Black Lifestyles Magazine Went for $600,000
Jungle Media, the New York company that bought Savoy magazine at a bankruptcy auction last month and now has sold it to the publisher of a black Chicago weekly, made a 60 percent profit from the sale, representatives of the principals confirmed today.
Jungle Media had bid $375,000 plus the assumption of consumer liabilities, not to exceed $516,000, at a bankruptcy auction on May 3. The liabilities are mostly unfulfilled subscriptions.
Hermene Hartman, publisher of the Chicago weekly N’Digo, and Grant Jenman, a New York investment banker who assisted Jungle Media, confirmed to Journal-isms today that the purchase price was $600,000 — a 60 percent profit.
“The court process didn’t provide the best return for the debtor,” Vanguarde Media, which auctioned Savoy, Heart and Soul and Honey magazines, said Jenman, who is with Hudson Allen & Co. “Our client got a deal — a diamond in the rough, and Hartman Publishing got a great deal.”
Jungle Media had outbid Earl G. Graves, the publisher of Black Enterprise magazine, for Savoy. Derrick Godfrey, vice president for business ventures of Graves Ventures, later indicated that he thought that price too high, saying that “We had to make reasonable business decisions on price points,” and that the bidding “could have gone up exponentially.” Vanguarde had made “some decisions regarding cost that were not the most prudent,” and Graves Ventures did not want to repeat that mistake, he had told Journal-isms.
As reported yesterday, Hartman said she had not known about the bankruptcy auction. She said she planned to re-launch Savoy at the beginning of the year and expected to start talking with previous editors for their advice and words of wisdom. She also said she plans to collaborate with Jungle Media.
The lifestyles magazine that aspired to be a “black Vanity Fair” had a circulation of 325,000 when it folded last year.
D.C. Services Saturday for Ralph Wiley, Wm. Brower
Mourners are gathering separately Saturday morning in Washington to pay tribute to Ralph Wiley, the author and sportswriter who died Sunday night at age 52, and William A. Brower Sr., the first black reporter at the Toledo Blade, who died May 28 at 87.
Services for Wiley are scheduled at the National Presbyterian Church, 4101 Nebraska Ave. NW, with a wake at 10 a.m. and services at 10:45 a.m.
Wiley’s son, Colen Wiley, told Journal-isms this week that he had invited filmmaker Spike Lee and Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon to speak, as well as other family members and friends. With Lee, Wiley wrote “By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of Malcolm X”.
A reception is to follow the burial at about 2 p.m. at the 15th Street Presbyterian Church, 1701 15th St. NW, at R Street.
Brower and his late wife, Louise, had moved to Washington from Toledo late in 2002 to be close to their son, William A. Brower Jr., and grandchildren, the Blade had reported.
A Brower tribute is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Rankin Memorial Chapel on the Howard University campus.
Fellow sportswriters continued to write tributes to Wiley in their publications, but there was one note of discord.
“When a show does a story about someone who passes away, it should pay its respects, then fade to black before going to commercial,” wrote Andrew Marchand in the New York Post.
“Also, during the stories, it should lose any score tickers. This week on SportsCenter, ESPN produced a nice tribute to deceased sportswriter Ralph Wiley of ESPN.com,” Marchand continued.
“During the segment, ESPN ran its ‘Bottom Line’ scores of the day and news ticker. After the piece, the network teased what was up next on the show. These are nitpicky points, but when dealing with death, networks should lose any self-promotion and trivialities.”
“Our position is, it is part of the show,” said SportsCenter managing editor Norby Williamson, Marchand reported. “It is the way we produce the show. We are constantly evaluating. Maybe there is a better way to do it.?”
- Jeremy Banks, Kansas City Kansan: In its simplest form
- Brandon M. Bickerstaff, Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.: Missing Ralph Wiley, for a reason
- Bill Conlin, Philadelphia Daily News: ‘Ralph Wiley Was Born to Make People Think’
- Jarvis DeBerry, New Orleans Times-Picayune: With writer’s death, a friend is gone
- Rick “32_footsteps” Healey, Netjak.com: An Elegy for Ralph Wiley
Juan Carlos López in D.C. for CNN en Español
Juan Carlos López, CNN en Español’s correspondent in New York, has become the network’s Washington correspondent. He succeeds Jorge Gestoso, who left the network on May 31 and formed his own company.
