Hartman, a veteran in the publishing industry, founded N’DIGO in December 1989 as a monthly lifestyle "magapaper" highlighting Chicago’s Black leaders and newsmakers. Under Hartman’s leadership the circulation has grown from a 50,000 circulation publication to a weekly readership of 625,000 making it the number one African-American weekly in the country. Staying focused on the mantra: Power, Substance, Style, a signature that defined the old SaVoy, the new SaVoy is provocative with compelling editorial content that has a unique level of sophistication.
SaVoy magazine is re-launching this month under the new leadership of Jazzy Communications, a division of Chicago based Hartman Publishing Ltd., after being out of publication for more than a year.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the re-birth of SaVoy,” said Hermene Hartman, the new publisher of SaVoy. “It’s an excellent magazine and I will make sure that Jazzy Communications preserves Savoy’s sophisticated, worldly, hip positioning. We are confident that SaVoy will once again serve as the publication for the intelligent urbane sophisticate.”
After three years as an edgy yet elegant magazine, SaVoy ceased publication in December 2003 when its parent company Vanguarde Media filed for bankruptcy. Once dubbed as the “Black Vanity Fair”, SaVoy boasted advertising revenues exceeding $10 million and a total circulation of 325,000 at the height of its popularity.
Hartman, a veteran in the publishing industry, founded N’DIGO in December 1989 as a monthly lifestyle “magapaper” highlighting Chicago’s Black leaders and newsmakers. Under Hartman’s leadership the circulation has grown from a 50,000 circulation publication to a weekly readership of 625,000 making it the number one African-American weekly in the country. Staying focused on the mantra: Power, Substance, Style, a signature that defined the old SaVoy, the new SaVoy is provocative with compelling editorial content that has a unique level of sophistication.
“The new SaVoy will hold up a standard of substance and style with several anchor columns from writers such as economist Julianne Malveaux and author and motivational speaker Terrie Williams,” said Monroe Anderson, editor of SaVoy, who each month will express social and political commentary in “Monroe’s Doctrine” his own column. “We’ve also added other columns such as ‘The Rhumboogie,’ a social column, and a lifestyles column written by the ‘Today’ show’s Domestic Diva Wayne Johnson.”
“SaVoy magazine speaks to the affluent, professional African-American reader,” Hartman added. “Since there are so few outlets that tell our story, we knew it was time to publish trendy, savvy and smart stories from the SaVoy perspective.”
The February re-launch cover features Barack and Michelle Obama captured by renowned photographer Victor Skrebneski. The 116-page “February 2005 Power Issue” carries 14 articles, features and columns. In honor of Black History Month it also features a photo-essay of 21 power icons featuring the likes of Cab Calloway, Angela Davis and Sean Combs. The article “Fifty Civil Rights Moments After Rosa Parks: The Good, the Bad and the Ignorant” is homage to those moments in history both well-known and forgotten.
SaVoy, launching with an existing circulation of 325,000, is honoring all previous subscriptions. “We are committed to appealing to the intensely loyal SaVoy reader,” said Anderson.
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