Jet Magazine Takes Off Into All-Digital Format

Image: Wikipedia

Chicago-based Jet magazine used to be a familiar sight when New York had street and subway platform newsstands. It was therefore with some resigned sadness today that I read an Associated Press story (picked up by siliconvalley.com) reporting Jet's move from print to an all-digital format. A longer article in the Chicago Tribune explores Jet's migration in greater depth and personal touch.

The difference between reading a compact, print version of a magazine such as Jet and getting it on a device is a big one. I used to read Jet in laundromats, where the publication was something of a shared community resource. Try to do that on a device. Jet's print format and appearance was far from slick, which I rather enjoyed. And Jet had a certain legacy that digital just doesn't have, at least not yet.

I understand things change, and Jet's move to the device world does make business sense. But that doesn't mean I like it.