Launching a print publication is a gamble even in good times. But introducing an ink-on-paper product during an economic downturn could be a real bear.
Nevertheless, b-to-b media companies Hanley Wood and BZ Media have recently rolled out new print magazines. Hanley Wood’s EcoHome targets builders, remodelers and architects who are active in green building while BZ Media’s Systems Management News targets IT systems administration managers, data center managers and IT operations managers.
Yet regardless of the market that’s being targeted, new print publications face serious challenges: rising paper costs, soaring postal rates and, perhaps most important, the slow but steady migration of ad dollars to online venues.
In the next edition of From Print to Digital, we’ll ask Mark Taussig, publisher of EcoHome, and Ted Bahr, publisher of Systems Management News, why they launched a print product in such a lousy economic climate and what they expect in return. Could we be forgiven for asking: What are these guys smoking?
Register now for the next edition of From Print to Digital. August 14, 2pm EST.
