The Ebony Digest: Out of Print: Giant Magazine Folds

Bimonthly lifestyle magazine Giant has announced it will cease publication on its print edition.

Grammy winner Alicia Keys is featured on the glossy's final cover, which hits newsstands on Dec. 15.

"Suspending the print vehicle marks the end of an era, but I am thrilled with the opportunity to bring more Celebrity, Style and Culture to our audiences through my exclusive video series, and other integrated rich media opportunities," said Interactive One's Chief Content Officer, Smokey Fontaine.

Though the mag's official stance is that they are "suspending publication," it's not expected to return in print.

Rumors of the magazine's demise began last April when someone pretending to work for rival magazine XXL sent letters to Giant advertisers notifying them that the mag was going out of business.

The parent company Radio One shot down the claims then.

Additional repo rts that the magazine was having financial woes surfaced over the summer and though the glossy reduced staff and began publishing on an issue-by-issue basis, they still denied any trouble.

Regardless, Giant is now officially done.

"The economic downturn has had a tremendous impact on print media and we had to make the decision to suspend printing the publication," added Tom Newman, President of Interactive One, the digital division of Radio One.

Giant magazine was originally purchased by Radio One in 2007 for a reported $270,000.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, Beyonce (pictured), Pharrell Williams, Paula Patton ('Precious'), Janet Jackson and Jennifer Hudson are among the celebrities that have appeared on covers.

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