VIBE Magazine Gets Revived, Heavy Digital Tie-in

The first issue of VIBE Magazine hits newsstands soon, just a little over five months after news surrounding their collapse hit the streets. During that time, a lot has happened behind the scenes. InterMedia Partners, Uptown Media Group, and Blackrock Digital purchased VIBE and vibe.com. Jermaine Hall was named as the magazine’s new Editor-In-Chief. Vibe.com re-launched as a blog in September, then re-re-launched about a month ago. Through these ups and downs, though, VIBE’s print magazine format is stronger than ever.

VIBE’s new December issue has two covers featuring Drake and Chris Brown. VIBE is definitely trying to stand out this holiday season with these covers in black and gold. With promised tie-in to, we can hope to see some tight integration between the print mag and their website. The cover boasts some free iTunes downloads available at vibe.com, as well as an interesting piece on Twitter that’s sure to be a good read.

CEO Brett Wright gave this statement to Black Web 2.0:

“We are extremely excited about the outcome of our resurrection issue featuring our split covers Chris Brown and Drake. Jermaine Hall and his team have found a great balance with integration between the print and digital paradigm. It is a new era which we plan on pioneering and leading with the Vibe brand. Contrary to many, print is alive and well if done right, people still want to share an intimate relationship with magazines that are credible, insightful and artistic. You will see even more synergies when vibe.com 3.0 launches December 15th.”

Don’t forget to head out to newsstands and pick up your copy of the new VIBE magazine on December 15!

About the Author
Maurice Cherry is a web, graphic and print designer in Atlanta, GA. A graduate of Morehouse College, Maurice also works as a freelance web designer and electronic media consultant, working with entrepreneurs and small businesses on leveraging blogs, podcasts and other online technologies for their marketing and public relations needs. Maurice Cherry is also the creator behind the Black Weblog Awards.
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