Convergence and reluctant reporters

I had a wonderful time at the College Media Advisers meeting yesterday. I'm the newest member of the professional advisers committee -- which has the redundant-sounding job of advising advisers about trends in journalism.
Of particular note from our gathering was the considerable attention given to convergence in the newsroom. (I'll take a second here to offer my congratulations to my alma mater, which seems to be embracing convergence as the core of its journalism program.) Convergence was also a hot topic when I visited Northwest Missouri State University last week. And what I keep hearing is that students -- the journalists of tomorrow -- aren't crazy about the idea.
It seems that students of today are every bit as delusional as I was when I was a kid, thinking that they are already experts in some particular area of interest, and that there's no need to pick up additional skills.
Certainly convergence is already a reality in the B2B press (and the community press) because the jack-of-all-trades journalist is the mainstay of any low-budget, small-staff operation.
But what I try to get across to students is that convergence and multitasking is also the norm in the mainstream press.
At CNN we had no need of reporters who couldn't record sound bites, or upload video to a Web site. At Bloomberg, reporters carried digital recorders with their notebooks, and everyone was required to be available for television stand-ups.
In the new media environment, journalists are more than just reporters or just photographers or just designers.
And I for one want nothing to do with the prospective employee who would limit his job to some small slice of the industry. Because such a person would ultimately limit my publication.

tags: journalism, b2b, media, trade press, magazines, newsletters, conversational media, business media, journalism education

College Media Advisers

Well I guess I did pretty well at the professional advisory committee meeting last week at Northwest Missouri State University. Because someone who was there has invited me to join the advisory committee for the national organization that helps student-run media improve their operations.
I'll be heading over to the Roosevelt Hotel today for lunch and a meeting or two with the members of the College Media Advisers group, which hosts its annual meeting this weekend in New York City.
The hotel is about an hour from my home by subway...so I hope that gives me enough time to come up with something intelligent to say.
If anyone else says anything intelligent, I'll make sure to talk about it on this blog.

Magazine launch by Sosland

I did pick up one actual piece of B2B journalism news during my week in Kansas City. Sosland Publishing has launched a new, biweekly publication called "Food Business News."
Sosland, the 83-year-old publisher with offices in the Kansas City Board of Trade, is best known as the owner of Milling & Baking News. Sosland's latest venture reaches a bit beyond its traditional coverage of grain-based food companies, as the company tries to reach executives "throughout the food processing industry."
In some ways, Sosland is the archetype of a trade publisher. It's a family-run business (the last name of the top three executives on Food Business News' masthead is Sosland.) The company has its roots in the industry it covers, not in journalism. And Sosland is tied to the community where it's based -- funding charities and maintaining a positive corporate reputation in a small community while remaining invisible at the national level.
But despite the sort of old-fashioned feel of Sosland, it's a remarkably modern and professional company. The editors produce clean copy that's mostly free of the industry jargon and boosterism that plague many B2B publishers.
Also of note is that unlike many of its trade journalism brethren, Sosland seems at ease in the online world. The company's Web sites are crisp; Navigation is simple and intuitive. Even the print version of Food Business News seems to be a creature of new media: the front page features brushed-metal coloring and has a table of contents that resembles left-hand navigation.
So imagine my disappointment to find that Sosland named its new magazine Food Business News without buying the domain name foodbusinessnews.com. That URL will take you to a site from the World News portal. To see Sosland's magazine, you'll have to visit foodbusinessnews.net.

State of the News Media, part 2

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the "State of the News Media" report is its suggestion that the mainstream media seems ill-equipped to deal with the changes brought by blogs, RSS feeds, etc. There are "signs of frustration, lack of innovation and the caution of the old media applied to the new," the report says.
After my trip last week to the Midwest, I'll admit I share the report's concern.
It seems to me that too much of the media simply won't look at what is happening. Media folk, strangely enough, have managed to cut themselves off from information about new media.
At the conference at Northwest Missouri State, I met broadcasters who had never heard of podcasting; talked with advertising executives who weren't familiar with craigslist; and lunched with journalists who had never read any of the world's 7.8 million blogs, hadn't heard of Dan Gillmor, and were unaware of the ongoing argument that objectivity should be replaced with transparency.
That's akin to meeting a group of petroleum executives who had never heard of the Exxon Valdez. Certainly there's room for debate on these issues. But how can anyone at this date be unaware that the debate has begun?

