Paul McLane is U.S. editor in chief of Radio World.
Messages of congratulations along with plenty of questions have been arriving at my inbox since NewBay Media this week acquired several publications from Penton Media, including Radio magazine.
Most engineering readers are well familiar with Radio, which is edited by Chriss Scherer and bears the names of several other outstanding engineers and industry experts on its masthead. The magazine is a welcome addition to NewBay’s growing family here.
I’ve heard some questions about whether it will be odd to work with the guys we’ve “done battle with” for a long time. But change is part of the modern corporate culture, and people adapt. For example, Chriss and I have enjoyed a cordial, competitive relationship as editors over the years. Yes we’ve definitely defended our publications’ turfs and protected the hard work of our respective contributors; but when we’ve differed, we’ve done so respectfully; when one of us has had a concern, we’ve always felt comfortable bringing it to the other’s attention. There are no burning bridges that we suddenly must re-cross to be effective colleagues, no knives to pull out of the other guy’s back.
Carmel King, the executive VP at NewBay, put it this way about Chriss and his colleagues: “Their reputation for producing a credible, reliable brand of journalism goes hand-in-hand with Radio World’s philosophy and ethic.” I feel the same way.
I certainly expect plenty of discussions about how RW and Radio can serve our audiences and advertisers even better. While the publication brands will remain separate, I can foresee us working together soon on special projects, electronic media platforms and events. The opportunity is exciting.
Meanwhile it’s remarkable to me how many strong publishing brands are now part of the NewBay umbrella, such as Broadcasting & Cable, Mix, Sound & Video Contractor, various convention dailies and many others (the logos above represent just some of the NewBay titles). The world of trade publishing has changed, no doubt; consolidation is partly a reflection of that. However NewBay’s ongoing acquisitions also offer a vote of confidence from the investment world in the continuing relevance of print as well as the importance of new media platforms and events.
At Radio World, I’m as committed as ever in my 15 years here to providing you the mix of stuff that makes us unique: regulatory news, technology trends, broadcast history, tech tips, expert analysis, strong reader opinions, familiar and new columnists. We’ve done this for 35 years or so, but we can always do better, so please let me know how you think we can improve.
Welcome, Radio.