The Clippings: ‘Ebony’ Magazine Missed the First Wave | Launches Life Boat with Newly Revamped Site

Ebony missed the first wave and some would say the entire boat when it comes to carving it’s space as an online destination. However, is it ever too late? Depends on who you ask.

Ebony is pulling back the curtain on a new website Wednesday, the latest step in Johnson Publishing Co. CEO (and former White House social secretary) Desiree Rogers’ effort to reverse years of ad declines and stay relevant with African-American readers.

Shepherding the revamp is Ebony editor in chief Amy DuBois Barnett, who was hired away from Harper’s Bazaar last June. Before Bazaar, she served in editorial leadership roles at Teen People and Honey. She arrived shortly after Ebony got a major redesign, with a new logo and more articles about lifestyle, wellness and business success stories.

For Ebony.com, Johnson Publishing turned to Code and Theory, whose work on the relaunch of Vogue.com was followed by massive traffic gains for that site.