NEW YORK  — Jet magazine, which first hit newsstands at the dawn of the civil rights movement, is ceasing regular print publication and transforming into a digital magazine app.

Johnson Publishing Co., which owns Jet along with Ebony magazine, says the switch will occur at the end of June. The Chicago-based company says the move is a proactive effort to adapt to the changing needs of its readers.

Jet, conceived by Johnson Publishing founder John Johnson as a newsweekly digest for African-Americans, was founded in November 1951.

The new weekly digital magazine app will include video interviews and other digital elements. Breaking news will be updated daily and the company will publish an annual special print edition.

Jet is the No. 3 magazine in the African-American market and has about 720,000 subscribers.

First Published May 7, 2014, 5:39 p.m.