Ebony Magazine’s editor steps down in the middle of the company’s troubles

Mitzi Miller had a short tenure as the editor-in-chief of Ebony Magazine, and now that tenure has come to an end.  Miller was given the position back in April, replacing Amy DuBois Barnett.  Barnett left to pursue opportunities with ESPN.

The 39-year old Miller was at the helm of Jet Magazine since 2011, and switched over when the company ended it’s print version of Jet.  She says that she now plans on pursuing a career involving writing for television and film.

“I’ve always subscribed to the principle of living in the present and remaining open to all of life’s opportunities,” Miller said in a statement. “So I believe that now is an exciting time to start a new chapter in my life.”

Miller co-wrote the book, “The Vow,” which was the basis on which the film, “With this Ring” was created.  The film recently aired on the Lifetime Television Network.

Miller may be leaving Johnson Publishing at one of the toughest times in its entire history.  The company has seen steep revenue declines and has had trouble competing in the digital age.   Recently, the company announced that it had been forced to sell it’s historic film archives for $40 million in order to pay the bills.

Ebony is one of the most respected publications in the African American community.  Founded in 1945, the company has an average circulation of 1.26 million.   But ad revenue for the company dropped by 24 percent last year, with its rival Essence seeing a decline of just 7.5 percent.  Part of the reason for the difference is that Essence is owned by Time Warner, and is able to secure ad revenues for Essence by using it’s relationships with corporations seeking to market in predominantly white publications.

So, let’s give Ebony credit and support for trying to stay black.  These days, nearly everyone is selling piece of the black community for a dollar.

“The company will continue to take a look at assigning new talent to the publication as we develop new ways to increase the dominance of the magazine through digital, event activations and sponsorships,” the company said.