Min's B to B articles from March 2004

Min's B to B archives from March 2004

B2B M&A Monitor: Pfingsten Goes to Art Mart, Fills Portfolio with Advanstar's Art Properties.(Pfingsten Publishing L.L.C.)
March 1, 2004... It won't go down as the biggest B2B M&A deal of the year, but for Pfingsten Publishing, the acquisition of Advanstar's Art Group, completed Thursday (February 26) for undisclosed terms, is a masterpiece. Pfingsten, which, like Advanstar, is...

B2B Profit & Loss: Penton Prunes Some Losses, Sees Light at End of Tunnel...(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Doing more with less revenue--already a familiar refrain at B2B gatherings--was a common theme in fourth-quarter/yearend earnings reports released Thursday (February 26) by B2B giants Penton Media and United Business Media, parent company of...

...While CMP Turns Loss Into Gain Despite Revenue Hit...(CMP Media Inc.'s results)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Meanwhile, CMP managed to turn a loss in 2002 into a gain in 2003 despite an 11.6% revenue decline in 2003. The Manhasset, Long Island-based company reports an operating profit of $27.7M for last year, compared with an operating loss of $12.7M...

...And Slimmed-Down Ziff Davis Delivers a $100M Upswing Amid Diminished Losses.(financial results of Ziff-Davis Holdings L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ZD Media parent Ziff Davis Holdings reported a fourth-quarter revenue gain of 6%, with revenues of $59.7M versus $56.3M for the same period in 2002. The company's $11.5M net gain in Q4 represented about a $100M swing from Q4 '02's net loss of...

min's b2b's Exclusive Review of B2B Group Publishers' 2003 versus 2002 Ad Pages/$$$ (Part III): With Print Sagging in Many Cases, Publishers Turn to Other Media Options to Drive Revenue.
March 1, 2004... While there have been some very pleasant positive-growth recaps in the first two installments of our four-part review of group publishers' 2003 ad pages/ad revenues for titles featured in our regular Boxscores, this week's Part III listing is...

B2B Boxscores (December '03)--Will NASA, Iraq Help Engineering Books Manufacture Their Recovery?
March 1, 2004... The Engineering sector looks about as bad as the grades the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been receiving lately as the bureaucratic overseer for President Bush's big space exploration plans. (A recent Wall Street Journal...

2B People on the Move.(Brian Langille joined PBI Media and Jerome FitzGibbons joined Forbes.com )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Brian Langille (ex-Reed Business Information) joined min's b2b parent PBI Media as CEO of Chemical Week Associates. Langille, who starts today (March 1), had been group publisher in VNU Business Media's foodservice/beverage group. He succeeds...

B2B Boxscores (December '03)--Broadcast/Video Transmits Mixed Signals.
March 1, 2004... Yearend 2003 ad results are all over the map in our diverse 14-title Broadcast/Video sector. While six titles hit the finish line down double-digits in revenue (worst in class: Communications Technology [-41.95%] and Digital TV [-24.64%]),...

Congratulations to min's b2b's 2003 "Best of the Web" Winners!(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The presentation ceremonies aren't four hours long, but these are our "Academy Awards," and we thank the many entrants that we received last fall. From those, the judges have determined... Editorial Excellence Winner: PCWORLD.com (IDG)...

B2B Stockwatch--Channel One Pact Helps Primedia Lead the Pack.(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... If you don't believe the stock market can be fickle, just look at this week's results in our B2B group. Where Primedia two weeks ago sat as second weakest in the mix, the latest results rank it as the week's strongest percentage performer...

B2B M&A Monitor: Cygnus Cashes in Second Chance, Feeds Nine Regional Shows Into Building/Home Unit.(CONEX group)
March 8, 2004... You don't get too many second chances in business (or life), so when another opportunity to acquire a prized asset rolls around, smart B2B executives know to pounce quickly. That's how it went with Cygnus Business Media, which last week...

