When The Checks Stop Coming In: Is It A Wrap For Essence Magazine?

Posted on March 18th, 2010 - By Bossip Staff

Categories: News, SMH, When The Checks Stop Coming In

The iconic brand may be folding its magazine, according to Gawker, proving that even the popular go-to mag for black women can’t withstand the tides of the recession. Just a couple of days after announcing the retirement of beauty editor Mikki Taylor, Continue…

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COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:

satindoll 3/18/10, 09:35:AM

That is so sad…
samech 3/18/10, 09:35:AM

I love this magazine. I just got a subscription. I haven’t had one in years.
kalyfgr 3/18/10, 09:38:AM

Who cares!!! My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He- is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at an age gap dating

site- A_ge_m_in_g l e @ c//o//m a nice and free place for Younger- Women and Older Men, or Older Women and Younger Men, to-

interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or- tell your friends.
Just Me 3/18/10, 09:39:AM

I used to love love love essence. I would be excited to spend my Saturday afternoons in Barnes and Noble buying Essence & Black Enterprise as well as Lucky Mag and Vogue or Glamour. But recent years I found myself only buying essence for “support”. I have not liked the direction they were going ever since Time Warner bought it. (Its the same thing as Viacom taking over BET)

I really dont have a problem with Reggie Bush being IN the magazine, but to put an OLD pic of him FROM ANOTHER PUBLICATION on the cover of the February Valentines issue with the words “Black Men. Black Love and Relationships” was a HUGE slap in the face, because I PERSONALLY know that he does not want anything to do with a Black woman unless its his mother. (and I’m sure that’s minimal) I immediately said, NEVER again would I purchase the magazine.

P.S. >>> Essence knew they were wrong for putting Reggie on the cover, because they tried to rebound by putting the Obamas on the March cover to relapse for the loss of sales and backlash….now Zoe Saldana. And we as women cant have a double standard, because she is the same person as Reggie Bush when it comes to relationships. I think that’s a dominican thing though.
DreTruth 3/18/10, 09:41:AM

we just ordered these books – I hope it don’t happen for a while.
foxxy cleopatra foster 3/18/10, 09:42:AM

Damn!! Another 1 bites the dust.
juliemango 3/18/10, 09:44:AM

I strongly believe its more than the recession>just a lack of/diminished interest in Essence, and more so in mags like Sister2Sister bc they are more celeb. based!!!
Gimmeabreak78 3/18/10, 09:45:AM

I used to like Essence, too, but their stories and features have been bland an uninteresting to me for a long time now.
drenk 3/18/10, 09:45:AM

newspapers have been struggling im sure niche magazines have been hit harder
Don'tGiveAWhat 3/18/10, 09:46:AM

Awwww man….I’ve been reading Essence since I was in HS!!

I think as of late it was more nostalgia than anything, because it was kind of a love/hate relationship…LOL. But this is sad, but unsurprising… all (paper) magazines and newspapers are starting to go the way of the dinosaur….
FURIOUS STYLES 3/18/10, 09:47:AM

ESSENCE is not folding.

Bossip you really need to stop with this misinformation you spread.
Anon 3/18/10, 09:52:AM

When Essence sold out to Time Warner they knew they would be on a very short leash… under perform and they’d go bye-bye! Now that they’ve under performed… it’s time to say goodbye. Moral of this story (please listen Ebony) if you must sell find a Black buyer… there’s probably a little more loyalty there.
Soul Touch 3/18/10, 09:52:AM

I love Essence!
BastetsMeow 3/18/10, 10:04:AM

This isn’t the least bit surprising. Messence was due to fold anytime with Time Warner buying them out. Many years ago, Essence had articles that literally would blow my mind away…..now? Not at all.

I am surprised at Miki Taylor retiring though! When did this bish happen?

