VIBE magazine announced it would be merging operations with Rolling Stone under Penske Media Corporation. The partnership was described as a strategic move to enhance hip-hop and R&B coverage, promising investments in video, podcasts, and collector’s editions. Rolling Stone leadership framed it as a cultural expansion, with VIBE expected to bring depth and credibility to the platform’s music journalism.
The language used in press releases focused on growth and digital innovation. But by the time headlines circulated, staffers at VIBE had already begun posting their layoff announcements. Most were Black. Some had spent years documenting the culture the merger claims to elevate. Mya Abraham, formerly R&B Reporter at VIBE, wrote, “It’s been the joy and honor of my life to document R&B in this capacity.” Her message joined a growing number of personal statements that spread rapidly across social media.
The industry didn’t just watch the merger unfold. It witnessed the quiet erasure of voices that built the foundation.
Black Voices Face a Familiar Outcome
VIBE was founded by Quincy Jones in 1992 to chronicle the rise of hip-hop and R&B during a time when mainstream magazines ignored both. For decades, it served as a proving ground for Black music journalists and a trusted source for fans. Its legacy was never neutral. It carried weight, shaped narratives, and made stars out of artists long before their names reached white-owned platforms.
Due to VIBE/Rolling Stone merger my position was eliminated and I was laid off. Thankful for the past 4 years of writing+ reporting. lf you have leads for roles in media, journalism, or anything editorial please send my way. Thanks in advance for any kind words.
— micia (@DeMiciaValon) October 16, 2025
That legacy now hangs in the balance. As writers like Micia confirmed on X that they had been laid off, others began connecting the dots. Commenters noted that the majority of job losses appeared to hit Black staff, particularly those covering R&B. “So many Black people end up getting laid off in these mergers,” one user wrote. Another added, “They gutted it.”
Even before this announcement, Rolling Stone faced scrutiny over its racial blind spots. In 2023, founder Jann Wenner justified excluding Black musicians from his book by claiming they weren’t “articulate enough.” The same publication now stands to benefit from a merger that downsizes the very communities it once ignored.
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The Corporate Strategy Fails to Match the Cultural Moment
Penske Media Corporation, which owns both magazines as well as Billboard, emphasized plans to launch new content and hire fresh talent under the VIBE banner. That hasn’t eased public criticism. While announcements listed open roles and future projects, they arrived alongside posts from journalists who had just lost their jobs. The optics were difficult to ignore.
Due to the VIBE/Rolling Stone merger, my time as R&B Reporter has come to an end.
— mya abraham. (@myabriabe) October 16, 2025
I’m still processing today’s news, so bear with me as I get through the calls/texts/emails/DMs.
Just know it’s been the joy and honor of my life to document R&B in this capacity. 🤎
Datwon Thomas, VIBE’s longtime editor-in-chief, will return as a strategic advisor during the transition. His appointment was framed as a bridge between the past and future. Yet for many observers, the present was already unraveling. Layoffs outpaced new hires, and fan reactions made clear that PR efforts could not hide what had already happened.
Online commentary ranged from weary acceptance to outright rejection of the merger’s framing. “What kind of merger is that?” one user asked. Another observed, “They’re diving deeper into a culture they didn’t build.”
Final Thoughts
This merger was sold as a cultural investment, but the execution revealed a different priority. Rather than amplify Black music journalism, it sidelined the very people responsible for shaping the genre’s public narrative. As headlines celebrate expansion, those who gave VIBE its identity now find themselves unemployed.
The industry has seen this before. Black publications are acquired, repackaged, and rebranded, often without the people who made them matter. VIBE deserves more than a legacy footnote in someone else’s success story. If Rolling Stone wants access to the culture, it should start by respecting those who carried it.
Keep Black media Black-led. And don’t call it a merger if you’re erasing the people who made it iconic.
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It seems a pattern is emerging. They are trying to dismantle and erase everything that black people have built up throughout the years by taking their jobs ,or affiliations with other companies. It was only yesterday that cbc cut their black team which company next?? In the run up to September over three hundred thousand black women had lost their jobs where in this toxic administration they’re going to get another???? There’s talk about people not getting stamps benefits due to the lockdown so how are people going to feed themselves or their children, if any??? I’m afraid it will be the black colleges or anything that had a grant affiliation,next. Black people will have to start stocking up on supplies that are not perishables because no black people jobs are safe in some of these companies anymore . There are bleak times ahead. Please stop putting money in these billionaires pockets and stop buying from companies that doesn’t care about what is happening or have your best interests at heart.