BusinessWeek overhaul accomplishes its goals

Marion Maneker of The Big Money likes what has been done to Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine.

Maneker writes, “The first two issues of Bloomberg BusinessWeek are a veritable Sears catalogue of business news serving each of its core constituencies. From the Bloomberg side, it presents some of the site’s content in a new context, helping buy-side types and traders learn more about their context of their bets.

“For the BusinessWeek reader, there’s easier access to a broader range of information from around the world, with a level of detail and specificity that would satisfy any middle manager on the make.

“BBW makes the most of its upfront stories with punchy, memorable shorts on companies, like Roben Farzad’s excellent piece from the debut issue on the unnecessary $35 million in interest payments the New York Times has to pay. They’ve even squeezed in Bloomberg’s broadcast assets, with interview excerpts from Charlie Rose (who records his show from Bloomberg’s studio) and radio host Tom Keene.

“On top of all that, the magazine has a feature well that combines some of the best attributes of what BusinessWeek did well, while reviving the kinds of narrative features that made Fortune a standout (and that, for some reason, Fortune has moved away from).”