Growing up in the 90s, consuming Black Media and music felt like a birthright more than a privilege.
Living just about a half hour south of Philadelphia, music was always accessible as were the morning talk shows my mom had on the car dropping me and my younger sister off at school.
As I grew into a passionate reader, magazines such as The Source, Sports Illustrated and VIBE kept me up to date on the comings and goings of my favorite athletes and entertainers.
This past week was a bit of jolt to those feelings of nostalgia as Philly’s WUSL 98.9 FM (Power 99) dumped the Rise N’ Grind morning show in favor of nationally syndicated The Breakfast Club, followed by the gut punch of VIBE “joining forces” with Rolling Stone.
‘VIBE’ Is Joining Forces With ‘Rolling Stone’https://t.co/w6kG2lg6bO
— billboard (@billboard) October 16, 2025
It is not lost on me that the anti-media backlash created, whether shrewdly or accidentally, by the current president of the United States has led to the decline of traditional journalism in all forms.
Outlets in print and broadcast are either closing up shop entirely or hanging on thanks to acquisitions and mergers where journalists and media professionals have been replaced by tech bros and entrepreneurs who have no clue how to or desire to inform and educate the public.
I do not have faith that Rolling Stone will use VIBE as anything more than a pet project to peek in on Black culture, nor do I believe The Breakfast Club will add anything of value to the metropolitan Philadelphia area.
The dumbing down of Black media should terrify us all as it is part of a push to shove Black people and our contributions into the background.
Society suffers when people can’t observe or consume different art forms and community is left out to dry when local standbys are pushed out in favor of national coverage that leaves a lot to be desired.
Is there a solution? Yes.
Independent media, free from corporate bean counters and supervisors with marching orders to suppress reporting, will be what arts and entertainment journalism needs to survive.
Outlets like the Baltimore Beat, The Triibe, the 51st News and others covering local news with heart while informing national audiences of what’s going on provide a formula for anyone invested in the future of art and the industry that reports and critiques it.
Could this blog and podcast be a part of that movement? Time will tell. As of now, I’m just one person, a trained sportswriter (who works for a Black-owned independent news organization!) who loves music.
The survival of not only art and entertainment but society depends on a strong free press who can report and critique without the threat of violence, whether physical or financial.
It is up to those who love journalism to save the business from the hedge fund foolishness it has become.
Several outlets and journalists have stepped up. It’s time for anyone who claims to love this business to do the same.
