The American Spectator : Out of Business Week

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Out of Business Week

By Michael Johnson on 7.21.09 @ 6:09AM

(Page 2 of 2)

As circulation numbers slipped back under 1 million in the 1990s, Business Week revenue that had once propped up the corporation was now locked into a steady downward course.

Shepard left in 2005 after an extended search turned up Steven J. Adler, deputy managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and a Harvard Law School graduate -- a rare credential in the news business -- as his successor. Speculation was that Adler had a chance to save the magazine and move upstairs to the 49^th floor executive suite.

The BW chalice proved poisoned, however, and Adler has spent four years slashing staff and frantically trying to reinvent the magazine and its website. Moving ever further away from the BW of its glory days, he has chopped up editorial content and brought on celebrity columnists, including former GE chairman Jack Welch and his new wife Suzy Wetlaufer, and Maria Bartiromo, a CNBC personality also known as "Money Honey."

Yet ad pages have declined steadily since Adler came aboard. He is likely to be sold off with the magazine, assuming a buyer can be found. Time Warner and Forbes have both said they are not interested. In fact the industry is now waiting for Fortune and Forbes to be treated to their own "strategic options."

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About the Author

Michael Johnson spent 17 years at McGraw-Hill, including six years as a news executive in New York. He now writes from Bordeaux in France.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (4) | Leave a comment

Howard| 7.21.09 @ 9:27AM

I first started reading BW in the early 1970's. It was like a mini MBA course. They were always good at spotting trends and discussing the ramifications of these trends. As with most main stream media they have become more fluffy and celebrity driven in recent years. Has anyone noticed that the Economist is doing well. That is because that magazine has remained true to its mission. No fluff and empty calorie articles.

Old Texican| 7.21.09 @ 3:07PM

Technology obsolesced Business Week.

Newspapers ditto!

Personally, I would pay a reasonable sum for American Spectator...(which I do), and Fox News,

I'm sure many millions of others would as well.

Add revenue? whew! another question altogether.

Appleby| 7.21.09 @ 3:53PM

There are magazines out there that are virtually ALL advertising. I don't read them or buy them. Well, except EVO, a very expensive car magazine about very expensive cars. It has become for me what the Sears Catalogue was when I was a child.

But too many magazines have pages and pages of advertising for drugs, including half a page of tiny print telling you that actually you're better off not even reading about how dangerous this drug can be, much less taking it...and if you minus the ad pages there's no THERE there.

I'd rather read a book.