State of the News Media -- be more like B2B press

The Project for Excellence in Journalism has released its 600-page, navel-gazing opus: "The State of the News Media." If you don't have time to read the entire report, at least glance through the "Five Major Trends" section in the overview.
The report suggests that the blogging phenomenon demands a new breed of specialist expert replace the generalist journalist in the typical newsroom. Such a move, the report says, would help journalists "inoculate their work from the rapid citizen review that increasingly will occur online and elsewhere."
I hope that is not meant to imply that the solution to the woes of the elitist press is more elitism.
Instead, I'd like to think the report is suggesting that mainstream journalists become more like trade journalists. Those of us in the trade press have long accepted that our role is less about "explaining" or "gatekeeping" than it is about engaging in an informed conversation among peers.
Good B2B journalism is about dialog, and dialog is a natural function of reporting in a world where sources, reporters and readers are equals.

Goin' to Kansas City. Kansas City here I come

I'll be in Kansas City for a week to visit friends, former coworkers and business associates. I'll also be visiting the campus of Northwest Missouri State University. It's time for the annual meeting of the Department of Mass Communications' professional advisory committee, of which I'm a member. With some luck, I'll pick up a few interesting tidbits to share on this blog.
While I'm away, I won't be updating this site.
So I'm going to ask everyone in the trade journalism world .... if it's not too much trouble ... don't do anything interesting until I get back.

Two ideas for design

I'm not a design person. I'm not even particularly visual.
But I know what I like in design.
Two new items (I'm not sure what to call them...design systems? design concepts?) have emerged in the past few days. And they have captured my attention, if not my heart.
First, is the EmPRINT project from my alma mater, the journalism school at the University of Missouri-Columbia. I'm afraid I tend to agree with Adrian Holovaty, who dismisses the project as a "glorified PDF file." Nonetheless, I'm trying to keep an open mind and have signed up to participate in the field test.
Second is the print version of the April issue of The Atlantic Monthly, which is using a sort of Web-era, footnotes-like, text-can-be-like-hypertext format in its cover story. The writer is David Foster Wallace, the author whose work is most likely to be described as "sprawling." So footnotes of some sort are to be expected.
I'm not as excited by this as my fellow B2B blogger David Shaw. I find Wallace pompous and exhausting -- and my first reaction to the layout of Atlantic article is annoyance. But it's worth a look. If you don't have a subscription, visit this discussion about the future of books and click on the graphic for a peek.

Billboard, blogs and iPods

VNU's Billboard magazine has decided to cover the digital-music industry through a blog. That may prove a wise move as sales of Apple's iPods continue to rise, and as people increasingly look beyond conventional media in the search for information.
But what's most interesting to me about the blog is that it won't be run by Billboard's editorial staff. But before anyone begins to panic that the blog will be some sort of advertorial hybrid that blurs the lines, take a look at this article. B2B magazine is reporting that my friend Rafat Ali, editor of paidcontent.org, will "direct" the blog, which is known as Billboard PostPlay.
Rafat is a quality journalist with considerable expertise, and his hire will certainly mean that VNU will get superb coverage of the industry.
Let's just hope this new assignment doesn't keep Rafat from updating paidcontent -- one of the most valuable sites in the B2B world.

Email newsletter about email newsletters

Direct, a B2B publication that covers the direct-marketing industry, has launched an email newsletter about the email newsletter business. In an article on the Direct website, editorial director Ray Schultz says the idea was born in an argument about appropriate story length for an electronic publication.
I got a kick out of that for several reasons. First, I remember having a similar conversation (I wouldn't call it an argument) with Ray and some of his staff when I was at PrimediaBusiness and online newsletters were still a novelty. Second, Ray says his recent argument -- in which he came to a new understanding of electronic journalism -- was with PrimediaBusiness' new media department. That "department" is really just a handful of folks guided by Prescott Shibles, who used to work for me. So I'm thrilled to see that Prescott is still fighting for quality work online.
FULL DISCLOSURE: The newsletter and some related projects -- all of which will soon move to the "Chief Marketer" brand -- are being developed under the guidance of Hershel Sarbin, the former president of Ziff-Davis and former CEO of Cowles Business Media. I've consulted with Hershel on his work with PrimediaBusiness and hope to expand that relationship.

Quark vs. InDesign

If you've spent much time in B2B publishing, you've already decided whether you prefer Quark's QuarkXPress or Adobe's InDesign for your layout work.
But you may still want to read this piece in the Denver Post, which outlines the history of Quark and pays particular attention to the company's history of customer-service shortcomings.
Wondering where I stand in the debate?
I have both InDesign and Xpress on my computer. But I tend to be a creature of habit. And the design software I use most often is the nearly prehistoric PageMaker.

