Radio World and Radio magazine, competitors in the radio broadcast technology publishing field for 17 years, are now part of the same business family.
That’s one outcome of a deal in which NewBay Media, the parent of RW, has acquired several publications from Penton Media Inc. In addition to Radio magazine, the acquired titles include Mix, Electronic Musician, DigitalContentProducer.com and Sound & Video Contractor. Each title will continue to be published, the company said. Terms of the purchase were not announced.
This acquisition also makes siblings out of three prominent pro audio titles: Mix, Pro Sound News and Pro Audio Review, the latter two already owned by NewBay.
Radio magazine was founded in 1994 under the name BE Radio, a reference to another title, Broadcast Engineering, from which it grew. That publication remains with Penton.
NewBay Media, which serves five markets — pro audio, broadcast and video, musical instruments, AV/consumer electronics and education — is headquartered in New York and owned by The Wicks Group. NewBay CEO Steve Palm said the acquisition “furthers the promise that was made when NewBay was founded: to offer the most comprehensive array of brands and media options in each of the verticals we serve.”
This is the latest in several transactions bringing familiar broadcast and pro audio/video titles under the same umbrella. In 2006 NewBay acquired titles from CMP Entertainment Media, part of United Business Media, a deal that included publications like Guitar Player, Pro Sound News and Television Broadcast. The following year it purchased the assets of IMAS Publishing, including Radio World, TV Technology and other titles. In 2009 it bought Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and This Week in Consumer Electronics (TWICE) from Reed Business Information-US.
Regarding the implications for NewBay’s radio business, Executive Vice President Carmel King told advertisers in an e-mail, “The most important assets in this acquisition are the people. I am very happy to welcome the Radio staff of Associate Publisher Steven Bell, Editor Chriss Scherer and Associate Editor Erin Shipps to the NewBay radio team. Their reputation for producing a credible, reliable brand of journalism goes hand-in-hand with Radio World’s philosophy and ethic. It is a great fit.” Those employees are expected to remain based in Kansas.
The Radio World publication team, headed by Publisher John Casey, Editorial Director T. Carter Ross and U.S. Editor in Chief Paul McLane, is not affected.
“Now radio’s #1 technology news publication — Radio World and sister editions Radio World Engineering Extra, Radio World International, Radio World América Latina and Radio World Francophone — are joined by radio’s #1 monthly magazine, Radio,” King wrote. “Together, these print publications, plus websites, e-newsletters, webinars, podcasts, blogs, etc., form the largest and most experienced radio industry trade media group in the world.”
King said Radio magazine will operate separately from Radio World in the U.S. market and that NewBay plans a graphic redesign, circulation improvements and upgraded electronic capabilities for Radio. “Look for the Radio World and Radio teams to work together on special projects, creating new ways to engage a much larger combined reader base.”
For markets outside the United States, she said, the acquisition of Radio will serve to further strengthen Radio World International and Radio World América Latina. “The editors of both will now have access to an even larger pool of great editorial content to share with radio broadcasters worldwide.”
