Len Burnett, a co-founder of Uptown magazine, has bought back the upscale African-American magazine from Intermedia Vibe Holdings.
Leo Hindery Jr.’s Intermedia Partners and Yucaipa Johnson Co., headed by basketball legend-turned-business mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson and supermarket magnate Ron Burkle, teamed up to take over the magazine company in 2011.
As a result of the sale, Uptown Editor-in-Chief Angela Bronner
Helm will exit and be replaced by features editor Isoul Harris.
Burnett had been co-CEO and group publisher of the Uptown Media Group and chief revenue officer of the Intermedia Vibe Holdings. He said about seven people from the company will join him in the new venture, including Brett Wright, who resigned from Intermedia Vibe in May.
The previous owners seemed more intent on putting money into Vibe, which Hindery rescued in 2009 after it had suspended publication. He brought it back as a six-times-a year magazine.
Intermedia Vibe also owns Blackbook magazine and Access Network, a software company that produces regional nightlife information that it sells to publishers.
“There was no falling out,” said Burnett regarding his split from Intermedia Vibe. “They just wanted to put more emphasis on Vibe and the digital portion, and they gave us the opportunity to buy back Uptown.”
He did not disclose terms of the deal, which closed before year-end.
Burnett was one of the executives who was present at the launch of Vibe with Quincy Jones in 1993. He left a few years later to team with Keith Clinkscales at Vanguarde Media, which put out a stable of magazines aimed at the African-American audience. It eventually came to own Vibe again.
Burnett said the new company, which publishes the 250,000-circulation Uptown six times a year with seven regional editions, is being backed by “several wealthy individuals” he declined to name. He also said he’s in the process of raising additional funds.
Burnett said he has already signed a licensing deal with Heart & Soul, a magazine that traces its roots to the old Vanguarde Media but which is now published out of Baltimore by an independent publisher.
Ari Horowitz, CEO of Intermedia Vibe Holdings, could not be reached at presstime.
Beauty abounds
Florida-based health and wellness marketer Great Health Works has assembled a team of publishing vets to launch a new luxury beauty magazine called New You.
The quarterly magazine is hitting newsstands early next week with 250,000 copies. It is aimed at 35-to-50-year old women, covering beauty and anti-aging trends and technology.
Rachel Zalis, who was tapped as editor-in-chief, acknowledged that print has been under pressure but feels in certain niches it still holds great appeal.
“There is nothing like the feel of a magazine,” she said. “I think women still want something they can feel and hold, especially in the luxury market.”
The magazine has 75 ad pages in its debut issue from brands including Stila, Elizabeth Arden, Kiehl’s, Latisse and Botox. Courteney Cox is the cover subject.
The venture is being funded by Ken Meares, who began Great HealthWorks in Hollywood, Fla., in 2003.
“It was a natural fit into our organization, and we are committed to … a successful launch of the magazine,” said Meares, who declined to say exactly how much was committed to the launch.
He has managed to attract a number of publishing vets to the launch. Zalis was a West Coast editor at Glamour. Don Luciano, the editorial and creative director, worked at Vanity Fair. Design director Jamie Lipps is the former art director of Harper’s Bazaar.
Upbeat at Hearst
Hearst Magazine President David Carey gave a generally upbeat appraisal of the magazine empire in the annual state-of-the-company letter released earlier this week.
He acknowledged that at one time the fortunes of the publishing world moved more in unison. In the current market, it is a fairly mixed bag.
“No question 2012 will not be remembered as mellow in either media or meteorology,” he wrote. “Many of our businesses soared and produced record results. Others faced challenges and the teams behind these brands have put in place fresh thinking for 2013.”
He said that the company now has 800,000 monthly digital subscriptions across iPads and other handheld devices, which he said is the highest tally in the publishing industry.
Buried in the wide-ranging memo was praise for Elle, which he singled out as “our second biggest business in the US.”
Last year, it had a 6 percent jump in ad pages to 2,453.9. That would suggest that Elle has displaced O, the Oprah Magazine, as the No. 2 Hearst title behind Cosmo. Without Oprah Winfrey on a daily syndicated talk show, the magazine last year saw its ad pages tumble nearly 15 percent to 1,161 ad pages.