Danyel Smith on Managing Morale at Vibe After a Popular Editor Was Ousted

Following a summer of rumors, an ownership change and a
subsequent housecleaning that included the exodus of popular editor Mimi Valdes
that has kept the fire of speculation fueled, Valdes’ replacement, Danyel Smith,
who was Vibe‘s editor in the late 1990s — inherited a lot of blingy
baggage. We spoke with Smith recently about managing morale, the relative soul
of American Idol and why “you want me backstage at Diddy.”

You’ve a history with Vibe. How did you wind up back
here?

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It seems like I’ve always been with Vibe. It feels like I never
left. In 1993 I moved to New York from Oakland to be the R&B editor at
Bilboard — just as I was offered the job of West Coast editor of
Vibe. I was a stringer for Spin, the New York Times,
and then was appointed editor in 1997. I became Vibe‘s editor-in-chief
for 21 issues. Then I got a job as Time Inc.’s editor-at-large — it was a sexy
offer. I dropped out of the magazine game for awhile to write and get my MFA,
but then [the new ownership] got me back, so here I am.

How do you manage morale after a housecleaning?

It’s been a whirlwind. Anytime you have to let anyone go, it’s like a family.
I didn’t hide the fact that it is a tense time. It’s not easy. I’ve been through
that experience. A few years ago I would’ve run crying, but we’re deep here, we
have forward-thinking editors. It makes us stronger. You lead by example, but I
don’t pretend to act other than the way I feel.

What was the first thing you said to your staff?

‘It’s a very tumultuous time, but we’re going to get through it.’ That, and
‘I’m back, folks.’

How would you describe your sensibility as an editor?

I’m tough. I have really high expectations. I love Vibe. I breathe it. I had
some great teachers like Joe Levy and Robert Christgau along the way — they were
very principled, tough, editor — just because [the subject matter] is music and
culture doesn’t mean it’s any less important to be that way.

Is Vibe as influential as it was, say, three years
ago?

I hate to sound corny, but it’s been the same, best music
magazine in the entire world. We have relentless, thorough, excellent writing. I
think there are some music stories that have been criminally undocumented — some
really beautiful music, and it’s of service to our audience to find it. I view
that as my job.

How do you balance covering hip-hop culture while being a
part of it? Is there a downside?

We’re all a part of what we write about, not just hip-hop. If you cover
business for the New York Times, you’re part of it in some way. We live the
culture. In some ways it makes us biased, in some ways it doesn’t. I love pop
culture. I live it. If you’re a reader, you want me backstage at Mariah. You
want me backstage at Diddy, so I can tell you what’s really happening. I’m the
girl for the gig.

What is your typical media day like?

I’m in the office at 9:00-9:30. I’m everywhere. I’m reading everything all
the time — the Times, the Washington Post arts section, all
the alt weeklies, the San Francisco Bay Guardian — all of them online
except for Billboard. Then we have an internal blog that interns post
to. When I came in here, we were still making interns get us clips, and they
were spread out with scissors — I was like, no, ‘This is Little House On The
Prairie.’

Is Vibe changing direction?

If anything we’re expanding what we do to have a broader spectrum. We’re
doing 300-400 words on TV on the Radio. We just did a big piece on American
Idol winner Taylor Hicks. People might be like, “What’s this guy doing in
Vibe?” But he’s really soulful. He’s into the blues.

What’s encouraging in terms of magazines you compete against? What’s
discouraging?

I think we compete against everybody — Rolling Stone, Spin,
the Times. It’s hard to speak for them, but what’s discouraging [in
general] is the idea of what’s “urban” and “mainstream” and that line in
between. When we put people of color on our covers, we’re always dealing with
that issue. Once you think it’s over, we’re past it — it seems to be coming back
to mattering again. People want to use it against you. ‘If a there’s a star
who’s white on our cover, does it mean less or is it worth less?’ That’s why you
get forward-thinking editors to guide you through all of that.

[Dylan
Stableford is mediabistro.com’s managing editor for news. He can be reached at
dylan AT mediabistro DOT com.]