Urban - a code word?

[Yerkes, Susan]

Today's NY Daily News (on-line Business front) has a piece that employs
both "uptown" and "urban" to describe African-American readership:

"Harlem's new Uptown
Mag aims where lights are bright
BY LESLIE CASIMIR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The premiere issue of Uptown magazine's cover says it all: Harlem's Hot.
Burning, in fact, and warrants its own quarterly to chronicle the
resurgence of all things hip and happening.

In the summer, the upscale glossy debuted on newsstands for $3.99 to
showcase the glitz and glamour of the latest renaissance taking shape in
this legendary neighborhood once associated with drugs and poverty.

Now, with a 100,000-copy first edition Uptown affirms: "Harlem was, is,
will always remain, the Place to Be."

Started by former execs of Vanguarde Media, which went bankrupt last
year, it will devote itself to covering everything that's making Harlem
hot - from the real estate boom of new condos to businesses like yoga
studio Ta Life, to Settepani, an Italian-Ethiopian owned bakery that
boasts a buzzing cafe scene.

Still, any new magazine has an uphill battle to thrive.

Ohio-born Leonard Burnett Jr., 40, publisher of Harlemwood Publishing
that puts out Uptown, has already tried to reach a national upscale
African-American readership with Savoy. It folded when Vanguarde Media
went bust, said Howard Buford, chief executive of Prime Access, an ad
agency, who suggested a regional mag might have an even bigger
challenge.

"Homogeneity decreases as you go up the income scale among readers in
the African-American audience," said Buford, whose agency specializes in
marketing to minority groups. "That's where the challenge has been: How
can you get a point of view across that appeals to the audience? That
was the challenge for Savoy."

But Burnett sees a bright future with Uptown, started on a shoestring
budget of $250,000.

Uptown is modeled after niche magazines like Gotham and Hamptons, said
co-founder Brett Wright, 35, and boasts ads for luxury cars from
Chrysler and designer clothes from Sean John.

The magazine will have regular photo spreads that feature the homes of
notable Harlemites like Richard Owings, a costume designer who lives in
a converted East Harlem church.

"We're in New York City - the most diverse city in the nation arguably -
and there's not a magazine that talks about what goes on in our
lifestyle," said Burnett. "This class of African-Americans, urbanites,
are really forward-thinking trendsetters."

Still, advertisers will be looking at whether they can reach enough
people to make marketing cost-effective, said Buford.

"If you can't make a go at it nationally and cover your costs, the real
challenge will be to find the right formula to get a lock on this
audience," Buford said.

It's an audience Uptown's founders believe they can reach. Indeed,
Harlemwood Publishing, which runs Uptown, is going after other
overlooked readers - male youths in the inner-city. Next month, Burnett
will launch Mynt, a shopping magazine for young men.

"Urban culture for a very long time has been a hotbed of creativity,"
said Cole, 43, who's also the Daily News' advice columnist. "People look
to young urban dwellers to see what is hot now, what are the trends,
what music people are listening to."

Samir Husni, a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi who
has long tracked new magazines, said Uptown is onto something.

"There is a need for ultra-specialized publications," said Husni.
"People are cocooning themselves and want to enjoy their own
neighborhoods without having to go any further. They want regional
magazines as opposed to national."

Still, Uptown will be far from a local neighborhood mag, Burnett said.
Rather, it will develop a state of mind, ranging across boundaries and
people.

"Uptown is anchored out of the spirit of Harlem, the mecca of black
culture - but it's not only about Harlemites," he explained. "Uptown is
very diverse, aspirational, creative and dynamic. It's all those things
- combined."

Originally published on October 11, 2004



-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
Of Paul Frank
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 7:07 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: Urban - a code word?


> Does anyone know if "urban" is indeed such a code word?  If so, is the

> usage restricted to theater?
>  - James A. Landau

How about these examples?

yeah its an ibm commerical seen it here too. oh yeah i like the Playa
commerical i wish he wouldve tried to act more urban/ghetto/black or
whatever, thought he was Playa cuz he gots an uberthin lappy,mabe he is
a balla or a wannabee
http://techcomedy.com/users/submitted_content.php?nick=Zoomer

If you've ever heard me try to be urban, you know that me uttering the
words, "Keepin' it real" is just not right.
http://www.decussation.net/archives/thursday/2004/07/assorted.html

Keeping it Real? Is it possible to be more condescending to black youths
than to try to be "urban" and "fly" with the lingo?
http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1019640/posts

He chilled at my crib (note the attempt to sound urban and/or ghetto,
feeble to say the least) and we watched the first 20 minutes of Return
of the Jedi before ... www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=4570032


Paul
___________________________
Paul Frank
English translation from Chinese,
German, French, and Spanish
paulfrank at post.harvard.edu
http://tinyurl.com/5av5h


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