Trade pubs for the rag trade

B2B publications in the apparel space seem to be hot, presumably because changes in global trade laws are creating opportunities for clothing entrepreneurs.
Global Sources, which publishes newsletters about the industry, says it will launch "Garments & Textiles" magazine and a related website by summer. The products will serve apparel manufacturers and related businesses, primarily those that do business in China and India.
And Edgell Communications announced it bought "Apparel" magazine from VNU for an undisclosed amount. "Apparel" is an old-timer in the clothing and trade-magazine worlds. Originally titled "Bobbin," the publication entered the world the same year I did -- 1959.
But new and old publications alike must compete against the giant of rag-trade trade pubs: "Women's Wear Daily." No one else has the influence of WWD. No one else has the staff and stringer network to produce the detailed news and gorgeous photos that are the hallmark of WWD.
And WWD has the advantage of having Rich Rosen as managing editor. Rich is a friend of mine, a talented journalist and yet another of my fellow refugees from Bloomberg News.

Thomson Media changes its name

Thomson Media -- parent of such B2B publications as "The Bond Buyer," "National Mortgage News," and "Accounting Today" -- is changing its name. Henceforth, and presumably forevermore, Thomson will be known as SourceMedia.
As rebranding efforts go, I suppose this is a sensible one. The Thomson name is confusing. There's a Thomson Publications, there's Thomson the "world's leading information resource," there's also a DC Thomson Publications and god-only-knows-what-else.
Let's just hope that no one confuses SourceMedia with Primedia or The Source magazine.

Outsider at Crain's didn't fit in

When Jeff Bailey resigned as editor of Crain's Chicago Business last week, I didn't think it was relevant to this blog. Although Crain owns a ton of B2B properties, the publication Bailey helmed was part of a different, although related world -- business magazines for consumers.
But an article in the Chicago Tribune made me rethink my position. According to the Tribune, part of Bailey's problem appears to be that he alienated his staff. Editorial employees were working "longer hours" to keep up with Bailey, a former Wall Street Journal staffer who was at his desk early, late and on weekends.
Bailey was a departure for Crain -- an outsider, rather than someone who rose through the ranks of the company. And it seems that Bailey brought with him the sort of obsessive, striving, money-oriented, worker-loathing style of big media.
I've done my time in big media. I've worked at CNN, Primedia and the mother of all unpleasant newsrooms -- Bloomberg. And I learned to dislike the people who do well in those environments -- sycophants, weaklings, manipulators and ego-crazed moguls. One of the things I love about B2B publishing -- one of the things that has brought me back to this world time and time again -- is that the smaller, often family-owned companies that dominate the field don't see a conflict between success and their workers' happiness.
And so I'm pleased to see that a B2B company has seemingly turned its back on the win-at- all-costs style of big media.

Primedia earnings rise, but not for B2B

Primedia says its net earnings rose to $13.5 million in the fourth quarter from $9 million a year earlier. The company gives the credit to its "enthusiast" unit, which includes magazines such as "Snowboarder" and "In-Fisherman."
But if you exclude earnings from the company's About unit, which it has agreed to sell to the N.Y. Times, then things look a little different -- revenue for all of 2004 is essentially flat, showing a climb of only 0.2%.
Things certainly don't look good in the B2B unit, where I once worked.
In the fourth quarter, total B2B revenue rose 5.2% compared with a year earlier. But despite years of layoffs and cost-cutting moves, expenses rose 8.4%. That leaves segment EBITDA -- the measure by which Primedia prefers to be judged -- down 2.9% in the quarter. Across the entire company, excluding About revenue, then segment EBITDA is down 2.6% for the year.
So what's next? If past is prologue, then expect another round of layoffs, more ill-conceived initiatives to "drive revenue", and another management shakeup.

Wicks buys magazine for corporate lawyers

Wicks Business Information has purchased a monthly magazine that serves corporate lawyers. Corporate Legal Times, based in Chicago, was founded in 1991 -- one of dozens of law-focused B2B publications that hoped to duplicate the success of The American Lawyer.
Only a handful of administrative jobs are heading to Wicks' headquarters in Fairfield, Conn. The rest of the staff, including the five-person editorial team, will remain in the Windy City.

