“Rolling Stone Magazine” Jann Wenner Hand Signed First Day Cover Dated 1958. This item is certified authentic by Todd Mueller Auctions and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity. (born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is the co-founder and. And former owner of. He participated in the. University of California, Berkeley. Wenner, with his mentor. Co-founded Rolling Stone in 1967. Later in his career, Wenner co-founded the. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And has founded other publications. As a publisher and media figure, he has faced controversy regarding Hall of Fame eligibility favoritism, the breakdown of his relationship with. And criticism that his magazine’s reviews were biased. Wenner was born in New York City, the son of Sim and Edward Wenner. He grew up in a secular. His parents divorced in 1958, and he and his sisters, Kate and Merlyn, were sent to boarding schools. He completed his secondary education at the. In 1963 and went on to attend the. Before dropping out of Berkeley in 1966, Wenner was active in the. And produced the column “Something’s Happening” in the student-run newspaper. With the help of his mentor. Wenner landed a job at. Where Gleason was a contributing editor and Wenner worked on the magazine’s spinoff newspaper. In 1967, Wenner and Gleason founded. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Wenner played an integral role in popularizing writers such as. He also discovered photographer. When she was a 21-year-old. San Francisco Art Institute. Many of Wenner’s proteges, such as Crowe, credit him with giving them their biggest breaks. Recognized Wenner’s influence in ensuring that his first novel. The Bonfire of the Vanities. Was completed, stating I was absolutely frozen with fright about getting it done and I decided to serialize it and the only editor crazy enough to do that was Jann. In 1977, Rolling Stone shifted its base of operations from. The magazine’s circulation dipped briefly in the late 1970s/early 1980s as Rolling Stone responded slowly in covering the emergence of. And again in the 1990s, when it lost ground to. Editor Ed Needham, who was then replaced by Will Dana, to turn his flagship magazine around, and by 2006. Published its 1000th edition with a holographic, 3-D cover modeled on. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Wenner has been involved in the conducting and writing of many of the magazine’s. His interview subjects have included. For the magazine during their election campaigns and in November 2005 had an interview with. Which focused on music and politics. Wenner’s interview with Bono received a. Rolling Stone and Jann Wenner are chronicled in three books, Gone Crazy and Back Again by Robert Sam Anson, Rolling Stone: The Uncensored History, and Sticky Fingers:The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine by Joe Hagan. Former Rolling Stone journalist. Is working on a biography, as is poet and Beat historian. Robin Green’s memoir The Only Girl covers the time she worked at Rolling Stone. Wenner founded the magazine. William Randolph Hearst III. He also briefly managed the magazine. And, in 1993, started the magazine Family Life. In 1985, he bought a share in. The Walt Disney Company. The magazine went weekly in 2000; after a difficult start, it now. Reaches over 11 million readers a week. In August 2006, Wenner bought out Disney’s share and now owns 100% of the magazine. The new investor will have no direct involvement in the editorial content of the magazine. In October 2016, Wenner started publishing. In September 2017, Wenner Media announced that the remaining 51% of Rolling Stone was up for sale. That share was bought by. Who later acquired the remaining stake from BandLab.