B2B Profit & Loss: Advanstar Advances the Ball Despite Drag from Travel, Tech Markets.(financial results of Advanstar Communications Inc.)
March 8, 2004... In a difficult year that many B2B media companies were happy to see end, Advanstar Communications bucked some trends and posted modest revenue and earnings gains. Aided by its $136M October acquisition of Thomson's Medical Economics unit, the...

min's b2b's Exclusive Review of B2B Group Publishers' 2003 versus 2002 Ad Pages/$$$ (Part IV): Broad Coverage in Foodservice Sector Helps Fill Stagnito's Feedbag.
March 8, 2004... In Patterson Advertising Reports' white paper on foodservice/lodging magazines, total 2003 revenues from ad schedules of six times or greater ($162.4M) was down one-fifth (-20.3%) from the industry's high-water mark in 1999 ($203.8M). But...

B2B Circ Quirks: Is Digital Distribution Ready for Audited Circulation Prime Time?
March 8, 2004... Too soon to tell, but it's starting to get on the radar screen. While digital distribution--i.e., when subscribers can receive and download an issue's contents on their computer, cutting the United States Postal Service and its rate hikes out...

B2B Boxscores (December '03)--Vertical/Special Interest's Accelerated Late-Year Losses Leave Less to Build On in '04.
March 8, 2004... Incremental fall improvements seen in this eclectic group of magazines had all but petered out by the end of 2003, with minor September/October ad-page gains (actually, reduced losses) just a memory by the time final year numbers were in....

B2B New Media Boxscores (Year-end 2003): Most Sites Hibernate in December, But Some Yield Yuletide Surprises...(Illustration)
March 8, 2004... [Editor's Note: Due to computer glitches, some of the data published in our 2/23/04 review of New Media Boxscores was inaccurate. An amended chart, complete with revised analysis, appears below.] December proved to be a...

...As Final Box Score Tallies Show Veteran Tech Pubs Peaking, Other Industries Seeking.(Brief Article)
March 8, 2004... The unevenness with which various industries got wired is clear in our year-end tally of site page views. It's official, technology publications have peaked, with majors like DDJ.com retreating almost 20% in total Page Views in 2003 compared to...

B2B Stockwatch--Jobs Jolt Jars Shaky Market.(Illustration)
March 8, 2004... Everyone's been talking about the recovery, but few believe it's a sure thing, and no one thinks it's a slam dunk. Broad concern about tepid February job growth--the month's 21,000 new jobs were about 110,000 fewer (83% less) than economists...

B2B Profit & Loss: Worldwide Media Woes, Declining Dollar Hit VNU's Bottom Line.(Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeversbedrijven B.V.)(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... A combination of the economic downturn in media and a declining dollar produced a 14% slump in operating income and a 23.5% drop in net earnings for Netherlands-based VNU, parent company of Billboard/Adweek publisher VNU Business Media USA. In...

BIN Spin (Year-end 2003): Unloved Year Actually Produced a Few Welcome Surprises.
March 15, 2004... Analysts who argued that the economic downturn had oddly little effect on consumer spending might have had a point. A 25% ad-spending charge in December brought the sector's year-to-date B2B print ad spending up to 10.32%, a healthy gain that...

B2B Customer Contact: 1) Has the 'Wal-Mart School of Business' Taken Over B2B Salesmanship?
March 15, 2004... Country crooner Garth Brooks once quipped that he believed in the Wal-Mart operating principle: "the less you pay for something, the more you enjoy it." With this theory, of course, Wal-Mart has commoditized packaged goods and health & beauty...

2) Sell Us Programs, Not Just Pages, Advertisers Implore.
March 15, 2004... B2B executives could be forgiven if they think the buy side is just interested in gauging out every nickel they can find. But even though pricing is important, advertisers themselves say, sharp marketing ideas, coupled with good execution, are...

Magazine Category Boxscores: It's Early Yet, But Computing Sectors Show Encouraging $$$ Growth.(Illustration)
March 15, 2004... Best news in early ad category results from CMR is that the most important sectors, as measured by dollars spent, are growing--and they're both computer-related. Consumer Desktop spending rose 5.99% in January, with a 4.86% spending gain seen...

