BLAZE GOES DOWN IN FLAMES

Blaze, the two-year-old hip-hop and urban lifestyle magazine, is being shut down.

Bob Miller, who also publishes Spin, launched Blaze in September 1998 as a spin-off of Vibe, an urban lifestyle and music magazine.

The June/July issue of Blaze will be its last.

Blaze had a circulation of 300,000—far below Vibe's 725,000—and tepid advertising revenues. In the first quarter of the year, Blaze took in $1.7 million from advertising, down 6 percent from the same period a year ago.

Jason Roth, a spokesman for the publisher, said Miller would try to find jobs for Blaze's 20 or so employees at other magazines in the company. In addition to Vibe and Spin, Miller also publishes Tennis, Sailing World and Cruising World.