What’s Black, White, in the Red, and Over?

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Print is dying. In late October The Christian Science Monitor announced that it would discontinue its print edition, making it the first national daily newspaper to abandon print. Around the same time, Condé Nast Publications announced that Men’s Vogue would be folded into Vogue and published only twice yearly. Newspaper circulation figures are down almost 5% from last year, with magazine ad pages down almost 10%. As New York Times media reporter David Carr wrote, print is “a legacy technology that attracts fewer consumers and advertisers every single day.”

While traditional print media continues to experience sharp declines, people will always crave content. Moreover, the website arms of many publications are generating greater traffic and ad revenue, offsetting diminished print returns and producing net increases in readership.

“Content is no longer simply produced and consumed,” says Philmore Anderson, founder and CEO of multimedia outfit Sahara Media, Inc. “The success of online media rests in its ability to easily share content and opinions with the world.”

Recognizing this trend, especially among younger demographics, Sahara is planning to relaunch Honey Magazine as an online magazine and launch a social network called HiveSpot.com.

“Honey is a great brand with a strong connection to an empowered audience,” says Mr. Anderson of the first popular publication to embrace an audience of eighteen to thirty-four-year-old multicultural young women. “It makes sense for us to reintroduce the title and build a community with audiences in this fashion.”

At a time when ethnic artists did not have magazine cover opportunities with the likes of Vogue or Glamour, during its successful six-year newsstand run, Honey was the first publication to feature on its cover celebrities such as Beyoncé, Tyra Banks, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, Lil’ Kim, LL Cool J, and Aaliyah. Now, Honey aims to be a first-in-class destination site for multicultural urban women, a place where users can talk to friends, find a job or internship, and engage with the latest gossip and other entertainment, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content.

“The move to the online space will allow the brand to expand faster, more efficiently, and more economically than were we to revive it on newsstands,” explains Mr. Anderson. “The world needs journalism and strong editorial content now more than ever—just not more print.” For more information visit www.HoneyMag.com.