How The Johnson Publishing Company Influenced Black Culture

By Nereida Moreno, Jennifer White
John H. Johnson
In this Dec. 10, 2001, file photo, Jet magazine founder John H. Johnson, head of Johnson Publishing Co., sits in his Chicago office. Johnson, Chicago's iconic Johnson Publishing Co., owner for decades of Ebony and Jet magazines that helped change the image of black people portrayed by U.S. media, filed Tuesday, April 9. 2019, for bankruptcy liquidation in federal court. Ted S. Warren / Associated Press
John H. Johnson
In this Dec. 10, 2001, file photo, Jet magazine founder John H. Johnson, head of Johnson Publishing Co., sits in his Chicago office. Johnson, Chicago's iconic Johnson Publishing Co., owner for decades of Ebony and Jet magazines that helped change the image of black people portrayed by U.S. media, filed Tuesday, April 9. 2019, for bankruptcy liquidation in federal court. Ted S. Warren / Associated Press

How The Johnson Publishing Company Influenced Black Culture

By Nereida Moreno, Jennifer White
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It’s the end of an era — the iconic Johnson Publishing Company on Wednesday filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy, citing “factors outside of the company’s control.”

The Chicago-based publishing house behind Ebony and Jet magazines has been hailed as one of the​ most successful and influential black-owned corporations in the U.S​.

Morning Shift digs into the company’s legacy and cultural impact.

GUEST: Jane Rhodes, professor and head of African American studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago

LEARN MORE: Power, Politics, & Pride: Johnson Publishing (WTTW)

Johnson Publishing once chronicled black life in Ebony and Jet. It sold the magazines in 2016 and now it’s going out of business. (Chicago Tribune 4/9/19)