover interesting enough to feature in US Weekly and in a 5 minute segment on CNN. Zoe Saldana covered the August 2011 issue, and some readers questioned the viability of a black Latina cover star. However, the Avatar actress seemed to open Ebony up to a new segment - Americans of mixed black and Hispanic ancestry. Recent issues question whether President Barack Obama is still right for black America and whether biracial Americans need more acknowledgement in today's society. Also, recently, Ebony Magazine wrote an article about radio personality Robin Quivers, longtime sidekick of radio host Howard Stern. The magazine asked Quivers if she considered herself a "sell out" for working with a predominantly white media. Quivers dismissed the question.
In December 2008, Google announced that it was scanning back issues for Google Book Search, making them all available for free.[4] In 2010, the Johnson Publishing Company sold its historic building to Columbia College Chicago. The staff is expected to move into a new building in first quarter 2011. The company also recently sold a portion of itself to Chase Bank in exchange for more money for cash flow for Ebony, Jet and the Johnson-owned cosmetics line, Fashion Fair. It is too early to tell whether this business deal with ensure the survivor of the company.