Comments on: Vibe’s demise

By: Desire Renee

Desire Renee — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:51:06 +0000

I really enjoyed this article. I was actually looking for vibe covers for a project when i found this article. I grew up reading vibe and it was the magazine that made me want to be a journalist(the 2003 biggie/tupac anniversary cover was the first one i fully read.) I know that they have made their mistakes because they just followed the “top forty artist” and neglected indie artists (drake was popular in 07 lol..they did cover ms. minaj back then so im not too mad at them).They also gave introduced us to kanye west(the “next” section they used to have) and keyshia cole. I just hope with the relaunch they recently had ,they don’t make the same mistakes they did last time. The magazine that stood so high lost the top spot, but is slowly trying to regain their power and it will be hard,but i know they can do it.

By: plugoneboss

plugoneboss — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:55:02 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Raymond.

Like most op-eds, this piece focuses on one aspect of Vibe’s rise and fall. There are others, such as the fact that the Wicks Group overpaid for this property and subsequently screwed it up; and that Vibe, much like BET, simply reflects how conservative mainstream black culture has grown.

On the positive side, though, it gave a glossy, in-depth treatment to a generation of black entertainers. They’ll now have to scramble to a host of general black culture publications (Sister 2 Sister, Essence) and charticles in mainstream pubs for exposure.

By: Raymond Roker

Raymond Roker — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:27:31 +0000

Thanks for the recognition in your piece. And I can say that as much as Vibe might have been a thorn in my side, a constant reminder of how much money and resources we didn’t have, I can appreciate your sentiment about a big tent. I at least took comfort in Vibe providing that, and now in its absence, it’s unsettling to think about where that leaves us.

By: Adirec Torytski

Adirec Torytski — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:12:09 +0000

Vibe is gone! I think the slippery slope is just getting more and more slippery. Perhaps the lesson to other print articles is to maintain their web presence as well. As you note above more concentration by other sites to continue promotion has perhaps kept them alive and led to the ultimate downfall of Vibe.

Print media need to change the way they look at all things in the world today and not just trade on previous popularity, I hope some of the other struggling magazines etc., take note and get their plan in play for staying current in the technology available today.

Regards
Adirec

By: bvgoeshard

bvgoeshard — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:02:30 +0000

Although I thought your article was slightly critical, there were several points I agreed with you on. In terms of representation of all facets of black people, not just what mainstream wants to portray, I concur. However, the void VIBE magazine has left for the coverage of hip hop & black culture is almost scary to think about. Well written article.

VIBE will truly be missed.