We live in strange times. It's hard to believe, but the following sentence is as true as anything can be determined to be these days.
Emmis Communications sold Cincinnati’s leading monthly magazine today to Hour Media, a Detroit-based company that also publishes a yearly magazine dedicated to Mar-a-Lago, the expansive Florida estate of President Donald Trump.
Hour Media publishes more than 70 titles, including Minnesota Monthly, Detroit Hour and a number of other regional publications. The Jewel of Palm Beach bills itself as “the exclusive publication of Donald J. Trump's spectacular Mar-a-Lago Club” and “highlights the elements that make this club one of a kind — from the star-studded events to the extraordinary fashions, cuisine and activities that members enjoy.”
Hour acquired The Jewel earlier this year when it purchased Palm Beach Media, which owns several Florida-centric publications.
The 110,000-square-foot, 126-room Mar-a-Lago features a private club, spas and the Trumps' private residences, which the president has taken to calling the "Winter White House."
The club's house publication got a brief flash of fame during the 2016 election. Trump waved a copy of The Jewel of Palm Beach high in the air last May in response to an observation by former primary opponent Mitt Romney that he has had many failed business ventures, including Trump Magazine, which went defunct in 2009.
"He said Trump Magazine is out,” Trump said during a news conference responding to Romney’s criticisms. “I said, it is? I thought I read one two days ago. This comes out, and it's called The Jewel of Palm Beach, and we — it goes to all of my clubs.”
The only problem? Trump owned Trump magazine, but does not own The Jewel of Palm Beach.
Cincinnati Magazine, a 50-year fixture in the Queen City, puts out high-quality long-form journalism and covers the city’s dining, arts and real estate scenes. Former owners Emmis sold the magazine, along with similar properties in Los Angeles and Atlanta, for $6.5 million to pay down debt. Back in October, Emmis also sold off Texas Monthly, one of the country’s premier regional magazines.
