7495: Jet Reset.

Jet redesigns to get more readers on board

By Sandra Guy

JET magazine, billed by publisher Johnson Publishing Co. as “the world’s No. 1 African-American newsweekly,” is getting a new design, layout and logo in an effort to expand its content and appeal to a multigenerational readership.

The inaugural Feb. 15 issue, on newsstands Feb. 8, is described as “the most sweeping evolution of its iconic brand [JET] in the company’s history.”

The first redesigned issue (left) is described as “the most sweeping evolution of its iconic brand in the company’s history.”

“Given the evolving landscape for the media, we thought now is a good time to re-establish our standing in the industry,” Mira Lowe, JET’s editor in chief, said Tuesday. “We want to maintain our leadership position in the marketplace. … We’re looking to appeal to a broader audience, including younger readers as well as our core readers.”

JET has a nationwide circulation of 900,000 and a full-time editorial staff of seven.

JET will showcase a variety of points of view on topics impacting black America, ranging from diet guru Dr. Ian Smith to radio talk-show host Warren Ballentine, to MTV personality and Sean Combs’ former valet Fonzworth Bentley, according to a JET press release issued Tuesday.

The magazine will keep its mainstay JET Beauty and JET Love sections, formerly known as Beauty and Happiness, while introducing new sections JET Perspective, Buzz and Style.

The makeover follows by three months a revamp of the iconic Ebony magazine, which announced Nov. 13 a new “Power 150” list and other new features.

Sidmel Estes, a media strategist and the first woman president of the National Association of Black Journalists, confirmed in October that she and four other journalists were seeking venture capital to remake the ailing Ebony and Jet magazines into dominant African-American presences online.

Johnson Publishing, which has declined comment on investor-takeover efforts, hasn’t denied a report in Newsweek magazine that the Chicago-based company is seeking a buyer or investor for its storied flagship publication. Johnson, the world’s largest African-American owned and operated publishing company based at 820 S. Michigan, is facing the same dilemma as much of the print-media world—sharply declining ad revenue.

The Media Industry Newsletter reported in September that Ebony’s advertising pages were down 40 percent from January through October 2009 compared with 2008.