The demise of Vibe

With today's announcement that Vibe magazine is ending publication, I have begun to wonder if anyone is still reading magazines? However, I quickly realized that it's not that people aren't reading magazines, it's that they're not buying them.

Despite cutting circulation, workdays and staff, Vibe magazine has become the latest casualty of the recession.

For the uninformed, Vibe was a urban publication that focused on hip-hop and r&b and became popular in the 90s when hip-hop became the most listened to music on the planet. It also frequently covered issues important to the African-American community, like race relations, hip-hop controversies and problems facing Black families.

Vibe was famous for its covers, which often featured the hottest artists of the moment, usually before they hit Rolling Stone or Blender.

Vibe was also known for its interviews, where subjects would say things that they would never say to more mainstream magazines. Many of today's biggest stars like Lil Wayne and T.I. were discovered in the pages of Vibe.

The demise of Vibe is not just a blow to the media industry, it is a huge hit to African-Americans.

The voice of a community has been silenced. We can only hope that when the economy recovers Vibe will be able to bounce back, stronger than ever.