By Senior Entertainment Correspondent, John Frazier

It was announced today that the most popular black magazine in America, "Vibe Magazine" is closing its doors forever. Yes, Vibe, a formidable success story for the entertainment world and black community meets a disastrous demise. For black business this is another tragedy. For print media it is another sad commentary on our times.

"Vibe" was published for 16 years. This ground breaking magazine was founded, in 1993, by the great, Mr. Quincy Jones.
During its run, it gave urban- hip hop artists an outlet and tapped into the hearts of younger Afro America. However, on the news stand, the magazine was a bit pricey and may have been unaffordable for many potential readers.

Back in the day, I can remember buying this magazine. What I found unsettling was the many advertisements before you got to the featured stories. Other than this, the magazine was excellent. However, after a while, the uniqueness of the groundbreaking magazine started to lose its shine
The top 5 magazines for people of color (black/asian/other) ranked by audience/ circulation were Vibe: 1,856,000;  Ebony: 1,643,000; Jet: 1,327,000, and Essence: 1,302,000.

Vibe's analysis was based on 2003 market data.
Right after its first issue, Jones had this to say:

"Through the prism of Urban Music, VIBE chronicles the celebrities, sounds, fashion, lifestyle, new media, and business born from this art form. With an authoritative voice, VIBE creates treads as much as it records them. VIBE covers music, educates its reader, and gives back to the community. VIBE serves as a portal to a growing, young trend-setting, multicultural audience. By being excellent journalist and innovative marketers, we are champions of urban music and culture."

I believe that Vibe magazine was able to do what it set out to accomplish. It reached most of the people, but unfortunately it was not friendly to the LGBT community. That being said, I still wish all concerned, the best.

With the closing of Vibe magazine,  many people that made "Vibe" the success that it was will face layoffs. We wish them well.

You read it at GBMNews.com