Min's B to B articles from January 2002

Min's B to B archives from January 2002

Flailing Freedom IT Titles Start New Year at New Home...(Line56)(Freedom Communications)(Freedom Technology Media)(information technology periodicals)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... In the flurry of last-minute M&A wheeling/dealing before the ball dropped last week, little-known Line56 acquired the Freedom Technology Media group (ex- CurtCo Freedom) from TV station operator/Orange County Register publisher Freedom...

...As Line56's Higgins Searches for Diamonds in Rough Economy.(Paul Higgins)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Meanwhile, Line56 chairman/CEO Paul Higgins claims the deal is just the tip of the iceberg for the firm in 2002. "This is the first of many expansions this year," he tells us. "We've weathered the storm, been patient with our capital and made...

Plunging Sale Price ($250M) May Have Sunk TF Sale to VS&A/Deutsche Bank.(Thomson Financial Corporate Group; Veronis, Suhler and Associates Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... To sell or not to sell, that is the question for Thomson Financial parent Thomson Corp. (2001 revenues: $6B), as the reported sale of TF properties (American Banker/The Bond Buyer/A.S. Pratt/Credit Union Journal/National Mortgage...

B2B Media 2002 - 2004 Calendar of Events.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... * January 8, 2002 (Tues.) ABM Editorial Management Conference / Union League Club /New York, NY * January 24-25, 2002 (Thurs. & Fri.) ABM Fast Track Media Management Program /New York University /New York, NY * Feb. 10-14, 2002...

Box Scores: New Economy Books Battered in November (-41% $$$); 'Net Titles KOed (-68% $$$).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... Feeling a bad economy compounded by the post-9/11 ad slump, Adscope's new economy sector nosedived in November (-56.16% ad pages/-40.34% ad revenues), sending YTD ad pages (-42.67%) and ad spending (-29.39%) reeling. Red Herring...

November (-17% $$$) Nixes Vert/Special Interest Titles YTD Rally; Resellers Reeling (-41% $$$).(ad pages and revenues)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... An ad retreat vastly worsened by September 11 quashed a fledgling comeback for Adscope's vertical/special interest books in November (-20.99% ad pages/-16.59% ad revenues), leaving YTD ad pages (-6.98%) depleted and ad spending (-1.12%) flat....

Allured Doles Out the Dough for Advanstar Beauty Biz Book GCI.(Allured Publishing)(Advanstar Communications' Global Cosmetic Industry)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... While bigger B2B publishers prune portfolios, M&A opportunity abounds for smaller, niche firms looking to pick up the priced-to-move pieces. Exhibit A: Carol Stream, IL-based Allured Publishing's acquisition of Global Cosmetic Industry (circ....

Stock Watch: B2B Media: Starting '02 Up.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... Wall Street cheered B2B media into 2002 with six stocks up, four down and a push from McGraw-Hill ($60.06/-1.50% YTD). Topping the ticker were Alan Meckler's INT Media (+23.20% FTW, $2.28/+20.00% YTD), United Business Media (+14.90% FTW,...

2002 B2B Media Outlook May Be For Better or Worse...(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Investment bankers believe perception of economic recovery and the status of the war on terror will have a major impact on whether the M&A markets recover in 2002. Even so, American Business Media president/CEO Gordon Hughes is guardedly...

... As B2B M&A Deals/$$$ Retreat in Tough 2001; Trade Shows Sour.
January 14, 2002... B2B media M&A activity/values plummeted in 2001 in the wake of economic woes on Wall Street and the events of September 11. B2B deal dollar values fell to $13.6B from $32.7B in 2000 (-58%), with M&A activity declining 22% (281 deals) -- down...

Internet Week No More, As CMP Media Closes the Books on Troubled Title.(Editorial)
January 14, 2002... Times look to be tough for B2B IT titles in 2002, as CMP Media's Internet Week became the first title shuttered in the New Year. Following Ziff Davis Media's decision last October to roll IW (ex-Communications Week) rival Interactive Week...

