Emerge Magazine
Launched in 1989 by Time Inc. and later purchased by BET, Emerge earned widespread respect for capturing black life and culture. The articles, which spanned the globe and won awards like Amnesty International USA's Media Spotlight Award, never ran away from controversial topics. BET turned over publishing control to Vanguarde Media in 2000, and the following year, the publishing house decided to combine Emerge with a new magazine: Savoy.
CAPTIONS BY MONEE FIELDS-WHITE
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Savoy Magazine
The first issue of Savoy hit newsstands in January 2001. Editor-in-Chief Roy Johnson came up with the idea for a general-interest lifestyle magazine that catered to the affluent. The magazine, named after the ballroom popular during the Harlem Renaissance, was shuttered two years later, along with its publisher, Vanguarde Media. Chicago-based Hartman Publishing, which also owns the weekly N'Digo, attempted to bring it back to life in 2004. After four issues, owner Hermene Hartman suspended the print version, though it stayed online as she searched for financing. It's now in the hands of Atlanta-based L.P. Green & Partners Inc., which revived the publication this year.
Honey Magazine
Vanguarde Media purchased Honey — one of the first urban magazines for women that blended entertainment and fashion — from Harris Publishing in 1999 within about nine months of its initial launch. It folded when Vanguarde filed for bankruptcy in 2003. Sahara Media Holdings, which bought Honey in 2005, managed to raise just over $10 million to help revive the magazine in a new format: HoneyMag.com. The New York-based firm unveiled the first incarnation of its site in June 2007.
Heart & Soul Magazine
The healthy-living magazine is now in the hands of Baltimore-based publisher Edwin Avent, who purchased it out of bankruptcy in 2004. Heart & Soul got its start in 1993 by entrepreneur Reginald Ware in partnership with Rodale Press Inc. — which also publishes Prevention and Women's Health magazines, among others. BET, which bought Heart & Soul in 1998, gave Vanguarde Media publishing control of it (and four other magazines that BET owned) in 2000. Avent has expanded the brand, including hosting a health expo. He has plans to launch a pregnancy-and-baby magazine next year.
Vibe Magazine
It's baaack! Vibe — launched in 1993 by famed music producer Quincy Jones in partnership with Time Inc. — faced a tumultuous year in 2009. The magazine fell prey to the recession and briefly ceased operation. Jones even attempted to rescue his beloved magazine. Six weeks after it was shuttered, Len Burnett's Uptown Media and Leo Hindery's InterMedia Partners brought Vibe back from the dead — purchasing it for an undisclosed sum. Burnett, along with Keith Clinkscales, was among the magazine's original creators.
Urban Profile Magazine
Urban Profile offered a mix of social, political and economic content from the perspective of young black men and women. Publishing veteran Len Burnett started the magazine with college roommate Keith Clinkscales in the late 1980s. It was their first business venture together in magazine publishing (Among their later ventures was Vanguarde Media). They sold Urban Profile to Career Communications Group in 1992 and joined Vibe to help get that magazine off the ground. Urban Profile, however, was never resurrected.
Black Issues Book Review
Launched in 1999 by William E. Cox, Adrienne Ingrum and Susan McHenry, the bimonthly publication focused on telling the latest about black authors, publishing executives and book reviews. In its first year, American Library named it one of the 10 Best New Magazines. Chicago-based Target Market News purchased the publication in March 2006, but after a year, the magazine closed down.
Emerge Magazine
Launched in 1989 by Time Inc. and later purchased by BET, Emerge earned widespread respect for capturing black life and culture. The articles, which spanned the globe and won awards like Amnesty International USA's Media Spotlight Award, never ran away from controversial topics. BET turned over publishing control to Vanguarde Media in 2000, and the following year, the publishing house decided to combine Emerge with a new magazine: Savoy.
CAPTIONS BY MONEE FIELDS-WHITE
Click on the arrow above to keep reading or register now so you can comment and receive The Root's newsletter.