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Johnson Publishing Rebounds

  • NPR, Thursday, September 22, 2011 2:30 PM
With former White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers on board as CEO for just over a year, Johnson Publishing appears to have made a successful turnaround. The parent of Ebony and Jet magazines has stopped its plummeting circulation figures and is now hiring again, reports NPR's Cheryl Corley.

Tactics leading to the turnaround have included the outsourcing of circulation efforts, selling an equity stake to banker JPMorgan Chase, setting up new editorial and management teams, and pushing for younger and higher-income readers. Ebony, for instance, has launched an iPad app and features Mary J. Blige on the October cover. Jet is planning a redesign for later this year.

In August, the Audit Bureau of Circulation listed both publications  among the top 25 fastest-growing consumer magazines. In the first-half of 2011, readership rose 11% for Ebony and 8% for Jet.

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