Vibe Magazine

Mondo Times editors    Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 11:50am on Sunday, November 8th, 2009

Chris Brown to Give Vibe New Lease on Life?

Advertising Age reported on November 2, 2009:

As they try to bring Vibe magazine back from the dead, its new owners and editor have chosen a provocative subject -- who could use a little resuscitation himself -- for the new incarnation's first cover.

Chris Brown, who is attempting a comeback after pleading guilty in June to felony assault on fellow performer and now ex-girlfriend Rihanna, actually shares the print run with covers featuring Drake, another hip-hop artist.

And if the choice succeeds in generating the buzz that's intended, Vibe's cover will show off the power that print can still wield."

The full story:
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=140139

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 2:07pm on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Vibe magazine plans to begin publishing again with the November/December 2009 issue. The magazine has named Jermaine Hall editor in chief. Hall was previously editor in chief of King magazine.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 11:35pm on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

InterMedia Partners has bought Vibe magazine and Vibe Media Group, the company announced on August 14, 2009.

InterMedia described it as The "Rebirth of definitive hip-hop and urban culture brand."

From the press release:

(New York NY) - InterMedia Partners, in partnership with its portfolio company Uptown Media Group along with Blackrock Digital today announced the purchase of the assets of Vibe and Vibe.com, the preeminent brands for hip-hop & R&B lifestyle and culture. Founded in 1993 by Quincy Jones and Time Warner, Vibe has been an iconic brand for 16 years, responsible for setting trends among hip hop and mainstream culture. InterMedia is buying Vibe on the heels of the recent June shuttering of the magazine.

“Vibe is the preeminent brand in R&B and hip-hop. We feel privileged to purchase and resurrect such a storied brand,” said David Koff, Senior Partner, InterMedia Partners. “Together with the relaunch of Soul Train this fall and the rapid expansion of Uptown Magazine, a reinvigorated Vibe enables us to serve a broad spectrum of the African American audience with high quality entertainment and information."

Vibe's new leadership will include original Vibe team members Robert Miller and Leonard Burnett; Uptown Magazine Co-Founder Brett Wright and Blackrock Digital Partners Chris Smith and Parker McNaughton. This group will be responsible for the re-launch of the Vibe brand and businesses.

Vibe.com, which continues to be one of the most popular urban culture websites, will be immediately re-launched. The digital initiative will be the centerpiece of the new venture. Vibe Magazine will re-launch in November/December 2009, to be followed by quarterly issues in 2010. Robert Miller, who founded Vibe while at Time Warner and later bought it from them with Quincy Jones said, "As much as Vibe pioneered a whole new culture and media proposition in the 90's, the new digital paradigm offers even greater opportunity to re-position the Vibe brand for the Millennium."

The new organization will revamp Vibe's design, content strategy and business model to bring it back to its' rightful stature in urban entertainment. "Vibe was always a leader in the Cultural Revolution, from music, entertainment and fashion to news and investigative reporting, offering artistic content that pushed the culture forward. We are reclaiming that mission," said Brett Wright, Chief Creative Officer, Uptown Media Group.

The new venture will focus on developing the Vibe Lifestyle Network of targeted websites and Uptown Media Network, plus the print output of both Uptown and Vibe Magazines. The Digital Networks will be led by Chris Smith and Parker McNaughton of Blackrock Digital, who will be responsible for oversight of integrated sponsorship and ad sales across all network properties and brands. Blackrock Digital was responsible for digital sales for Vibe.com for the past four years and also represents over 20 other music and entertainment websites that will be part of the new network strategy.

Mondo Times editors    Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 3:36pm on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

Vibe magazine shut down on June 30, 2009. The June/July 2009 issue was the last for the urban music magazine, founded in 1993 by legendary music producer Quincy Jones.

Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith had this comment:

"On behalf the VIBE CONTENT staff (the best in this business), it is with great sadness, and with heads held high, that we leave the building today. We were assigning and editing a Michael Jackson tribute issue when we got the news. It’s a tragic week in overall, but as the doors of VIBE Media Group close, on the eve of the magazine’s sixteenth anniversary, it’s a sad day for music, for hip hop in particular, and for the millions of readers and users who have loved and who continue to love the VIBE brand. We thank you, we have served you with joy, pride and excellence, and we will miss you."

Vibe Media Group CEO Steve Aaron said this in an official statement:

"The collapse of the capital markets has impacted us greatly. Over the past several months, we have actively pursued investment resources while working intensively with our bank to find a solution. But the deal market right now remains very poor and at the end of the day, the lack of investment resources to restructure the huge debt on our small company has made this outcome become a reality.

The print advertising collapse hit VIBE hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business. It’s also unfortunate that in a recession many companies reduce the multi-cultural campaigns. These facts, coupled with the continuing decline of the music industry not to mention the newsstand wholesaler consolidation in early 2009 all negatively impacted our business in a significant way."