Tag Archives: Business Weeklies
Pocono Business Journal bites the dust
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The Pocono Business Journal, located in northeast Pennsylvania, will cease publishing with the February issue, according to a story on the Pocono Record’s Web site.
The story states, “Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Marynell Strunk cited the current economic climate and the shrinking print industry as the reasons for the paper’s end, to officially occur on Feb. 5.
“Strunk founded the ewspaper over four years ago, launching the first issue in November 2005. She hired Debbie Burke as editor in August of 2007. The journal was also known for its Editors on the Road presentations and the monthly Business and Books events, as well as its weekly email update ‘Taste of PBJ.’
“‘Coming to this decision has been difficult. It has been a wonderful opportunity to meet and work with the regional business community. I have to thank the advertisers who believed in and supported the publication over the years,’ says Strunk.
“The paper’s Web site, www.pbjonline.com, will remain posted for several months so that readers can view past issues.”
Read more here.
More on Washington Post business publication prototype
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Erik Wemple of Washington City Paper got his hands Monday afternoon on the prototype of Capital Business, the business magazine that the Washington Post is thinking of launching.
Wemple writes, “Indeed, one of the stories featured in the prototype is from Sept. 1, 2009; another is from Oct. 26, 2009; and so on.
“Meaning: The Post couldn’t marshal its nearly 700-strong newsroom to put together a biz-journal prototype with content that had any immediacy whatsoever.
“But to the question about look and feel: I would say it’s very nicely designed.”
The question I have is this: The Washington Post last year agreed to give over a chunk of its business coverage to Bloomberg News. How does this succeed where the Post failed in its daily coverage?
San Diego Business Journal names new associate publisher
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Scott Whitley has been named the new associate publisher of the San Diego Business Journal, according to a story on its site.
Brada Graves writes, “Whitley said he will ‘focus on the revenue side of the house,’ overseeing advertising sales and the Business Journal’s calendar of networking events.
“Whitley spent 10 years as vice president and chief revenue officer at the Union-Tribune, leading a staff of 350. Prior to that, he held director and manager positions with Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., the Sacramento Bee and a trio of Harte-Hanks publications in Texas.
“‘Scott Whitley has a solid background in the business world and in publishing circles,’ said Reo Carr, editor-in-chief of the San Diego Business Journal. ‘He is a talented individual and a welcome ally in the work we have ahead of us at the Business Journal.’”
Read more here.Â
Washington Post considers launching biz publication
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Erik Wemple of Washington City Paper reports that the Washington Post is examining a weekly business publication called Capital Business that would compete with the Washington Business Journal.
Wemple reports, “Here’s the intro text of the poll that went out recently to some of the paper’s subscribers:
Thank you again for agreeing to take this survey. As you can see, there is a prototype of a potential new, once a week, business publication from The Washington Post newspaper in the package you received. A subscription to this publication would be $1.99 a week.
Most of the questions will concern your opinion of this publication, however, we would like to begin with a few questions about what business topics you are interested in. The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.
Your opinions matter to us. Thank you!
“A Post source indicates that the paper might hire some young reporters to do the low-to-the-ground reporting necessary to make a local biz pub worthwhile — sorta like the Washington Business Journal.”
Read more here.
Weekly biz papers becoming more powerful than daily biz sections
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A story in the January/February issue of Columbia Journalism Review notes that in many metro markets across the country, the weekly business newspaper is running more business news content than what readers are getting in the daily newspaper.
Chris Roush writes, “The shift could have broad implications, because weeklies and dailies have traditionally defined their missions in different ways. Dailies have generally paid more attention to the big, public companies in most metro markets. Fewer reporters and a smaller newshole may make them weaker watchdogs—which could mean they’ll miss the next Enron scandal when it occurs. Weeklies, on the other hand, have historically focused more on breaking news about smaller companies.
“Their new prominence could help correct the press’s relative lack of attention to small and privately held companies, which account for 99.7 percent of all businesses and more than 50 percent of the non-farm private sector workforce. Weeklies have also traditionally been more aggressive in coverage of local real estate—in fact, many of them warned earlier this decade about problems in their local housing markets, though their warnings didn’t reach a broad audience.
“But those old mission statements may now be up for review. Whitney Shaw, the CEO of American City Business Journals, says that as dailies cede ground in coverage of transportation, education, technology, and health care, each becomes a ‘ripe area’ for the weeklies to ‘enhance and expand their coverage.’”
Read more here. A subscription is required
Fort Worth Business Press, sister paper name new publisher
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Richard Dixon has been named as the new publisher at the Fort Worth Business Press, and a sister publication, the Collin County Business Press, according to a story in the Fort Worth paper.
Robert Francis writes, “Dixon, previously vice president of advertising at the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, will begin his new position immediately.
“‘I am motivated and energized to be the new publisher for the Fort Worth Business Press and Collin County Business Press,’ he said. ‘I look forward to strengthening and growing new relationships. The Fort Worth and Collin County markets have a solid foundation and we are committed to enhancing the presence of these two brands.’
“Dixon has a bachelor’s degree in business from Louisiana State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He was previously advertising manager at The Shreveport Times, before joining the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report as advertising director.”
