Bloomberg reports that Magic Johnson has intentions to buy Johnson Publishing Company, the parent company of Ebony magazine, the 'No. 1 magazine in Black America.'
And my former employer.
So, can THIS Mr. Johnson work his magic and turn things around? Sure he could--that is, if someone told him what really ailed the company in the first place.
Magic, you'd better have a seat.
Magic Johnson may be the perfect buyer, given his stellar credentials as a businessman who is constantly upgrading urban communities. My journalist colleague Glenn Reedus also duly noted that if Johnson were to purchase the publishing empire, there would be no need for a new logo.
Here are my thoughts.
Living the Ebony Life: E-Mails from the Plantation, new memoir from ex-Ebony editor Zondra Hughes on sale everywhere. www.livingtheebonylife.com.
Book Excerpt
The recurring theme of the celebration was 'out with the old, and in with the new,' and that was music to The Man's ears. The Man was eager to take the helm of the magazine and spared no deception to prove it.
The Man made his move and earned her trust. He positioned himself as 'the new,' and convinced her that The Head, his boss, was 'the old.'
And he was successful.
Months later, Linda Johnson Rice assigned The Man to oversee the redesign of the magazine's Beauty & Style section, sparking a power struggle within the ranks of Ebony's senior management.
The Head of senior management had generally made such decisions. And The Head was not one to bow down.
And so it went, day after day, an epic, ego-driven power struggle fueled by The Man's greed and faulty sense of entitlement.
Gracefully, The Head removed himself, but The Man's quest for absolute power raged on; this time, fueled by the threat of becoming 'the old.'
The Man set out to block any hint of 'change,' as he perceived it as a threat to his absolute power.
Once again, The Man was successful. Younger voices were muffled. Fresh ideas were snuffed out.
Subscriptions dwindled. Newsstand sales slipped. Advertising revenues took a hit.
The Man charged on, wearing a crown never given and certainly not due. He schemed, and scammed, and deceived and entrapped, until the No. 1 Black magazine in the world was a shell of itself, scrambling to prove its relevancy in a shifting media climate; struggling to reconnect with its readers.
The Man, unfazed by the tragedy of his misdeeds, fleeced Ebony magazine until his backside hit the door. And even then, The Man escaped with an Ebony golden parachute.
Finally, Newsweek reports that Ebony may be looking for a buyer, causing ripples all over the world.
The chorus of bloggers and pundits criticized Ebony's content and charged that its existence was moot. They charged that Ebony became a victim of its own success. They charged that the magazine's failure to embrace the evolving world outside its window ultimately sealed its fate.
That's one point of view.
But here's mine: Ebony's woes aren't the result of a self-inflicted wound. But it was an inside job. The Man did it--and this book offers the proof.
The lackluster, outdated, content is often blamed for the dive in paid subscriptions and newsstand sales.
From 1999-2006, I was a part of the team that produced that subpar content.
Thus, in this book I will tell you why.
I will describe the duties of the Associate Editor, and the work conditions on The Plantation, because the Associate Editors produced, on average, 75% of the magazine's content.
For seven years I was a hardworking Associate Editor, with no promotion in my future--an oddity that the fellow Associate Editors seemed to recognize far sooner than I did.
The workload was insane, there was no chance in hell of a promotion, but we all wanted the same thing: To revolutionize the content and to reclaim and fortify Ebony's relevancy to our generation as well.
We knew that if we applied ourselves we could do it.
But we were wrong.
We underestimated the power of The Man.
Some of us left gracefully. Others, like me, were tossed out. One by one, The Man got us all.
I'm not unique. My story mirrors many who have also crossed the hot sands of Ebony editorial. The fact that my experience is so common deserves analysis.
The Man, as he is described in this book, is an ego-driven entity that worked against the magazine's progress. Still, The Man only did what he witnessed before. Logically, the cycle will continue.
Thus, a new redesign means nothing if the root cause of the problem--a hierarchical system that fosters greed and oppression--isn't corrected.
Get rid of The Man and his minions and the creatives will generate editorial content that readers want and need. Ebony would reclaim its rightful place as a necessity to people of color because the content would meet the people's needs.
And 'meeting the needs of the people' was the formula for success then, and is the formula for success forever, according to one man who knew best:
"For it is still true and has always been true, that there is no defense against an excellence that meets a pressing, public need."
And John H. Johnson said that.
Excerpt, Living the Ebony Life: E-Mails from the Plantation by Zondra Hughes.
