BREAKING NEWS & VIEWS

Update: Vibe Folds, Quincy Jones Wants It Back
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Sixteen-year-young urban music title Vibe confirms to minonline that the magazine is folding.

An internal memo to staff from Vibe Media Group ceo Steve Aaron states: “It is with a heavy heart that I share some tough news, VMG is closing down effective today, June 30 due to lack of additional financial investments.”

The memo goes on to cite the collapse of the capital markets, the slump in print advertising and the ongoing recession as contributors to the closure.

Aaron, the former Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S./American Media Inc. executive who led Vibe since June 2007, subsequently told min that "we were on our way to becoming financially solvent in 2008 until the confluence of events struck. We worked hard to buttress the Wicks Group's July 2006 investment, but we could not overcome the economy and restructure our debt. Wicks' support was terrific."

VIBE.COM, with tributes to the late Michael Jackson, was online Tuesday as the print version shut down. Aaron says that the site's future is "to be determined."

Music impresario Quincy Jones, who helped found the magazine in 1993, told EbonyJet last evening that he is planning to buy back the brand and exploit the growing Web site opportunity. Jones told the site in a phone interview from London, “They just messed my magazine all up, but I’m gonna get it back. You better believe it, I’m’a take it online because print and all that stuff is over.”

Vibe launched in 1993 as a joint venture between Time Inc. and the legendary composer/producer Jones. The magazine, which made founding president Keith Clinkscales (now ESPN corporate senior vp/content development and enterprises) a star, first changed hands in 1998 under Bob Miller's Vibe/Spin Group before the Wicks investment eight years later.

If you have breaking news to share please contact Steve Smith at ssmith@accessintel.com


More Breaking News & Views

Breaking News & Views Archives

COMMENTS
1.
Whoops, there it goes.
Posted by Tim on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 @ 04:28 PM
2.
Is The Source far behind?
Posted by mugsy on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 @ 05:47 PM

Post a Comment

Name:
Email:
Comments:

Please enter the letters or numbers you see in the image.
Search Jobs
Media Jobs
min Social Networks

Join us on Linkedin
Follow us on Linkedin

White Papers
Get even smarter -- download a white paper today.

Featured White Papers:
Internet measurement of ad-noting: Sampling and Statistical Issues
By MRI


Successfully Building Communities for Your Business
By Ripple6



... more Whitepapers
min Contests

min contests




Enter the Smithsonian Contest with a chance to win a $500 AMEX Gift card plus. Enter online or download pdf.

To sponsor a min contest in 2010, contact Erica Gottlieb at egottlieb@accessintel.com.

 Reserve your contest in min

min Press

State of Digital MediaThe State of Digital Media

 View Details
                           

Twitter Best Practices for Media CompaniesTwitter Best Practices for Media Companies

 View Details
                           

                                    Internet Sales            Guidebook

 View Details

All min Press

Inside min This Week
Events Calendar

March 25, 2010
Using Facebook to Grow Your Audience, Your Customer Relationships and Your Online Business
Learn More

April 7-8, 2010
The 3rd Annual Digital Media Measurement & Pricing Summit
Learn More

April 19-21, 2010
Ad-Tech
Learn More

All Events


min
Free Eletters — Sign up Now