If black magazines can be like a mix of Vogue and Newsweek, nay….The Economist, then they will be alright…stop riding off of the celebrity/hip-hop nonsense……because even that is starting to fizzle.
uptowngirl 3/18/10, 10:07:AM

Magazines in general are not doing as well. Essence just seems to rerun the same stories every year.
Honeyb 3/18/10, 10:10:AM

I hope not! This is truthfully the only magazine I read from cover to cover!
chocalatetunda01 3/18/10, 10:12:AM

WHY WOULD ESSENCE SELL TO TIME WARNER ANY WAYS. THERE A CABLE COMPANY. SMH JUST Y. I USE TO LIKE ESSENCE, EBONY, AND JET BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM THEY JUST ALL WENT DOWN. I RATHER READ SISTER TO SISTER NOW.
lt 3/18/10, 10:19:AM

ever since they let time warner take control, the content of the magazine has fallen off. i stopped my subscription years ago. it’s too bad ituse to be a respecteble magazine.
Str8 Truth 3/18/10, 10:21:AM

Check up on Time Warner’s holdings. Just cable? Don’t think so. They are a media juggernaut, with holdings in cable, television, film, publishing, and games. Through various subsidiaries, they have their hands in quite a bit. They are worth more than Disney!

I haven’t read Essence in years. The magazine became uninteresting.
always knew 3/18/10, 10:33:AM

love Nia Long!
WIFEY06 3/18/10, 10:57:AM

@ just men

amen i was clicking in to say the same thing. they deserve to shut down. They don’t have a dman idea about black women. If they did Reggie bush would have never been onthe cover.. Slap inthe face 4 real.

Reggie won’t even date black women but we suppose to give our hard earned money up for him on the cover.

Really lost touch with black Pride for real!!!

save reggie and kim for instyle or them tabloids not our celebrated black mag!!!!

As soon as white media takes over anything black owned it turns to sh!t because they have not gotten a clue. Essence and BEt for example…….

we need to malcom x it and have our own period.

As I said the celebs and entrepreneurs of today are slaves of white media and control.

Why do blacks go to whites for their needs? How is the oppressor suppose to be the saviour as well?

How is the oppressor suppose to be the saviour as well?

How is the oppressor suppose to be the saviour as well?

How is the oppressor suppose to be the saviour as well?
Hey now 3/18/10, 11:25:AM

Essence started going downhill when Susan Taylor stepped down as editor. She was the last one who saw Essence as ‘the voice & point of view’. of women of color. Essence used to be an upscale magazine with a niche market- black women. Lately, that’s not enough, everyone wants to go ‘global’ so to do that your message has to be watered down & the magazine sales have suffered because of it.
BastetsMeow 3/18/10, 12:10:PM

@ Hey Now:

Wow! I had no idea Susan Taylor stepped down!?

And now Miki Taylor!!!

Well, that explains it all….now I see why Messence is going down…..
da real Hey now 3/18/10, 12:16:PM

Having to cater to advertisers kept them from giving black women a real message. How you gonna tell women about their natural beauty when half of your advertising is for weaves and relaxes and clothes alot of the readers couldn’t afford. Its something about that contradiction that turns people off. Plus they shortened any article about subjects that could help black women and started focusing mostly on whats wrong with us and giving at times dubious financial advice.
Somali Ninga 3/18/10, 01:18:PM

Essence suck hard! Boring and uninteresting!
king 3/18/10, 01:33:PM

I HATE ESSENCE THEY NEVER HAVE ANYTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT BLACK MEN ALWAYS BASHING US nd defending the black women theyare just like bet need to be gone there is nothing good about this magaizne period and bet needs to be gone ourr black network promote this inorgance
BastetsMeow 3/18/10, 01:40:PM

There was Honey magazine (which was pretty solid in terms of articles and fashion)Sadly, that magazine folded……

There’s Jewel magazine (at least, I hope there’s still a Jewel magazine….I haven’t seen them on the newsstands for awhile…) Jewel and Honey magazine should have been what Essence was striving for……

Seems like Black magazines seem to be in danger of folding forever….

Is Black Enterprise still holding strong????
princess07 3/18/10, 02:16:PM

I stopped supporting Essence when they kept putting the same people on the cover, i.e Mary J. Beyonce, Nia, Monique, Queen, etc. The articles have gone way down, the book is thinner and quite frankly not work $4. Beside they use to cater to a variety of ages, now they only focus on the twentysomething crowd. Ebony is the same way. I use to look forward to getting my copy of Essence in the mail. Not anymore.
Bossip's Commenting Thing Sucks Big Black B.a.l.l.s 3/18/10, 03:01:PM

This is what happens when white folks try to take over and “do” us. It doesn’t work. I grew up on Essence and it was definitely the go-to magazine for Black women of all ages. Now, it’s just watered down and messy. You can tell that a lot of the content comes from white folks who are CLUELESS about who we are as a people and as women.
Mrs. Sophisticate 3/18/10, 03:08:PM

If it does fold it’s too bad because I was hoping to be on the cover one day
B 3/18/10, 03:15:PM

All magazines black or white)are redundant…
Sepia830 3/18/10, 03:42:PM

Can’t say I’m surprised. I gave up my subscription to Essence in favor of InStyle some years ago. Simply put I got tired of seeing the same people gracing the cover (Halle, Mary J, Monique). When they finally did put someone new on the cover, it was someone I could give two sh*ts about (Tyler Perry, Reggie Bush).
Lovely One 3/18/10, 04:11:PM

If Essence was already going down the drain, that awful Reggie Bush cover was the nail in the coffin.

