Public Radio East serves Eastern North Carolina by providing news, fine arts, and informational programming that challenges, stimulates, educates, and entertains an intellectually curious audience.

© 2026 Public Radio East

Public Radio East
800 College Court
New Bern, NC 28562

EIN 56-1802728
Public Radio For Eastern North Carolina 89.3 WTEB New Bern 88.5 WZNB New Bern 91.5 WBJD Atlantic Beach 90.3 WKNS Kinston 89.9 W210CF Greenville
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

John Johnson: A Pioneer's Passing

NPR | By Cheryl Corley
Published August 9, 2005 at 12:00 AM EDT

John Johnson overcame racial barriers in U.S. publishing to make a fortune on the magazines Ebony and Jet. He was the first black American to make Forbes' list of the world's wealthiest people. He died Monday of heart failure at 87.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Cheryl Corley
Cheryl Corley is a Chicago-based NPR correspondent who works for the National Desk. She primarily covers criminal justice issues as well as breaking news in the Midwest and across the country.
See stories by Cheryl Corley