Iconic Ebony & JET Magazine Sold To Private Equity Firm

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For many of us, growing up you could always find a copy of the latest Ebony and Jet Magazines in our households, hair salons, and doctor’s offices.

But times have changed and the market for print magazines has declined in recent years, forcing Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), owner of the iconic magazines, Ebony and Jet, to announce the sale of both Ebony, Ebony.com, and their digital Jet Magazine to Clear View Group, based in Austin Texas.

Clear View Group, an African-American owned equity firm, has no known experience with owning a publishing company and is expected to continue business as usual under the name Ebony Media Operations with a few staffing changes.

“We are excited about the future of Ebony Media and the opportunity to position the enterprise for long term growth. Our team has a true understanding of the Ebony brand as well as its legacy, and is committed to providing its audience with premium content across all media platforms,” said Michael Gibson, CEO of Clear View Group and Ebony Media Operations.

Linda Johnson Rice, previously JPC’s chairman, will now join the board of Ebony Media Operations as chairman emeritus, while JPC’s Chief Operating Officer, Cheryl Mayberry McKissack takes on the role of CEO. Last night, Kierna Mayo announced she’ll be stepping down from her role as editor-in-chief to join Interactive One as their Senior Vice President of Content and Brands in a series of tweets.

“I’m leaving @EBONYMag. It wasn’t an easy decision. Especially the way y’all love up on me after a cover drops. Alas…Life calls us to woman up sometimes and for me, letting go was about stepping into my future. I am the new Senior Vice President of Content and Brands for @InteractiveOne…I’ll miss Ebony for sure…they’ve got their own transitions going on but this was about me, mine and the time was now.”