Read more here.
Crain's in dispute with its British publisher
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Crain’s and the publisher of its British newspaper, Crain’s Manchester, are in a tussle that has led the newspaper publisher to file charges against Arthur Porter.
How Do, a British site that follows the media, reports, “Crain’s, which entrusted Porter with the launch of its first city business newspaper outside the US, has accused its publisher of gross misconduct and initiated disciplinary hearings against him.
“Porter, a vocal and avuncular presence on the Manchester media scene, is believed to have appeared at a meeting concerning the issue today.
“It relates to his behaviour at the paper’s Best Places to Work event on 9 June this year, which he hosted.
“How-Do managed to speak to Porter in what we believe to be the aftermath of today’s proceedings, but he would not be drawn on the issue in any way — his only comment being a firm ‘no comment.’”
Read more here.
Pacific Business News names new publisher
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Mary Beth Lohman has been named the new publisher of the Pacific Business News, an American City Business Journals paper in Honolulu.
Jim Kelly of the paper writes, “Lohman succeeds Larry Fuller, who is retiring today after 11 years as publisher of PBN.
“Lohman, 48, will be only the fifth publisher at PBN since it was founded by George Mason in 1963. As publisher, she will be responsible for all of the company’s news, advertising and business operations and a staff of 26.
“Since 1996, she has worked as the circulation director, overseeing the sale and distribution of PBN’s print and online products, as well as the marketing of the newspaper and its business recognition events.”
Read more here.
ACBJ papers toot horn
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TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE
Each of the 40 American City Business Journals papers showed up Friday morning at subscribers offices and homes with a special four-page wrap that trumpets the weekly business newspaper chain’s growth during a time of industry struggles.
The wraps contain testimonials from local business men and women in each market about how the business paper has helped them, and it launches a marketing compaign for the papers using the slogan, “Who do you want to meet today?”
The wrap also touts the fact that ACBJ’s paid circulation has increased by 3.8 percent between 2005 and 2009 while daily newspapers in the same 40 markets have lost 18.8 percent in circulation, according to Audit Bureau of Circulation data. The company’s total business journal circulation is now more than 470,000. Its bizjournals.com site has more than 8 million unique monthly visitors.
“Our circulation has been growing for several years in a row,” says Whit Shaw, the CEO of the Charlotte-based company. “We’re probably the only print newspaper company in the country that can say that. So our challenge is to ensure that people do not transfer the problems that other print publishers are having to their presumptions about our own operations.”
A Q&A with Shaw is included in each of the wraps, as is a story about the events that the ACBJ papers hold for their subscribers in each market.
The four-page wraps obtained by Talking Biz News from some of the ACBJ markets also focus on their journalism, noting the awards the papers have won and the stories they have broken.
Here are some highlights:
- The wrap for the Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh, N.C. notes that the editorial staff has 181 years of experience and the average news department staffer has worked at the paper for 8.9 years. “A veteran staff infuses the institutional memory in their stories that makes the pieces that much more interesting and relevant,” said editor Sougata Mukherjee.
- The wrap for the Puget Sound Business Journal in Seattle mentions reporter Steve Wilhelm, who has been with the paper since 1988. “This is the highest quality group of reporters I’ve ever worked with,†says Wilhelm, who as the Business Journal’s Boeing reporter is now covering his fifth CEO. The well-sourced Wilhelm finds that Boeing suppliers are just as likely to mine his knowledge of Boeing’s manufacturing plans as Wilhelm is to gauge theirs.
- The wrap for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal highlights its online news coverage, which has grown dramatically for all of the ACBJ papers. A business-related trial was a case in point. Starting in late October and continuing for five weeks, staff writer Katharine Grayson was there, often filing two stories per day to the Web site. Readers responded by making those stories some of the most-read on its site during those weeks.
- The St. Louis Business Journal wrap mentions that when Editor Trish Miller showed up for her job interview more than 20 years ago, she promised she would do whatever it took to join the staff, even sweep floors. The daughter of the publisher of the Washington Missourian, Miller worked as a researcher and reporter before making her way to the editor’s desk. The paper is the only newspaper she has ever worked for except for her family’s.
Denver Biz Journal begins blogging
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Mark Harden, the new media editor at the Denver Business Journal, writes about the weekly business newspaper’s decision to begin blogging.
Harden writes, “The DBJ came to blogging carefully and cautiously. We didn’t want to divert our staff from working on the kind of insightful business news coverage that you’ve come to expect from us, both in print and online. And believe me, our people work plenty hard as it is.
“But then we came to realize that through blogging, we can offer you even more of what I think is the DBJ’s greatest strength: The deep experience and business-sector knowledge of our staff. Many of our reporters and editors have been covering Denver business for years, and have deep Colorado roots. And in the course of reporting each day, they come across a lot of interesting stuff that doesn’t make it into their stories and columns.
“From now on, they’ll be sharing some of those insights in their blogs. They’ll offer solid, useful information shedding light on local business — DBJ style.”
Read more here. Reporter Paula Moore’s online real estate column has been turned into a blog, among other moves.