Casella Caps Cahners CEO Search, Plans to Stay the Course (for Now).
January 14, 2002... After months of searching/speculation, Cahners last week landed Jim Casella (ex-IDG/PennWell/RoundOne) as CEO, filling the seat vacated by Marc Teren's departure last July (min's b2b extra, 7/20/01). Casella replaces interim CEO Gerard van de...

Box Scores: November (-36% $$$) Pulls the Plug on Electronic Sector's YTD Recharge.(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... Echoing a hurting economy and a Sept. 11 induced ad fizzle, the electronics sector dimmed in November (-37.67% ad pages/-36.24% ad revenues), leaving YTD ad pages (-15.32%) and ad spending (-14.11%) in the dark, per Adscope. All but Cahners'...

Engineering Titles Manufacture Negative November (-25% $$$), YTD (-17% $$$).(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... Saddled by post-Sept. 11 ad page/revenue debits, Adscope's 24 engineering titles caved in November (-25.06% ad pages/-24.90% ad revenues), causing YTD ad pages (-19.74%) and ad spending (-16.43%) to fade. Escaping the fray were CMP Media's...

Penton Reverses Revenue Course in '02, As Y2K+1 Comes Up Short (-20%).(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Seeing no recovery in sight for the B2B ad/trade show slump, Penton Media (2001 revenues: $375M) brass last week painted a gloomy picture for investors/analysts in 2002, while releasing revenue estimates of $320M to $350M and adjusted EBITDA...

min's b2b Editor's Note: Attention Subscribers!(Editorial)
January 14, 2002... Beginning with the Feb. 4 issue, min's b2b will be sent by email only, allowing for more timely delivery of your media news and analysis and providing you with a more interactive format. If you receive min's b2b by fax, we must have your email...

Stock Watch: B2B Media: Flying High.(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... Investors rallied around B2B media last week, with stocks finishing 10 up and only one down on the week. Leaders of the pack were INT Media (+37.70% FTW, $3.14/+65.30% YTD), Penton Media (+12.50% FTW, $7.76/+24.00% YTD) -- which reported Q4...

B2B M&A Quiet in Q4, Bankers/Brass Differ on '02 Outlook.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... While the recent flurry of M&A reports filed by media investment bankers are betting on a better 2002, Whitestone Communications' quarterly Who's Buying Whom report (due out this week) anticipates dismal M&A results for Q4 2001, according to...

Ziff Shifts Back to B2B Roots, As Owners Buy Time ($16M).(Ziff-Davis Inc.)(Willis Stein and Partners L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Calling the $15M investors/owners Willis Stein & Partners ponied up last week to bail Ziff Davis Media out of potential bankruptcy a "vote of confidence," COO Bart Catalane (ex-ABC/TMP Worldwide) believes "this is bottom" and better days lie...

Editor's Note: Urgent Reminder!(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... To all min's b2b readers: Thank you for your prompt response to last week's note requesting that you send us your e-mail address in order to continue receiving min's b2b. If you haven't yet responded, please note that beginning with the...

Box Scores: Aero/Defense Titles Take-Off in November (+11% $$$); Gov't IT Books Get Grounded (-22% $$$).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 21, 2002... Bucking the trend of most other B2B media sectors, Adscope's aerospace titles took off in November (+6.85% ad pages/+10.81% ad revenues), lifting YTD ad page (+2.40%) and ad spending (+4.16%) results higher. Defense News (+15.24%/+15.91%),...

CC/Info Sector Heads South In November (-47% $$$), As Computers Stay Cool (-32% $$$).(Statistical Data Included)
January 21, 2002... Compounded by a Sept. 11 ad drop-off, the 19 corporate computing titles tracked by Adscope plummeted in November (-46.96% ad pages/-47.06% ad revenues), leaving YTD ad pages (-36.04%) and ad spending (-37.39%) lagging. Lone hero for the month:...

