F+W Changes Name

‘F+W Media’ better reflects company’s digital expansion, CEO says.

By Jason Fell
07/14/2008

In an effort to better reflect its expanding portfolio of digital products, Cincinnati-based enthusiast publisher F+W Publications has changed its name to F+W Media.

According to CEO David Nussbaum, the word “publications” “no longer adequately describes who we are as a company.” Substituting the word “media” better reflects F+W’s mission to deliver content across all platforms—including print and digital, he says.

In March, F+W appointed former Penton e-media group publisher Chad Phelps to the newly-created position of vice president of digital media for the company's book division. At the time, Nussbaum told FOLIO: that F+W was looking to expand its e-media staff this year by at least 20 additional positions. As of April, the company filled 70 to 80 percent of those positions, he said.

Since the beginning of the year, F+W has relaunched at least 12 Web sites and launched a number of digital books, online purchasing channels and community sites. The company, according t Nussbaum, also is digitizing its catalogue of book titles and plans to have more than 1,000 products digitized before the end of the year.

F+W is planning to relaunch Everything.com, a site it says will encompass the company’s products, and could someday rival About.com and HowTo.com, according to F+W.