B2B Boxscores (January): There's a Developing Situation in the Developer/Tech Sector.(Illustration)
March 15, 2004... B2B watchers looking for hopeful signs about 2004 won't find many in January results for the Developer/Tech sector. Brutalized by double-digit losses in 2003, the group of 20 titles (minus CMP Media's gone-to-the-Internet Windows Developer) in...

min's b2b's "Best of the Web" in Review: PCWorld.com Optimizes Interplay Between Web, Print Staffs.(Brief Article)
March 15, 2004... During a stretch when many business information publishers seem to be limiting their Web investment--despite more indications that Web advertising is beginning to deliver on its promise of yesteryear--it is heartening to see some companies...

B2B Boxscores (January): Year-end Forward Momentum Fades Quickly for Foodservice.
March 15, 2004... January isn't a key month in many B2B advertising sectors, and food is no exception. Even so, our 30 CMR-tracked Foodservice titles can't be happy, collectively at least, with an uninspiring January sales performance that shows ad pages down...

B2B People on the Move.
March 15, 2004... At Ziff Davis Media, things have been looking up for the Maginn family. Last Thursday (March 11), Chris Maginn was promoted to VP/West Coast sales, where he'll continue to focus on ZD Internet advertising. During his previous slot as West...

B2B Stockwatch: Madrid Bombings Blast Markets Here.(Illustration)
March 15, 2004... It's probably a stretch to draw too direct a connection between B2B and the grisly commuter train bombings in Madrid last Thursday morning (March 11), but the attacks--10 well-synchronized explosions that killed at least 192 and injured 1,400...

B2B Awards: Once Again, IDG Does A-OK in Edit Honors at ABM's Editorial Awards...(Pat McGovern)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Pat McGovern's computing industry powerhouse remained the darling of the ball last Thursday (March 18) when International Data Group titles took the Grand Neal Award (for the fourth time) and two of three runners-up, plus eight other Neals in...

...As Upstart CSO Nails Four Neals.(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Biggest individual winner was IDG's CSO, a two-year-old monthly that reaches about 25,000 chief security officers charged with protecting their organization's assets without squelching business opportunities. The book took home four Neals and...

The 50th Annual ABM/Jesse H. Neal Award Winners (for 2003 publishing year).
March 22, 2004... Grand Neal Award: CIO (IDG) Winning entry: "All Systems Down" 1st Runner-Up: Aviation Week & Space Technology (McGraw-Hill): "The Columbia Tragedy" 2nd Runner-Up: CSO (IDG): "Machine Shop" 3rd Runner-Up: Bio-IT World (IDG):...

B2B Editorial Management: Editorial on the Line: Rough Times Pose Tough Challenges for B2B Editors...(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Good editorial is good for business. What's bad for business is compromising editorial integrity for short-term gain while jeopardizing the most valuable long-term asset: credibility with readers. That's about the gist of it, according to a...

...As Things Like Complacency About Ad Adjacencies Raise Thorny Issues.(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Obviously, the quest for revenue can pose problems. But there are ways to resolve them, too, according to Patricia Panchak, editor-in-chief of Penton Media's Industry Week. She recounted one incident where she interrupted a salesperson's...

B2B Boxscores (January): Has the Bloom Fallen Off of Healthcare's Rose?(spendings on advertising )
March 22, 2004... What a difference a month makes. The very active Healthcare/Pharmaceutical category was one of B2B's few darlings in a difficult 2003. Month after month, the sector posted number after positive number, with its bright business prospects...

min's b2b's "Best of the Web" in Review (Part II): Hanley Wood Tames Tons of House-Building Data Into Usable Console...(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Hanley Wood's magisterial BuilderOnline.com for home building professionals is one of the best examples of taming a monstrous amount of diverse information (articles, product specs, vendor directories, news, forums, and plans) into a highly...

...As Workforce Management and Workforce.com Master Solution-Directed Content.(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... The monthly magazine Workforce Management and its online complement, Workforce.com, come about as close as we can imagine right now to a truly seamless integration of print and Web, and so they win our Integration with Print category in a walk....

B2B Boxscores (January): Are Engineers Still Feeling for the Bottom?(advertising pages and revenues)
March 22, 2004... The fact that Cadalyst magazine is up almost 135% in ad pages one month into 2004 action probably means a lot less than it seems. After all, late last year the Advanstar monthly bought and buried its principal rival, CMP Media's Cadence, so...

