Oprah’s Magazine Stops Print Production And Goes Digital!

September 11, 2020 ruthmaxey1 613 Views african American business conglomerates, african American lifestyle, african american news, celebrity gossip, celebrity mentors, celebrity news, digital print media, harpo films, o, oprah gail winfrey, oprah winfrey network, Oprah’s Magazine Stops Print Production And Goes Digital!, own, print media, the oprah winfrey magazine

YourBlackWorld,net, By Victor Omondi, Posted September 11th 2020

Oprah Winfrey’s Magazine, O, plans to cease its print production after the controversial resignation of the president of its parent firm. Even though the Magazine is performing well, the employees were told that December 2020 would be the Magazine’s last production.

“I’m proud of this team and what we have delivered to our readers over the past 20 years. I look forward to the next step in our evolution,” Winfrey said in a statement.

The announcement comes after, Troy Young, the former president of Hearst Communications, resigned. The Magazine’s employees told New York Times that the 52-year-old created a toxic environment by saying sexually offensive things. It’s alleged that Troy made suggestive comments about sex toys and emailed pornography to a senior editor.

The multinational mass media conglomerate, O, was founded by Winfrey and Hearst Communications in 2000. The majority of the issues discussed in the Magazine feature Winfrey, and sometimes, though rarely, a companion. Michelle Obama was featured in one of the issues.

An Indian reporter, who covered politics for Cosmopolitan, Prachi Gupta, remembered how the company made the women of color feel less than equal.

“Because there were no women of color in leadership positions, I could not seek advice or counsel when I was pushed into some of the uncomfortable positions,” Gupta said, as reported by New York Times.

Most magazines saw a significant drop in sales around 2009, but O’s circulation gained 5%, reports an Associated Press. Compared to other publications, the Magazine has the largest Black subscriber. 35% of the readers are Black.

However, according to a representative of Hearst Magazine, the company isn’t planning to do away with the brand, but rather make it more digitally centric.

“As the brand celebrates twenty years of O, The Oprah Magazine, we’re thinking about what’s next, but again the partnership and the brand are not going away,” the representative said. “This is a natural next step for the brand, which has grown to an online audience of 8 million, extending its voice and vision with video and social content. We will continue to invest in this platform as the brand grows and evolves into one that is more digitally centric.”