Good riddens!
NOT SURPRISED 3/18/10, 04:36:PM

speaking for myself i just gave up on that magazine They should have never put reggie bush on the cover that was it for me.
leonard mckelvey 3/18/10, 06:35:PM

Essence has been on a slippery slope since Time Warner brought it.
FloRida 3/18/10, 06:42:PM

After years of supporting Essence, I recently canceled my subscription. The magazine that once empowered Black women, now demonizes Black women. Goodbye Messence!
Shana 3/18/10, 07:28:PM

No they just need to step their shit up and quit acting bourgeois and get back to basics. All that expensive shit they advertise. the woman that buys Essence likely isn’t into and probably can’t afford that shit – Manolo and Chanel? Girl Bye!

The articles are shitty too and they keep putting celebs on the cover. that shit has to come at a cost, much more than booking a regular model, I know.

This is what happens when you sell out.
GET REAL 3/18/10, 07:44:PM

I agree with all over the Reggie Bush cover. That was just plain azz stupid. I grew tired of the recycle stories every year. I was going to get my car service & was looking through a stack of Essence to take with me. I had 15 from the last 2yrs talking the same mess. I got tired of Essence telling sistas to date down in order to have a man. If a sista is educated, 750 credit score with no kids why should she date a janitor with 3 babymamas just cause he go to church. Essence will put janitors & auto mechanics in the same boat when one is a skill trade & the other is clearly not. I have never heard of a white mag telling their female readers to date down no matter how successful the women were.
GET REAL 3/18/10, 07:46:PM

I was also tired of Essence lightening the complextion of our beautiful women. Nia look 5 shades lighter in this pic.
LISTENUP 3/18/10, 08:37:PM

We can’t have anything without white people trying to take it over and change it. Same with BET. You knew when they got rid of Tavis Smiley that that was the beginning of the end. BET is now just trash television designed to destroy the black youth. Everyone is selling out and the Jews are taking over everything. MJ tried to warn you. I hate what is going on. Pretty soon black folks won’t own a damn thing because they will have all been bought out and I guess that is the name of the game. I hope Essence stays in publication – I still read it, it has changed but we as black women do need our own magazine for our own issues. They need to go back to where they were originally and focus on us and our issues and that would get their readership back up. Yes Reggie Bush was a big mistake, but maybe they learned from it. I don’t want Essence to be like Glamour, Marie Claire and all the rest. I have always reached for Essence first to see what was going on in our world. So please ladies, continue to support and just write letters so they can improve and stay in business. Several of my favorite magazines have been shut down, but I hope not Essence. Next thing you know it will be Ebony and Jet. Its a conspiracy against us alright and you better know it.
hey cutie 3/19/10, 06:31:AM

I can not remember a month that went by in our home where there was not an Ebony, Jet and essence magazine on the coffee table.
It was catered to black women, it did not have 50 pages on ad’s and 12 pages of articles. I stopped buying Essence about 7 years ago.
I would glance through it at the checkout line, but when I saw Reggie Bush on the cover I was like .. I have never heard him speak he seems so boring.. A FOOTBALL PLAYER ON THE COVER OF ESSENCE, I knew then it was soon to end.

I would have bought it if uhm, what’s that white dudes name that is married to the black chick, uhm Robin Thicke
rae 3/19/10, 06:58:PM

I was done with essence years ago and I never really knew why I had a fainting disinterest, but now I do.
After I found out it was no longer black owned, I almost blew chunks and then to top it all off they put a man on the cover who has yet to demonstrate a viable interest in loving black women (not that there is anything wrong with that, except of course if he is featured on a magazine that is suppose to celebrate black women)-I knew then it was all about the bottom line. Willie Lynch would be proud.
Monica 3/19/10, 09:45:PM

Of course they are. When they put Reggie Bush on the cover I stop supporting them