Ebony
from pageAT
Ebony Media Operations,
will also maintain the mag
azine's Chicago headquar
ters and its New York edi
torial office.
Both sides declined to
disclose the sale price of
Ebony and Jet. However,
some Ebony alumni
believe Clear View Group
bagged Ebony and Jet for a
price that would have John
H. Johnson rolling over in
his grave.
The news angered
many former Ebony
employees.
Many believe the sale
is another bad business
decision that follows years
of turnover and misman
agement at the two iconic
magazines that lost their
original purpose. Filled
with fluff and light stories
on beauty and fashion,
sources say top executives
who lacked the vision and
passion of John H. Johnson
stripped Ebony and Jet of
their soul.
While Johnson
Publishing Company's top
brass say the deal ensures
the continuation of Ebony
and Jet, many blacks
bemoan the end of two his
toric, family-owned publi
cations that shaped and ele
vated American black cul
ture more than any publica
tion, Black or white.
Stories and photos of
black Americans and
celebrities were often left
out of mainstream newspa
pers and magazines. Model
and actress Diahann
Carroll made her career
debut in Ebony. Billy Dee
Williams stopped by the
office shortly after filming
"Lady Sings the Blues,"
with Diana Ross.
The announcement of
the purchase was the first
of several moves that ush
ered in a new chapter in
Ebony and Jet's future.
Ebony's current Editor-in
Chief Kiema Mayo jumped
ship to take a position as
senior vice president of
content and brands at
Interactive One.
Hours after the
announcement, Columbia
College Chicago
announced that it was put
ting the iconic Johnson
Publishing headquarters
building up for sale. Six
years ago, the school pur
chased the building at 820
S. Michigan from the
Johnson family.
The deal with Clear
View Group capped years
of uncertainty and specula
tion of Ebony and Jet mag
azines. Both publications
were hemorrhaging as they
competed with Essence
magazine, a younger Black
female-oriented publica
tion that has made big
gains on its older rivals.
That 46-year-old publica
tion is owned by Time Inc.
Still, many black and
mainstream publications,
have been losing millions
of dollars in advertising
revenue to the Internet
since the late 1990s. On
June 23, 2014, Jet maga
zine ? Ebony's pocket
book-sized sister publica
tion that had been around
for 71 years ? published
its final print edition. Jet,
the digital version still*
exists.
Both publications are
now under new ownership,
but with a deal shrouded in
mystery, the future of
Ebony and Jet remain
uncertain. It's been report
ed that Clear View Group
is black-owned, but a
search for the owner
Michael Gibson, turned up
empty. The Crusader was
unable to find any informa
tion or website on the Clear
View Group.
There are also ques
tions as to why a black
businessman buying Ebony
and Jet would refrain from
appearing in public to
proudly announce the hero
ic rescue- of two iconic
magazines. What risks
could there be for such a
move?
Johnson Publishing did
not return an email from
the Crusader, but in a tele
vision interview with
Roland Martin on
"NewsOne Now," Rogers
remained tight-lipped
about Ebony's new owner.
She defended the sale of
the iconic magazine,
describing it as "extremely
important" few Ebony's sur
vival.
? , . ?. I? ?
ChromckRk Photo
Whole Man Ministries' Homes 4 Our Heroes initiative has one house left to finish rehabbing on Cameron Avenue.
Whole Man
from page A1
"It's amazing for me to
see a people, the veterans,
that have fallen and need a
helping hand,"
he said. "Once such a
vital part of our society, to
see them where they seem
like they've lost their dig
nity, but when they get keys
to their own place, to see
the change in them, it's
amazing."
The city gave grants to
various community organi
zations in this year's budg
et like the Aits Council,
Experiment in Self
Reliance and HARRY
Veterans Community
Outreach Organization.
Those organizations were
ehosen based on the recom
mendations of the
Community Agency
Allocation Committee. The
committee is made of nine
citizens who review city
grant requests. Other
organizations that were
turned down this year were
Women of Wisdom, Josh
Howard Foundation,
Industries for the Blind,
and a Freedom Tree at IDR
(Institute for Dismantling
Racism) initiative called
Share Cooperative of
Winston-Salem.
Separately, Whole Man
has been raising funds to
finish restoring its last
house on Cameron Avenue.
Homes 4 Our Heroes has
used volunteer labor to
convert five dilapidated
houses on Cameron into
duplexes for homeless vet
erans. Currently, four are
completed and house six
veterans. BB&T has given
$20,000 in donations and
in-kind volunteer labor to
the last house. The project
still has $30j000 to go and,
if all goes well, it will be
completed by Veterans Day
of this year.
Whole Man pastor
Barry Washington said he
plans to fund the effort by
raffling a donated car and
applying for other grants.
"We will continue to
push forward and try to
raise funds," he said.
He said though the city
donated the buildings and
gave his organization a
loan to help pay for some
of the rehab work, Homes 4
Our Heroes has yet to
receive a grant from the
city.
Two houses at other
sites were donated to the
cause, one is currently
occupied with a veteran
and the other is in need of
rehabilitation before it can
be used.
"We will continue to
push forward and try
to raise funds."
-Barry Washington, Pastor
Discount
from page A1
black
schools, in addition to
UNC-Pembroke and
Western Carolina
University, increase their
enrollments.
Charging that his life
had also been threatened,
Apodaca removed his bill.
Fast forward to
Monday evening, June 27,
when leaders of the state
Senate and House
announced that they have a
$22 billion budget agree
ment ready for both houses
to ratify this week, and
Gov. Pat McCrory to possi
bly sign no later than
Friday, in time for die new
fiscal year beginning July
1.
In as part of the new
budget is the provision
Apodaca said he would
kill, a $500-per-semester
tuition, this time involving
just three schools - UNC
Pembroke, Western
Carolina University and
Elizabeth City State
University.
Senate Majority Leader
Phil ? Berger said the
schools were re-included
because their chancellors
asked to be. He added that
ECSU was in "critical"
need of the program
because a March audit
showed a sharp drop in
enrollment, with only 232
students out of oyer 1186
freshmen admitted who
actually enrolled.
The Rev. Dr. William
Barber n, president of the
N.C. NAACP, continues to
criticize the move, charg
ing that it is just a "shell
game" to ultimately close
ECSU down. Apodaca says
the budget has $40 million
allotted to help all three
schools with any shortfalls
next year.
NBTF
from page A1
raising $10 million for the exhibits themselves.
The commissioners also unanimously approved a
$400,000 grant
tor tne Arts
Council to pur
chase a current
ly vacant
10,000-square
foot building at
419 Spruce
Street. The
building is next
to UNC School
of the Arts
n A
Sparrow
Kortenaar
aievens center
on Fourth Street downtown and may be used as part of
potential expansion of the performance venue.
According to Arts Council President Jim Sparrow, the
building is being considered as a new home for the New
Winston Museum, currently located on South Marshall
Street, and the NBTF Hall of Fame. It could act as a short
term and permanent home for the museums, which are
discussing a possible joint operating strategy. He said if
the decision is made to use the building for those muse
ums, it could open by the time the NBTF happens next
year.
"It's a possibility we could do relatively quickly if
that's something they feel is aligned with what they want
to do," said Sparrow.
The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest
H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and ispublished
every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing
Co. Inc., 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, N.C.
27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Annual subscription price is $30.72.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
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