|
In October 1995, while attending Santa Clara University, John Hilton and a group of friends embarked upon the task of producing a small newspaper. Birthed from an idea Hilton had in high school to connect all of the black student unions via a newsletter, the small volunteer staff set out to create a publication that would reflect the best aspects of the African American community. The publication would focus on sections that covered community issues, health, entertainment, ministry and business.
With only a few fellow students around his kitchen table, Hilton and others were forced to pen a number of articles themselves but under various ghost writer names. With the help of a grant from the City of San Jose, there was enough funding to create a test issue. The first issue of CityFlight Newsmagazine rolled off the presses and the small staff distributed 2,000 copies of the publication by hand out of the trunks of their cars throughout the San Jose area. Although the staff was very excited at seeing their dream materialize, there was also a shared fear that they would not have enough advertising revenues to consistently publish CityFlight.
For 11 years, between 1995 and 2006, CityFlight Newsmagazine was printed consistently each ten times a month and reached almost 70,000 readers with each issue. The award winning publication became one of the most recognizable brands in Northern California as the largest and most prominent African American media vehicles. In December 2006, the organization printed its last hard copy issue deciding to focus on its online initiatives to ensure it would be on the cutting edge in bringing online technology to the community it serves.
|
