XXL Magazine Print Shutting Down: Townsquare Media Purchases Hip Hop Mag, Going Digital-Only

XXL Magazine, the long-running publication that strived to deliver “hip hop on a higher level,” has been purchased by Townsquare Media, who has announced that its current print edition will be its last. Townsquare Media plans to continue the title in a digital-only format.

The company has acquired XXL Magazine from Harris Publications, which started the periodical in 1997. The full terms of the deal have not been made public.

Townsquare Media, owned by former AOL executive Bill Wilson, already has a hip hop content property, The Boombox. Despite the acqusition, Wilson states that the existing XXL staff will be offered positions with Townsquare, saving them perhaps from an all-out layoff.

Wilson states that XXL Magazine could still live in print, if only from time to time, but could also increase their footprint in the event space. He told the NY Post, “We think XXL has strong potential in both the digital and live events market.

Ben Harris, who began the title, was optimistic that the digital offerings they had incubated, could be amplified by Townsquare Media’s digital expertise.

We will continue to follow this story.