A biz journal plans to become platform agnostic

Robert Feder of Time Out Chicago profiles Michael Arndt, the new editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, and explores his plans for the publication.

Feder writes, “Before joining Crain’s, Arndt spent 10 years in the Chicago bureau of BusinessWeek and 20 years before that with the Chicago Tribune, including five years as chief economics correspondent in Washington, D.C. A Wisconsin native, he received his journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin and began his career with the City News Bureau of Chicago.

“Arndt, who previously worked with Kirk at the Tribune, emphasized their shared goal of improving the product both in print and online.

“‘In the past year, since Jim Kirk joined me at CCB, we’ve been pushing the publication to be ‘platform agnostic’ — that is, to publish our content wherever it gets the biggest bang, print or digital,’ Arndt told me. ‘We now will be moving increasingly toward ‘web first.’ Our readers expect and demand that we deliver news first on our website. We don’t intend to disappoint them. That’s not to diminish the power of print. We will continue to produce a book chockful of the most essential business analysis of any media outlet in metro Chicago—bar none.

“‘I was impressed by the high caliber of the staff when I arrived almost 18 months ago, after more than 10 years at BusinessWeek. Since then, we’ve only moved up as we’ve brought in new editors and reporters. And this is a great sign: We’re still hiring.'”

Read more here.