Reed Business Information

 

 

 

In the May 2010 issue of Folio magazine, an unamed "former RBI employee" casts a jaundiced eye on Reed Elsevier:

"The company destroyed a viable publishing operation with warring Dutch-British board members who couldn't make good decisions, an ill-timed enormous investment in an Internet platform that was already a relic at the time it was purchased in 1999, and an Internet strategy that failed to acknowledge the depth and breadth of the new medium and instead tried to fit all of the publications into a Soviet-styled peg."

Reed Business Information Shuts Down 23 Trade Magazines

April 16, 2010 -- In July 2009, Reed Elsevier announced that the RBI-US controlled circulation magazines and certain other print titles, representing approximately 45% of the revenues of RBI-US, were to be divested. Since then, the following magazines, representing approximately two thirds of the revenues of the portfolio to be divested, have been sold in seven separate transactions:

* On 30 November 2009, NewBay Media LLC acquired Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and This Week in Consumer Electronics (TWICE).

* On 16 February 2010, Canon Communications acquired Electronic Design News (EDN), Design News, Test & Measurement World and Packaging Digest.

* On 26 February 2010, Media Source Inc. acquired Library Journal, School Library Journal and Library Hotline.

* On 17 March 2010, Sandow Media acquired Interior Design, Furniture Today, Gifts & Decorative Accessories, Home Textiles Today, Casual Living, Home Accents Today, Kids Today and Playthings.

* On 31 March 2010, two management buyouts took place for Tracom and In-Stat.

* On 2 April 2010, Publishers Weekly was acquired by former PW publisher George Slowik, JR. and Partners.

To conclude the divestment process, the publishing operations of the remaining RBI-US controlled circulation titles are to be closed:

Building Design+Construction
Chain Leader
Construction Bulletin
Construction Equipment
Consulting-Specifying Engineer
Control Engineering
Converting
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies
Graphic Arts Blue Book
Graphic Arts Monthly
HOTELS
Logistics Management
Material Handling Product News
Modern Materials Handling
Plant Engineering
Professional Builder
Professional Remodeler
Purchasing, Restaurants & Institutions
Semiconductor International
Spec Check
Supply Chain Management Review
Tradeshow Week

Variety, Marketcast and 411 Publishing, the RCD (Reed Construction Data) businesses and the Buyerzone lead generation business were not part of the divestment process and are retained. Jewelers' Circular Keystone (JCK) has been transferred to Reed Exhibitions which runs the JCK Jewelry event and DM2 has been merged with Mardev in the UK to form a global list management operation.