Several news sources (including the Wall Street Journal) are reporting that VIBE Magazine has been bought by Uptown Media/Intermedia Partners. Under new management, the popular urban magazine will be distributed as a quarterly, with Vibe.com being updated regularly for avid fans and readers…

I can’t lie. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when I heard this news. I have many friends over at VIBE staff, and they are all so talented, gracious, intelligent and humble. I’ve been blown away by them, and feel lucky to know them, and call them my friends. VIBE will live on to see better days, and we are all watching and waiting in anticipation of their triumphant return!  Check it out:

Music magazine Vibe appears to have been resuscitated. On Tuesday, Uptown Media and its backers, InterMedia Partners, were close to a deal to buy Vibe and relaunch the urban music title, which folded in June. The impending deal was first reported by Advertising Age and The Wall Street Journal and later confirmed by InterMedia, although it declined further comment. According to the Journal report, InterMedia plans to publish the title as a quarterly and reload the Web site, which could go live in a few weeks. Vibe would fit into InterMedia’s portfolio of media holdings, which include not only Uptown, a lifestyle magazine for the African-American elite, but music program “Soul Train.” And one of the group’s principals has deep roots at Vibe — Uptown’s founder and group publisher Len Burnett was one of the founders of the magazine. In 2006, Wicks Group purchased Vibe for a reported $35 million, and Burnett served as group publisher. Even then, according to former Vibe insiders, Burnett expressed an intent to buy Vibe. (Burnett did not return calls for comment by press time). In 2007, Burnett left Vibe to rejoin Uptown.

 

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