B2B New Media Report: Behavioral Targeting Takes Aim, As Marketers Seeking the Perfect Search...(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Context is everything. Seems that way, at least. And the technologies for better ad targeting have been available online for several years, but only in the past 12 months or so have the most advanced approaches gotten much traction. At the...

...Find that Letting Ads Follow Browsers Effectively Expands a Site's Inventory.(Brief Article)
March 22, 2004... Both Tacoda and RS are now crowing over landing some major new accounts, and the buzz we hear from more companies is that almost everyone is now considering some form of behavioral targeting. For example, both Reuters and Financial Times...

B2B Stockwatch: Scholastic, Tops Last Week, Is Tepid This Time.(Illustration)
March 22, 2004... Looks like things do iron themselves out, after all. In this space last issue, concluding a market week plagued by economic decline and punctuated by the terrorist bombings in Madrid, Scholastic Corp. was the sole gainer among our 11 stocks....

B2B Change at the Top: Tom Kemp on Pending Penton Exit--'The Fun Factor Had Faded'.
March 29, 2004... In recent years, as Penton Media's business woes multiplied amid a backbreaking media recession, some people quietly wondered if chairman (since 2001)/CEO (since 1996) Tom Kemp's days were numbered. After all, the company's financials were...

As With Many B2Bers, the Tom Kemp Ad-Page Record at Penton Media Nosedived Post- Y2K.(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... These days, ad pages are only one revenue stream among many at any decently run B2B media company. But at most companies they still comprise the lion's share (65%+) of cash coming in the door. For a snapshot of how things have gone during...

As Post-Kemp Era Nears, What's Next for Pensive Penton?
March 29, 2004... Regardless of whether you believe Tom Kemp is leaving Penton or Penton is leaving Kemp, the company he leaves behind clearly faces big challenges ahead. Some of its key high-tech and industrial markets are still fighting difficult business...

B2B Boxscores (January): Omni-Scandals Dominate Banking/Finance Headlines, but Not Bottom Lines.
March 29, 2004... Now that the Martha Stewart trial is finally over, members of the banking/finance media community could be forgiven if they were hopeful they could just get back to business as usual and start writing up new insertion orders for multi-page...

B2B 'Net Returns: Hanley Wood's 'Net Bet--Hold the Hype, Ratchet Up the Results.
March 29, 2004... Return on investment (ROI) is the name of the game in just about everything these days, and B2B Web advertising is no exception. People want progress, not promises, and they're willing to spend elsewhere if they can't get it. "The pitch now...

B2B New Media Boxscores: January Traffic Brings Audience Renewal.(Illustration)
March 29, 2004... It took some effort not to register double-digit gains in January, as the inevitable post-holiday bounce-back favored all but a handful of sites. Some tech-related properties, namely Microsoft Certified Professional magazine (-29.71% page...

B2B Boxscores (January): Turn of the Calendar Does Little to Juice Electronics Books.(Illustration)
March 29, 2004... Ex-New York Yankee great Yogi Berra has been quoted, famously, as having said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." But if you apply that to the advertising short-circuit still dogging the Electronics B2B magazine sector, it might better be phrased...

B2B Research: Forget the Spam Sham, B2B E-mail Still Works.(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... According to the latest trend reports from DoubleClick, e-mail from business publishers, mainly e-newsletters, is faring better than some other categories. Even though click-through rates from business information e-mails did decline in Q4 2003...

B2B People on the Move.(Richard Rosen joined Fairchild Publications as managing editor)(TechTarget has promoted Information Security editor-in-chief Andrew Briney to editorial director )(Paul Beatty has joined Information Strategies as managing publisher)(Brief Article)
March 29, 2004... Richard Rosen joined Fairchild Publications as managing editor of Women's Wear Daily. A 20-year veteran of New York's Daily News, Rosen most recently had been with Bloomberg News (owned by Big Apple Mayor Michael Bloomberg). He succeeds...

B2B Stockwatch: Top Spot Can Make for Topsy-Turvy Aftermath.(Illustration)
March 29, 2004... Sometimes it seems that a company's reward for being the strongest of the week in our B2B rankings...is to be relegated to weakest position the following week. The only thing worse is seeing it happen twice it a row, as it has now to...