Is Essence Magazine in Trouble?

Two weeks ago the media world buzzed about the 480 jobs lost at Time Inc. The corporation-wide layoffs bypassed some properties, including Essence. Or so it seemed. By the end of last week, Essence Editor-in-Chief Constance White was walking out the door

tom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad1"> – along with several other senior level staffers. On Monday another left.

By Wednesday, the buzz was that Time Inc. was going to jettison all its properties

– presumably Essence included – except three flagships: Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated.

Where does that leave the matriarch of African-American women’s magazines? Wherever it lands, it needs a home that will be able to figure out how to keep it viable. These days Ebony – which Essence had never considered a competitor – has been revamped and is nipping at its audience. And sister-savvy online publications like Clutch Magazine

are also capturing readers’ attention.

If Meredith buys Time’s properties, as is rumored, it could be good news for the Black women’s magazine.

Read more at Poynter