» Breaking News: KING Magazine Folds | Highbrid Nation

Breaking News: KING Magazine Folds

Posted by Juan

Recession Casualties

My good peoples over at OkayPlayer which don’t often get into the news breaking business passed this shocking news on. Apparently its a complete wrap for KING Magazine which is folding without even releasing a goodbye issue.

Yo…this is some serious news here and more proof positive that this economy is like the monkey attacking and taking victims daily. Hip Hop has been struggling for a while and combine that with a sharply declining print format and voila.

While King was entertaining you’ve gotta really be concerned for the employee incomes that just went bust. No one is safe. This is just another hard knock lesson to us all out there. Don’t take tomorrow for granted. King Magazine will be missed but we’ll hold you down with the Fat Back Award in their stead.

Via: OkayPlayer

15 Comments »

Comment by skinnygirluver

2009-04-01 21:17:48

Dammmmn!! This one hurts. For real, I’m sad.
Me and my friends checking out King Magazine was always a booty man-bonding experience that couldn’t be duplicated through e-mail and now it’s gone.

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Comment by Juan

2009-04-01 21:36:38

King Magazine is the precursor to the Fat Back Award. It set the market for booty.

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Comment by macika

2009-04-01 22:52:21

MF!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Comment by "Playa"

2009-04-02 06:31:35

WTF!!

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Comment by jon

2009-04-02 06:59:19

After Blender, now King a few days later. How about XXL (same publisher) and TheSource?

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Comment by Juan

2009-04-02 07:15:16

The Source has the backing of Black Enterprise who I know from my inside sources is hurting but stable. I’d say there’s probably an excellent chance given XXL’s tremendous online presence (Same Designers as HN 2.0) that they’ll fold the mag and focus on their internet strategy.

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Comment by Mike "Evorgleb" Belgrove

2009-04-02 07:52:25

Any magazine or newspaper that wants to survive needs to have a strong online presence also. Though King did have a decently put together website it really served as nothing more than previews and snippets for the mag. No exclusives or anything to make people visit everyday.

(Comments wont nest below this level)

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Comment by Marcus "Dos Un" Holmes

2009-04-02 09:56:01

oh well good for the nation

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Comment by TheBolB

2009-04-02 12:07:02

More traffic, rush hour….2
-B.

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Comment by temps

2009-04-02 20:26:56

This could be a result of the mags “demos”. Its target range to not offend anyone is really broke outside of a selected “few”. Once you get passed the black men that got out of college (say a Transit worker) and do have the extra income to subscribe who’s left?

Subscription has been a huge issue for black zines even The Source tried and failed at it but subs- are how Playboy and GQ stick around.

That gives those mags the moeny to go and do REAL interviews to make ppl subscribe-you can get pics anywhere but the 12 pp article on Jiggas biggest moves-follies and “what ifs” is the real news. And we all know how it goes with “flesh mags” Guy A brings in mag and the whole office has seen it buy lunch. So why go out and buy one for yourself? What articles are there are read (if so) in minutes. Then there is the ad revenue-face it rims-raunchy DVD tapes and a soon to be defunct clothing line there doesnt bring in real revenue. Once you brought the rims you skip the ad and someone like me (a native and current Brooklynite) could give a fuck about some rims. So in the end baby gotta eat dudes KIM when looking at the $4.99 cover price after all its just some pics…and honeslty with all the soft porn/video chick webstites (with the same models who when they get in one mag they all of sudeen appear in the others)I cant say I’ll “miss it”..havent brought a King in over three yrs.

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