About this Video
This video is from the Future of Business Media conference, which focuses on the future of the business and trade media industry, with all the changes brought along by digital media and consolidation activity in the industry.
ContentNext is an independent media and information company covering the business of digital media.
It’s been another year of merger, acquisition, takeover and targets, with money chasing opportunity. What’s left to consolidate? Is the money in big deals or small? What happens when the merry-go-round stops this time? How many media investment funds are enough? What will happen with valuations in the B2B media sector due to the credit crunch?
Alan M. Meckler Chairman & CEO, Jupitermedia Corporation
Alan Meckler created a newsletter in October 1990 called Internet World and went on to create the Internet World trade shows and various related print and Web publications. Mecklermedia sold its print and tradeshow properties to Penton Media in November 1998, and Alan purchased an 80.1% interest in Internet.com. JupiterOnlineMedia is the cornerstone for his company. It operates five online networks, and holds more than 150 Web sites and nearly 150 e-mail newsletters viewed by over 20 million users who generate over 400 million page views monthly.
Lauren Rich Fine Media Analyst
Lauren Rich Fine of Kent State University Communications School is a CFA and was until recently a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch in Equity Research. A 19-year veteran, she covered the publishing, information, advertising and online industries. She was a ranked member of the Institutional Investor All-American Research Team for 14 years, holding the number one position for 11 years. Lauren is on the Boards of the Cleveland Film Society, the Cleveland Jewish News, the Chautauqua Foundation, In Counsel with Women, Laurel School, and Urban Community School, a not-for-profit school for low income families in Cleveland.
Steven Rattner Managing Principal, Quadrangle Group LLC
Steven Rattner joined Quadrangle at its founding in 2000. Today, the private investment firm has more than $6 billion in assets under management. Previously, Steven served as deputy chairman and deputy CEO of Lazard Frères and managing director at Morgan Stanley. Before beginning his investment banking career in 1982 with Lehman Brothers, he was assistant to columnist James Reston at The New York Times and then became an economic correspondent in New York, Washington and London. Steven is active in philanthropic organizations, is deeply involved in public policy matters and serves on the board of IAC/InterActiveCorp and other companies.
David Levin CEO, United Business Media
David Levin overseas UBM, which includes two principal businesses: CMP and Commonwealth Business Media, and PR Newswire. Previously, David was CEO of Symbian, a leader in smart-phone operating systems, COO of Psion, Symbian’s parent company and held senior management positions at the international business publisher Euromoney Institutional Investor. He also worked for the venture capital firm Apax Partners, and for Universal Grinding Wheels of Stafford and in Asia. He began his career with the Bain and Company consulting firm where he worked in several world regions. He is a member of the World Economic Forum and the Oxford University Press.
John S. Suhler President, Veronis Suhler Stevenson
John Suhler participates in the presentations and reviews of nearly all portfolio company acquisitions and significant add-ons at VSS. He has served on the Board of Directors of many of the fund’s portfolio companies and attended board meetings as observer for most of the balance. Prior to co-founding VSS in 1981, he was president of CBS Publishing Group and was VP-Publisher of the Psychology Today group at Ziff Davis Publishing and CRM, Inc. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Association of American Publishers and the Magazine Publishers of America, and an affiliate member of the American Newspaper Publishers.
