The Resurrection of BTB Print

Much has been written over the past year and half about the death knell sounding for BTB print magazines. It seemed like everyday another BTB title was heading off to magazine heaven. It was a graveyard littered with venerable old titles that had served various categories with distinction for years. If you believed the pundits, BTB print was DOA

Many industries go through being on death's doorstep at one point or another in their respective lifecycles but somehow managing to find a way of crawling back. TV was going to kill the motion picture business. FM signaled the end for AM radio. VCR's were forecast to end the dominance of TV and movies. Did any of these industries die out? No, they found a way to compete differently and better, albeit in a smaller way.

It may have been a coincidence or just a confluence of news coming together at just the right time, but last week there were several different declarative statements made that the predicted death of BTB print might be slightly overblown.

Bloomberg Business Week made a huge splash at a launch party of the newly redesigned Bloomberg Business Week last Thursday at Bloomberg's headquarters in NYC. It was a celebration that brought back memories of the old days in the business - pre-recession. Optimism was prevalent among staffers and advertisers alike. The April 26 issue features 136 pages - certainly a definitive statement that the publication means business and has advertising support.

Their plan is to editorially "make sense" of the plethora of news that we're exposed to daily and to "get people ready for the week ahead." In an industry where issues cutbacks are the norm, Bloomberg Business Week is increasing its frequency from 47 to 50 issues. Another small but noticeable change is the shift to a heavier page stock. This costs money but is a strong signal to advertisers that ads will look better and crisper in the new Bloomberg Business Week. There's nothing that matches the creative stopping power of a double truck, 4-color ad. Digital mediums just can't capture that magic.

It's easy to point to Bloomberg as a trendsetter leading the charge - they have the capital to make it happen. The real rebirth is coming from smaller BTB titles actually being resurrected from the ashes. A couple of weeks ago, Reed Elsevier announced the closing of 23 trade publications. Many were great names that BTB firms and agencies advertised in for years. They were the voice of insight, counsel and reason in the categories they served.

Having been in BTB communications for over three decades, I had a very real sense of resignation and regret. Not just for the publications, but also for the editors and salespeople that I've met and worked with over the years. Good people doing the right thing. It didn't feel good or sit well.

Life is often about second chances and one by one many of the shuttered Reed business publications are coming back to life. Management teams of the publications are seeing the opportunity that still exists in BTB print. The group that ran Reed Business Information bought Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, Supply Chain Management Review and Material Handling News.

According to my industry sources, a small group made up of current management, editorial, sales, marketing and production staff is putting together a consortium to buy Consulting-Specifying Engineer, Plant Engineering and Control Engineering from Reed.

These smaller publishing groups can concentrate on the core elements of the categories that their publications serve without having to report to a corporate parent. They know the market and serve as the information resource. They'll put their lifeblood and savings into the ventures. Knowing these people like I do, they're certain to be a success.

Many of these publications came out of great publishing houses like Cahners, Chilton, Technical Publishing and others. Back in the day, print advertising ruled in BTB circles. Will it happen again? Maybe or maybe not. If you've been in the business long enough to have been personally connected to the publications and the people, it's certainly a rebirth that is worth celebrating!!