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SpinMedia Adds Vibe Magazine to Its Digital Portfolio, Minus the Magazine (AllThingsD)
SpinMedia is buying Vibe, the 20-year-old hip-hop and R&B magazine, from a consortium led by Intermedia and Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies. It plans on ending Vibe‘s print run in the coming months, and will add Vibe.com to its roster of 40+ pop culture and music sites. This will be bad news for some of Vibe Media’s 52 employees, who were told Thursday that layoffs will accompany the change of ownership. FishbowlNY SpinMedia’s official statement implied that this is what Vibe readers want. They’re accessing the magazine online and through their phones, the company said. And maybe that’s true. But still, it’s always sad when a magazine disappears. NYT After it bought Spin last summer, Buzz Media promptly shut down the print magazine and laid off a third of its staff. It said it would concentrate on the website and consider eventually reviving the print version of Spin in some form. Since then, Spin‘s online traffic has doubled, but Mr. Hansen said that the company was no closer to reviving the magazine.  Ad Age / Media News Time Inc. sold Vibe in 1996; the buyers sold Vibe again 10 years later. It went out of print in 2009, but returned within months under yet another set of owners, investors led by InterMedia Partners. Last summer the magazine said it would embrace electronic dance music along with its usual hip-hop and pop culture coverage.  Read more

Make that two. SpinMedia (formerly known as Buzz Media) has now bought two iconic music publications and quickly folded their print editions. The company announced today that it had purchased Vibe, and as part of the deal, the magazine would cease to exist. Vibe will continue as an all digital publication. Late last year, SpinMedia did the same thing with Spin.

SpinMedia’s official statement implied that this is what Vibe readers want. They’re accessing the magazine online and through their phones, the company said. And maybe that’s true. But still, it’s always sad when a magazine disappears because “the intent is to continue to deliver a high quality digital product” and “there are no plans for print.”

As with any print publication folding, there will surely be plenty of layoffs. And speaking of unfortunate news, 2013 is Vibe’s 20th anniversary.

In the same year that music mags Blender and Giant folded, Vibe shuttered, as well. But, luckily for the iconic mag, it was snapped up by a private equity firm, and editor-in-chief Jermaine Hall was brought on to resurrect the pub. And resurrect it, he did.

In the latest installment of Mediabistro’s So What Do You Do?, Hall explains how the mag is winning again and gives advice to aspiring EICs.

“A lot of things that come with being editor-in-chief aren’t necessarily drilled down into the day-to-day tasks,” he said. “It’s a lot of schmoozing; it’s a lot of fixing relationships; it’s a lot of bartering; it’s a lot of people skills, I would say. It’s really going out there to be the ambassador of the brand on all levels.”

For more, read So What Do You Do, Jermaine Hall, Editor-in-Chief of Vibe?

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Cover Battle: Cosmopolitan or Vibe, February 21

2. Former Anchor Rob Morrison Faces ‘Very Serious Blow to His Career’: Legal Expert, February 21

3. A Truly Fantastic New York Times Obituary, February 26

4. Uncertainty Pervades Time Inc. as Meredith Talks Continue, February 22

5. (Poll): Lining Up Possible WCBS Morning Anchor Candidates, February 26

6. Ashley Morrison (above) Returns to WCBS as MoneyWatch Anchor, February 27

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

Here’s a look at what FishbowlNY stories made the most buzz this week.

1. Source: Anchor Rob Morrison ‘Lied to the Station’ About Injured Face; May Be Fired From WCBS, February 19

2. Cover Battle: Cosmopolitan or Vibe, February 21

3. Rob Morrison Resigns From WCBS-TV Amid Wife Choking Allegations, February 20

4. Former Anchor Rob Morrison Faces ‘Very Serious Blow to His Career’: Legal Expert, February 21

5. WCBS-TV Anchor Rob Morrison Arrested for Allegedly Choking His Wife, February 18

6. Hot 97′s Peter Rosenberg Sorry if Nicki Minaj ‘Felt Bad’ About His Summer Jam Comments, February 15

Keep up-to-date with the latest FishbowlNY news. Click here to sign-up for the FishbowlNY daily newsletter, bringing you our articles each afternoon directly to your inbox.

Welcome back to FishbowlNY’s weekly Cover Battle. Today we have Cosmopolitan versus Vibe. Cosmo went with a photo of Miley Cyrus flashing enough sideboob (inner sideboob?) to make The Huffington Post’s celeb writers jump for joy.

Read more

Although Vibe’s tagline is “redefining hip-hop,” there are many ways freelancers can score a byline. Obviously, there’s the music beat, where a pitch on up-and-coming acts or industry trends will woo the editors. “It should be something specific or niche, not the obvious choice,” said deputy editor Clover Hope.

But there’s also room for a service story that tackles a societal issue, like a recent piece on the importance of the census. ”For the longest time, there’s been this stigma in the Black and Hispanic communities about the census. Many don’t know that by not participating and having wrong numbers reported, funding can get cut in their communities,” recalled former managing editor Chloe Hilliard.

Think you’ve got a great idea for the mag? Get editors’ contact info in How To Pitch: Vibe. [Subscription required]

AOL has partnered with Vibe to manage the back-end of the magazine’s video content and syndicate its videos. The Wrap reports that AOL On Network, AOL’s video division, will handle the back-end of Vibe’s video player systems and content management. AOL will also oversee ad sales as the two pair up for revenue sharing.

By partnering with Vibe, AOL is hoping to tap into the magazine’s audience, thereby expanding its own.

“This is an audience that is consuming content over mobile, desktop and multiple devices in a way we believe people will be consuming in the future,” Frank Besteiro, head of business development at AOL Video, explained to The Wrap.

Magic Johnson and Ron Burkle have invested in Vibe Holdings, the parent of Vibe magazine and the Soul Train TV show. As part of the eight figure deal, Johnson will now be chairman of Vibe Holdings.

By investing in Vibe, Johnson and Burkle are putting a lot of money and power behind the brand, which is sure to attract the attention of competitors Ebony and Jet. It’s also interesting to note that Johnson had previously tried to acquire those magazines, only to have talks break down when he couldn’t settle on a price with their publishing house.

As a way to combat Johnson’s impact with Vibe, FishbowlNY suggests that Ebony and Jet get Larry Bird involved somehow. The rivalry must continue.

Vibe has launched a new iPhone app called Vibe Guides. The tool provides users with editorial reviews of places like salons, restaurants, nightlife, and of course, music. Much like the Yelp app, users can search for spots or use the phone’s GPS to locate places close to them. There are also Vibe Picks, which are top choices from the magazine’s editors. So far Vibe Guides has 60 cities covered, but there’s surely more to come.

The app also ties in the magazine by displaying the recent covers each time it’s launched, and allows users to check in places via Foursquare.

Someone tell Kanye about this app. We’d love to have him provide guest editorial reviews like, “This place is dope because I’m here. When I leave in ten minutes it won’t be as nice, because I won’t be there anymore.”