Location, location, location

I spent much of the long weekend in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, perhaps the prettiest place on earth. It's home to much of what I treasure: the music of Tanglewood, the yoga retreat known as Kripalu, and the mountains themselves. And, as I was reminded early on Sunday morning as I passed through downtown Pittsfield, the Berkshires are also home to Laurin Publishing. Laurin, owner of B2B titles such as Photonics Spectra, has offices on the second floor of a building overlooking the town square.
Laurin recognizes that perhaps the greatest draw it has for B2B journalists is its location. When the company runs ads seeking reporters, it always plays up the beauty of its Berkshires home.
Location is the advantage that many trade-journalism companies have in the recruiting battle. And I'm always surprised how few of them seem to understand that.
Here in New York, where I live, B2B publishers must often choose from the bottom of the barrel of available journalists. The mainstream press offers more money and more prestige. As a result, the great unspoken truth is that B2B journalism in New York and other media centers is often the domain of second-rate practitioners.
The luckiest B2B publishers are based in places where the locale can lure top-tier recruits.
Think of Laurin in the Berkshires, Wicks in Fairfield, Conn., and NTP in Latham, N.Y.
And I've always said the best location for a B2B publisher is the suburbs of Kansas City, where Vance, Primedia Business and Ascend all operate. The area has cheap housing, good schools and offers a low-stress lifestyle. Most importantly, the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas -- both among the top five journalism schools in the country -- are just two hours away. Hundreds of talented kids are available for recruiting every year. And many of them are locals who don't want to leave the area. As a result, local B2B publishers can pick and choose among talented and well-trained journalism students. My friends in New York hate to hear it, but the truth is that much of the best B2B journalism is being practiced in Kansas City, not Manhattan.

Post Office B2B magazine

The U.S. Postal Service is becoming a B2B publisher. "Deliver" is a bimonthly magazine aimed at executives in the direct-marketing industry. Some 350,000 copies were mailed this week, the post office says. That seems to be an extraordinarlily high number. PrimediaBusiness' "Direct" magazine, which serves the same market, has a circulation of only 46,527. So I'm left wondering if the postal service understands the "controlled" part of controlled circulation.
Addendum: Rex Hammock at Rexblog wrote to tell me about another, more detailed article about "Deliver." In this piece, the reporter says the magazine will send those 350,000 copies to "CEOs, corporate marketers and their creative agencies." That may be a broad enough pool of people to account for those circulation numbers.

N.Y. Times buys About

Well I was right about this one. When word came a few weeks ago that About.com was for sale, I predicted the New York Times would buy it. That's exactly what has happened. But before I start patting myself on the back, I'll admit to being shocked by the price the Times will pay -- some $410 million.
For extensive coverage, take a look at paidcontent's take on the sale. Rafat shares my view that part of the reason the Times is interested is that the newspaper giant has been slow to respond to the blog movement. About is the grandfather of "citizen journalism." So the purchase pushes the Times to the forefront of the phenomenon. The other obvious justification for the deal is the growing importance of online advertising.
The lessons here for trade journalists are two-fold. First, if your publisher isn't focused on generating revenue from online ads, then you need to find a new publisher. Second, if you haven't established an ongoing, digital "conversation" with your readers, then your publisher needs to find a new you.
ADDENDUM: I'm flattered that my prediction about the N.Y. Times deal won me some praise on David Shaw's B2B blog.

Editorial integrity award

Given my recent complaints about journalists who also sell advertising, I want to offer some praise to a journalist who performs his job with honor. Whitney Sielaff, publisher and editorial director of VNU's National Jeweler magazine, has won the Timothy White Award for editorial integrity among B2B journalists.
I've mentioned National Jeweler here before, taking note of the crisp writing style at the publication. But the Timothy White Award is for ethics, not for prose. Sielaff is a worthy recipient. According to American Business Media, which oversees the award program, Sielaff's "history of active campaigning for objective reporting and a firm separation of church and state dates back to 1989" when he exposed a program by diamond supplier De Beers to manipulate supply and prices. Sielaff has also developed a code of ethics to uphold journalism ethics at VNU.
Congratulations Whitney!

tags: journalism, b2b, media, trade press, magazines, advertising, newsletters, business media, journalism ethics

More on old-time journalism

David Shaw has some interesting comments about my recent post on old-time trade journalism, in which I said I was furious to find that reporters at the Waterways Journal were selling advertisements. David agrees, but reminds me there are vital business functions at a magazine that editorial staff should be engaged in. Check it out.