In addition, CNN en Español has promoted Washington, D.C. veteran Willie Lora from senior producer to bureau manager. “López will be CNN en Español’s chief reporter and editorial leader in Washington, while Lora will manage bureau operations and administration, and work jointly with López on newsgathering and production,” a CNN International announcement says.
“López joined CNN en Español full time in 2000, although he had freelanced for the network since 1993. He has played a prominent role in virtually all aspects of CNN en Español’s coverage of the War on Terror. He has reported frequently from the United Nations, and has handled an array of on-scene assignments including the gubernatorial election in California, Hurricane Isabel from North Carolina and the FTAA [Free Trade Area of the Americas] Summit in Miami.”
Pew Studies Reignite “Liberal Media” Debate
“At least one issue seems to unite left, right and center these days: everyone seems interested in fresh allegations of ‘liberal bias’ in newsrooms,” writes Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor & Publisher magazine.
“My most recent online column, posted last week, announcing that E&P was launching a major probe of this subject, drew a record response, with dozens of readers offering encouragement, advice and warnings.
“Mixed in were a few condemnations from the left (‘You are merely validating a myth’) and right (‘Everyone knows it’s true’). Apparently some have made up their minds already. But we will approach this as open-minded as possible, looking for nuance, and focusing on the ‘fannies in the seats’ in actual newsrooms, how reporters and editors get there, and what happens after they do.”
It is not obvious that any of the responses came from journalists of color.
The latest round of introspection was prompted by the release in May of a joint project by the Pew Research Center and the Project for Excellence in Journalism and on June 8 of the “biennial news consumption survey” from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
The first report, as described by Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post, showed that, “At national outlets, 34 percent describe themselves as liberal, 54 percent as moderate and 7 percent as conservative. (The local split was 23-61-12.) Nearly 7 in 10 of the liberal national journalists criticized the Bush coverage.”
Among the findings in the second report:
- “The public’s evaluations of media credibility . . . are more divided along ideological and partisan lines. Republicans have become more distrustful of virtually all major media outlets over the past four years, while Democratic evaluations of the news media have been mostly unchanged.
- “CNN’s once dominant credibility ratings have slumped in recent years, mostly among Republicans and independents. By comparison, the Fox News Channel’s believability ratings have remained steady both overall and within partisan groups. Nonetheless, among those able to rate the networks, more continue to say they can believe all or most of what they hear on CNN than say that about Fox News Channel (32% vs. 25%).
- “The partisan nature of these ratings is underscored by the fact that, while roughly the same proportion of Republicans and Democrats view Fox News as credible, Fox ranks as the most trusted news source among Republicans but is among the least trusted by Democrats.
- “Internet news, once largely the province of young, white males, now attracts a growing number of minorities. The percentage of African Americans who regularly go online for news has grown by about half over the past four years (16% to 25%). More generally, the Internet population has broadened to include more older Americans. Nearly two-thirds of Americans in their 50s and early 60s (64%) say they go online, up from 45% in 2000.”
Pew Survey Finds Moderates, Liberals Dominate News Outlets (Editor & Publisher)
Digital Divide is Narrowing As More Minorities Log On (Dallas Morning News)
Blacks Increasingly Go Online for News, Services (Wayne Dawkins, Black America Web)
Newsday, Hoy Inflated Circulation
“Two newspapers owned by the Tribune Company, Newsday and the Spanish-language daily Hoy, inflated circulation figures by as much as 19 percent for the year ended last September, Newsday announced yesterday. The paper placed its vice president of circulation on administrative leave,” as Jacques Steinberg reports in the New York Times.
“Newsday, which is located in Melville, N.Y., said it was reducing the average daily circulation it had reported to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, 579,729, by about 40,000 copies. It said that the average Sunday figure it had reported, 671,819, was being reduced by about 60,000 copies.
“The newspaper said that Hoy’s average weekday and Sunday circulation figures — 92,604 and 33,198 — were being reduced by about 15,000 and 4,000 copies respectively. Hoy publishes editions in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.”
Kareen Wynter to CNN in D.C., from Cleveland
Kareen Wynter is joining the correspondent ranks of CNN Newsource’s Washington, D.C. bureau, CNN announces.
“As a national correspondent, Wynter will report live from breaking national news events as well as provide custom live reports for more than 700 CNN Newsource affiliate partners. Wynter comes to CNN Newsource from CNN and ABC affiliate WEWS-TV in Cleveland.”
Procter & Gamble to Measure Black Ad Response
“The nation’s largest advertiser, the Procter & Gamble Company, is moving ahead with plans made a year ago to give far higher priority to advertising aimed at black consumers through an innovative, multimillion-dollar agreement with Tom Joyner, a leading personality in urban radio,” reports Stuart Elliott in the New York Times.
