FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Contact: Carolyn Wheeler,
301-445-7100 ext. 110
Carolyn@nabj.org
Nov. 26, 2003

NABJ Saddened by Shutdown of Vanguarde Media, Challenges Magazine Industry on Diversity

ADELPHI, Md. (Nov. 26, 2004) — The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) regrets the news that Vanguarde Media, publisher of urban magazines Savoy, Honey and Heart & Soul has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, NABJ President Herbert Lowe said today.

"Approximately 70 full-time employees will lose their jobs, including many NABJ members who stepped out on faith to pursue their dreams," said Lowe, a criminal courts reporter at Newsday in Queens, N.Y. "This is not only a huge disappointment for them but for our community as well."

Vanguarde's bankruptcy filing was due to its inability to raise additional operating funds, according to Keith Clinkscales, the company's chairman and chief executive officer. Clinkscales and Fred Terrell, managing partner and chief executive officer of Provender Capital Group, LLC, Vanguarde's largest investor, informed the staff on November 25.

"With so few voices for and by African Americans, the closure of the Vanguarde publications is another tragic loss for the magazine industry and black journalists nationwide," said Bryan Monroe, NABJ vice president-print and assistant vice president for news at Knight Ridder. "Who will step up to replace Vanguarde and speak for and about us? We should be adding voices, not silencing the few out there already."

NABJ, a longtime advocate of black journalists and proponent of black entrepreneurship in media, is troubled by the lack of diversity in magazines. To address these issues, NABJ is launching several initiatives, including meeting with magazine leaders and reaching out to black journalists in magazines, offering training and support. Also, the NABJ Media Institute plans to hold workshops on magazine journalism in 2004 in an effort to help more blacks not only enter the discipline, but also advance and gain influence in it.

"Magazines are already woefully underrepresented by black journalists -- a fact that is suddenly reinforced by the loss of Vanguarde," Monroe said." Let's all hope the industry works hard to find jobs for the scores of talented black journalists who now find themselves out of work. We'll be watching."

In addition to its Media Institute workshops, membership in NABJ offers black journalists various career development opportunities including networking at its annual convention, regional conferences and local chapters, a mentorship program and an online job bank, NABJobs Online, located at www.nabj.org.

An advocacy group established in 1975 in Washington, D.C., NABJ is the largest organization of journalists of color in the world, with 3,600 members, and provides educational, career development and support to black journalists worldwide.