FOLIO: Personalities -- The Blog People Page
The Path Of A Printer
Tony SilberSo yesterday, Perry Judd’s was sold. That makes one more in a wave of printer mergers for 2006. It follows the merger of United Litho and Dartmouth Printing into Sheridan Magazine Services (they had been owned by Sheridan already—this merger marks the creation of a unified marketing brand. And in November, Donnelley acquired Banta.
This is the continuation of a wave of consolidation that has been occurring for years among printers, but I think it’s worth noting the passing of what was once a dominant company. When I started working at Folio: in the early nineties, Judd’s Printing was a dominant player. Based in Virginia, it had an image of being a stable player, a trustworthy straight shooter that was going to be there whe More...
Ruminating About Advertising
Tony SilberAt the American Business Media Top Management Meeting, R.R. Donnelley’s Walter Zdunek introduced a session, and spoke eloquently about Donnelley's commitment to the magazine industry. Not only is Donnelley the largest printer in the industry, Zdunek said, it's the largest printer of smaller magazines as well.
That commitment shines through in Donnelley’s marketshare, customer service and elsewhere. Donnelley is a great company, there’s no doubt about that. And with the recent acquisition of Banta, it stands to be bigger and more capable than ever.
But Donnelley is an enigma. Donnelley rarely advertises. It rarely exhibits at top industry events. And in conversations with its marketing team, Donnelley executives are fr More...
Observations From Abm Top Management
Tony SilberThoughts from O’Hare as I’m heading back from the American Business Media Top Management Meeting. (It’s 5:30 a.m.—surprise, surprise: My flight was cancelled and spent the night in Chicago.)
First, I should have blogged AT the event, but that’s not the way it worked out. Folio: had a show daily to produce, and because of that, there was not much time for all the other things we needed to do: Pay close attention to an excellent program, develop story ideas, spend time with the many top managers and key suppliers (D+P, JEGI, RMS, Foster, Cadmus, American Press, Quebecor World, NXTbook Media, Publishers Press, Berkery, Noyes, Omeda Communications, Computer Fulfillment, CDS, ARGI, and plenty more) at the event.
When Pr People Do Their Organizations A Disservice
Tony SilberAs it turned out, the communications person had to reschedule once and I needed to reschedule once, and the assistant did a great job of being the intermediary.
I don’t have a huge ego, but all along, I was kind of feeling that the contact should have been direct. Why did we need an intermediary? I call CEOs directly every day. In the public-relations business, it’s all about a one-to-one relationship, right? And I’m the editor and publisher of the magazine, after all.
Circ Day La: Role Model For A Successful Regional
Tony SilberI only spent part of the day yesterday at the Western Fulfillment Management Association’s Circ Day LA, but it was clear that there was a buzz and vitality in the room. Held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the event attracted about 175 circulators, other publishing professionals and about 15 supplier companies mostly from California. But to me there seemed to be a sense of camaraderie at the event that demonstrates the strength of regional events. (Actually, 175 attendees also demonstrates the strength of this particular event—that’s a good turnout.)
As someone about to put on the 2006 Folio: Show in two weeks—by far the largest single magazine-industry event as measured by attendees and exhibitors—I also recognize th More...
A Blogger Departs...And Another Emerges
Tony SilberCruising the magazine-industry blogs the last several days and came across some interesting things, as I always do.
Paul Conley wrote a terrific item on e-media ethics on October 3, riffing off a recent Folio: magazine article, but also updating a recurrent theme on his blog. In the past he has covered this topic extensively, including September 25, August 23, , and November 15, 2005.
It wasn’t so much as the fact that he referred to a story of ours. Conley—more than ASBPE or ASME, in my opinion, has been really working the ethics issue, taking offenders to task and laying out a reasoned, and unwavering direction for those grappling with what is acceptable and what is not online.
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Why The Consumer Electronics Show Has Meaning For Magazines
Tony Silber Sales and Marketing - 01/11/2007-03:00 AMJust got back from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Normally, I’d say that the CES event is a bit far afield for Folio: Magazine, what with all the booths offering iPod aftermarket products and so on.
But Aspire Media’s Clay Hall, a magazine-industry CEO with vision, convened a group of enthusiast and b-to-b publishers to discuss exactly what the CES represents for our future as print publishers.
I have to tell you: The show itself was totally overwhelming. Both of two convention centers were packed with exhibits. It’s really several shows in one. Everything from geeky computer technology to plastic gadgets to camera gear was represented. There were toys, and ubiquitous cell-phone items. They offered TV on More...