8 Comments
writersblock said:
Mmmmmm? Interesting. Sounds like Ebony hasn't done anything different than many other so-called black publications have done. Rumor has it that even your current publication N'DIGO has told staff to hit the bricks after questioning what might be the reason behind a late paycheck or two. Could this have happened under your watch? If so, it would be such a sad commentary base on the tragic ordeal you persevered through during your Ebony days - and that you so eloquently recounted here. Hypocrisy abound in the media today. Maybe hypocrisy is the real culprit behind print media being in a state of static flux. Then again, hell, we all want to sell some books. Good luck with that.
Girls & Toys said:
Writersblock is the perfect name for you, as you've bypassed over 150 great blogs to post one lousy comment--this one.
So:
A). Get a life.
B). Then write your own memoir.
C). And finally, create a profile page so that others can interact with you sweetie. Don't take a swipe and hide...bloggers--and the people who love/loathe them--don't hide.
MelC said:
Can I join this 'girl fest'. Looks like another mess over there huh? Wait..is that a white flag I see fluttering outside of the EJ building -as I peer out my window. Nope, that's just some snow and ice hanging precipitously outside the building facade. Hope they at least have the decency to warn the few who pass by the building about falling ice. Or, is this how they're going to pick a savior for the mag. Whomsoever gets hit on the head by snow/ice from our building is our messiah. Might work since proper channels aren't a consideration, it appears. Maybe it's a conspiracy. Ickes is now slated for prompt removal [rest assured, don't blink cuz it will be a distant memory post 4-15]. Is there a similar fate for the EJ building, perchance? After all this IS Chicago and there's no telling what's going on. Somehow I can envision a posh new condo building fitting just right in the EJ slot [unless the building has been saved by the declaration of the 'wall' as a landmark]. I wouldn't bet the farm on that one however.
Girls & Toys said:
MelC,
This is too juicy NOT to have some truth to it...that reminds me of something a parent said, that the new school closings were actually an old fashioned land grab plot.
BeautyB said:
Hi Zondra,
Can I ask, is "the Man" a metaphor for "the woman", Linda Johnson?
Seems to me she ran the show and did all you said above. And Linda was 'special'; she was adopted by the Johnsons yet was in the familial position to rise to power - God smiled on her even if we didn't.
Meanwhile, with all due respect to you Zondra, your book is incorrect in stating that Johnson's Fashion Fair Cosmetics was the first cosmetic line for women of color. It wasn't even the first major line in the department stores.
Barbara Walden Cosmetics and Flori Roberts Cosmetics preceded Fashion Fair by more than a decade.
I was 17 years old right out of high school in 1973 selling Flori Roberts Cosmetics in a major department store in Cincinnati, OH. The line had a huge following; from Nancy Wilson, Patti Labelle, Diana Ross - and even Cher. Ms. Flori was a jewish woman who was friends with major haute couture designers. She learned that the new, upcoming black models did not have cosmetics to enhance their images for the runway and photographs. Ms. Roberts' husband was a chemist who she had create the Flori Roberts' line starting with serving the models. It wasn't long before the line took off in 1968 to be in most major department stores across the country. I am a brown-skinned woman who enjoyed Flori foundation, powders, blush, lipcolors, eye shadows, nail colors, etc. Her cosmetics complimented my skin tone perfectly. Flori Roberts also offered several styles of eyelashes and even hair pieces that realistically matched most relaxed hair styles & color.
My knowledge is limited for Barbara Walden Cosmetics. Yet it too was in major department stores several years before Fashion Fair.
Girls & Toys said:
YOU are CORRECT! OMG. I have been asking my aunts and they remember too. Thank you so very much. I am doing research on this now. You are so awesome.
Girls & Toys said:
Let me reassure you, The Man referenced in my book is not Linda Johnson Rice. Wil Laveist wrote about her in his book: http://www.mije.org/richardprince/just-fired-dumped
KarmaSutra said:
Zondra great article and interesting book ; "Living the Ebony Life: E-Mails from the Plantation." I was able to read it within about 2 hours. I appreciate you describing the Ebony buildings decor in vivid detail ; seeing that I have never been there. What critics of YOUR book fail to understand, is that it's YOUR memoir. You are sharing your story based off of your observations, and experiences. So, kudos to you ! And, Hello ! Of course you want your book to sell. What author wants their book to plummet ? Lastly, congratulations on being named Deputy Editor of Rolling Out Magazine. The fact that you continually land on your feet speaks volumes...
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