Web Scores: B2B 'Net Clicks Retreat in November, Hunker Down for Holidays.(Statistical Data Included)
January 21, 2002... B2B media sites were ignored in November, perhaps because users were distracted by the rush to complete their holiday e-shopping (e-sales +20% YTD -- $19B through December '01 -- per online research firm Comscore Networks). Only five Web...

Penton Predicts Slower '02 Growth (-10%), Yet Year End Upswing May Spell Revenue Relief.(Penton Media Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Hunkering down for another tough year for B2B, Penton Media (est. 2001 revenues: $370M-$375M) anticipates its 2002 revenues could see a 10% drop year- over-year (est. 2002 revenues: $320M-$350M). Penton reports Q4/year end 2001 results next...

B2B People: Movers & Shakers.(personnel changes)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... VNU Business Publications last week named Charles McKeown (ex- CMGI/Sawyer Ferguson Walker) publisher of Editor & Publisher, while VNU Expositions promoted John Failla to group president of its performance/travel/entertainment/jewelry unit....

Stock watch: B2B Media: Downsized.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 21, 2002... Investors steered clear of B2B media last week with three stocks up, seven down and a push from Elsevier N.V. ($23.85/+2.30% YTD). Winners were few and far between, as only McGraw-Hill (+2.90% FTW, $62.83/+3.00% YTD), Reed Int'l (+1.90% FTW,...

B2B Postage Rate Hike (+11.5% in June) May Return Sooner Than Later.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2002... American Business Media isn't banking on the 11.5% postage rate hike (expected to go into effect June 30) being the last increase B2B publishers face in 2002. "All we have is a psychological commitment from the Postmaster General [John...

M&A Well Runs Dry In Q4 As Deals/Values Hit Drought in 2001.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2002... Meanwhile, more bad M&A news for 2001, according to Whitestone Communications' Who's Buying Whom report which shows acquisition activity among B2B publishing/education/finance/business/legal sectors plummeted in Q4. Deal dollar value--a...

Box Scores: Economy/9-11 Send Vert/Special Int. Sector into Slump (-12%$$$ YTD); Resellers Sag (-16%$$$ YTD).(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2002... Adscope's vertical/special interest titles' December ad page (-20.66%) and ad spending (-24.88%) doldrums capped a yearlong retreat (-12.63% ad pages YTD/-12.18% ad revenues YTD) that looks to spill into the New Year. Big picture: Advanstar's...

Down 30% $$$ in December, Developer Sector Closes the Books on Troubled 2001.(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2002... Adscope's 22 developer titles faced double-digit disaster in December (- 32.30% ad pages/-30.06% ad revenues) putting a damper on year-end ad page (- 13.08% YTD) and ad spending (-6.88% YTD) results. Mactech (+13.12%/+11.62%) was the month's...

Advanstar Sets Sights on IT & Overseas; Hits Mark With AIIM Int'l Tech Expo/eSinoMed Alliances...(Brief Article)
January 28, 2002... Most B2B firms are banking M&A monies in anticipation of brighter economic times, but Advanstar recently acquired the 50-year-old AIIM Conference and Exposition from the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) for an...

101 Communications' Investors Ante Up $$$, As Brass Bump Jeff Klein To Top Spot...(Brief Article)
January 28, 2002... With the appointment of Jeff Klein (ex-Times Mirror) as president/CEO, replacing co-founder Curt Hessler (who becomes chairman of the board), 101 Communications (est. 2001 revenues $75M) last week secured an undisclosed amount of financing...

....While 101 Makes Homeland Security an FCW Issue, Klein Banks On Gov. IT Spendng +15% in '02.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2002... In the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks/new homeland security measures, Klein is bullish about government IT spending -- expecting a 15% up-tick in 2002. However, he does concede a note of caution. "It won't be a homerun year, and revenues...

Stock watch: B2B Media: Losing Ground.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2002... With only three stocks up and eight down for the week, jittery investors stayed away from B2B media. Primedia (+4.30% FTW, $3.65/-16.10% YTD) landed atop the leader board, as McGraw-Hill (+1.50% FTW, $63.75/+4.50% YTD) and Scholastic (+0.50%...