“The deal, which takes effect today, was signed this week by Procter and Mr. Joyner’s company, Reach Media, based in Dallas. The agreement, which is to run 15 months initially, goes well beyond traditional elements like running commercials during ‘The Tom Joyner Morning Show.’
“Procter will conduct a study to measure the value of advertising on the urban radio stations that carry Mr. Joyner’s show. The study is important because urban radio executives, at stations for black or Hispanic listeners, have long contended that they are shortchanged by major marketers when decisions are made about buying commercial time. The executives complain that their large, loyal audiences are relegated to supporting roles while stations with white listeners take the star turns.
“‘Traditionally, people have not given urban radio its fair value,’ Gary Fries, the president and chief executive of the Radio Advertising Bureau in New York, said yesterday. ‘It’s almost like a discount is put on it because it’s urban instead of ‘mainstream.’ “
“‘For Procter & Gamble to step up and say the African-American marketplace needs targeted marketing is a significant moment,’ Mr. Kantor said.”
Jesse Jackson Radio Show Adds Affiliates
“After 12 weeks on the air, the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Chicago-based talk show has added affiliates in San Antonio, Texas, and Wheeling, W. Va., with additional outlets on the way,” Robert Feder reports in the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Originating from WGRB-AM (1390), where it airs from 7 to 8 a.m. Sundays, Jackson’s ‘Keep Hope Alive’ also is on Clear Channel Radio stations in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit and Norfolk, Va.”
Essence Makes “50 Best Magazines” List
Essence magazine has made the “50 best magazines” list compiled by the Tempo section staff of the Chicago Tribune.
Coming in at number 25, Essence was described as “Indispensable to its loyal readership with lively and timely reports on issues that matter to women of color. Whether the topic is obstacles to career advancement, obtaining financial security or fighting for better health in the black community, Essence is on the cutting edge,” it said.
Wired, Real Simple and the Economist led the list.
Congo Harassing Journalists, Committee Warns
Concluding a two-week mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Committee to Protect Journalists this week called on the country’s transitional government not to use national security as a justification for restricting the work of the press.
“Journalists working in the DRC face frequent harassment, legal action, and even imprisonment, according to the findings of the two-person delegation from CPJ that has been in the DRC since June 1. In some parts of the country, journalists are exposed to violence and rebel attacks, most recently during the seizure of Bukavu by army dissidents,” the committee said.
The two people in the delegation were Julia Crawford, CPJ’s Africa Program coordinator, who is based in New York, and Dr. Philippe Dahinden, who acted as an independent expert. He is a lawyer and news editor for the Hirondelle Foundation, a Switzerland-based nongovernmental organization that works to promote independent media in conflict and post-conflict zones.
Music Writer Toure Gets Star Treatment
“Someone who uses only his first name and isn’t Madonna or Prince runs the risk of being, well . . . pretentious,” writes Tara Weiss in the Hartford Courant.
“That’s one of the reasons why you’re not quite sure what to expect when you meet Toure. Another is that as the self-described ‘black music writer’ for Rolling Stone, he lives in a world where playing basketball with Prince and poker with Jay-Z is normal.
“He’s all over television, jousting with other talking heads about controversial ‘American Idol’ decisions or the origin of the name Apple, Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter. Maybe you’ve seen him interviewing Nas or Puff Daddy on MTV2’s ‘Spoke ‘N’ Heard’ or chatting with magazine queen Tina Brown on CNBC’s ‘Topic A.’
“Toure, 33, is synonymous to pop culture punditry as James Carville is to politics. He straddles high- and low-brow culture. In his forthcoming novel about a black utopia, he looks at serious issues, such as race, through a pop culture prism.”
Paper Reports on Seeking Native American Roots
“In a report on the growing number of Americans who are exploring their Native American ancestry, Julie Hubbard of the Muskogee Daily Phoenix examined the reasons for the trend and provided advice and a list of helpful Web sites,” the Gannett Co. informs its newspapers on its Diversity page Web site, speaking of the Oklahoma paper.
“According to a Cherokee genealogist, ‘It?s a combination of trying to find part of one?s identity. And gaining access to tribal benefits, which include health care and scholarships.’ A professor of American Indian history added, ‘The psychological view of American Indians over the last 20 years has changed from once disgraceful to now spiritual and endearing.'”
