Emerge (magazine)

History

Wilmer C. Ames had the idea for Emerge, which he envisioned as a general interest magazine for upwardly mobile African Americans. He was the majority owner of Emerge Communications, the magazine's publishing company. Time Inc. owned 19.5 percent of the company and other investors, including Black Entertainment Television (BET), together held 29.5 percent. Ames planned to publish the first issue of Emerge in October 1988 with an initial circulation of 150,000. Publication was delayed when one of the investors failed to produce the funds it had promised.

The magazine launched instead in September 1989. In its first issue, Ames described Emerges target audience: "As the collective effort of the Civil Rights Movement dissolved legal racial barriers, sustained individual efforts have resulted in a growing list of 'firsts' in achievement as black professionals have pushed to new heights and into new fields.... Emerge is a magazine designed to meet the needs of this new, affluent generation, a generation that assumes different kinds of responsibilities along with the new opportunities and freedoms it enjoys." The Los Angeles Times noted that Emerge was competing against "stalwart publications" that already served the black middle class, such as Ebony, Essence, Jet, and Black Enterprise. Ames told the Los Angeles Times he hoped Emerge would "complement", rather than replace, those magazines.

At the end of its first year of publication, USA Today wrote that Emerge had a paid circulation of 105,000, with 50,000 issues distributed free to members of black professional organizations and fraternities—"although not the same 50,000 each month". The magazine's publisher, Donald Anderson, said that about 30 percent of those who received free copies went on to subscribe. USA Today described the readers of Emerge as "the underserved upper-middle class segment of the audience, the Cliff and Claire Huxtables", referring to the affluent couple from The Cosby Show. Emerge readers had a median age of 45 and an average annual household income of $71,000. More than three-quarters owned their homes, 86 percent had attended or graduated from college, and 45 percent had post-graduate degrees.

In May 1991, BET bought Time's stake in Emerge Communications. Although the terms of the deal were not announced, Time said it had made a profit on its $1.5 million investment. After the transaction, BET owned "close to 70 percent of the magazine".

Ames died in 1992,

In July 1994, BET announced that Emerge, which it said had "never broken even", would cease publication unless an investor or buyer came forward. The publisher estimated that an investment of $4 to $5 million over three to four years was necessary. The following month, MettersMedia Network purchased a 55 percent stake in the magazine for $2.8 million. During the first nine months of 1994, newsstand sales of Emerge increased 46 percent, and Curry told the Bay State Banner in February 1995 that the magazine's circulation might double over the next two years.

Emerge unexpectedly stopped publication in June 2000. The Washington Post said its circulation was 170,000, "more than most political magazines".

References

References

1. (2007). "Introduction to African American Studies: Transdisciplinary Approaches and Implications". Black Classic Press.
2. (1997). "Coverage of AIDS in Popular African American Magazines". Health Communication.
3. White, Jack E.. (June 12, 2000). "A Militant Voice Silenced".
4. Rhone, Shauna Scott. (June 4, 2000). "Emerge Magazine's Demise Leaves Void as Forum for African-American Issues". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
5. Boyd, Herb. (June 14, 2000). "Has BET's Emerge Submerged?". [[New York Amsterdam News]].
6. (2000). "George E. Curry 1947–". Contemporary Black Biography.
7. Dougherty, Philip H.. (June 8, 1988). "Emerge Magazine Aims at Black Readers". The New York Times.
8. Fabrikant, Geraldine. (August 31, 1988). "Black Magazine Is Called Off". The New York Times.
9. Elder, Charles. (October 6, 1989). "Making Ads Pay Off: A Growing Effort to Get the Attention of Minority Consumers". [[The Washington Post]].
10. Kent, Milton. (October 26, 1989). "New Magazine for Blacks Takes on Big Competitors Publishing". [[Los Angeles Times]].
11. Guy, Pat. (September 18, 1990). "Black Newsmagazine Emerges from First Year". [[USA Today]].
12. Gault, Ylonda. (June 11, 1990). "New Black Magazines Shake Up Market".
13. Guy, Pat. (May 24, 1991). "BET Gains Majority Interest in 'Emerge'". USA Today.
14. Umstead, R. Thomas. (June 3, 1991). "BET's purchase of 'Emerge' complements new strategy". [[Multichannel News]].
15. (December 17, 1993). "Currying Favor: An Interview with Emerge's New Editor, George E. Curry". [[Washington City Paper]].
16. Lieberman, David. (July 8, 1994). "Cash-starved 'Emerge' Magazine Faces End". USA Today.
17. Poole, Shelia M.. (August 21, 1994). "Media Company to Acquire a Stake in Ailing Magazine". [[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]].
18. Thorpe, Richard. (February 2, 1995). "Editor Tells Genesis of 'Black America's Newsmagazine'". [[Bay State Banner]].
19. Kurtz, Howard. (June 1, 2000). "Emerge Magazine Suddenly Suspends Publication". [[The Washington Post]].