Las Vegas Business Press names new editor

Norm Bell, who was editor of the Hartford Business Journal for three years, has been named editor of the Las Vegas Business Press.

Ann Friedman of the Business Press writes, “Bell is no newbie. Last September, he and his wife started VegasBureau.com, a website that covers news and conventions in the Las Vegas area for out-of-town publications.

“‘The premise is the flipside of ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’ We don’t believe that,’ Bell said. ‘There’s a lot of media outside of Vegas that don’t have the resources to send people here for conventions or for the news, so when news breaks we cover it and send it back to them at a reasonable price.’

“Prior to starting the website, Bell was editor of the Hartford Business Journal for three years, where he rebuilt the struggling publication, doubled website traffic and replaced an outdated content management system.

“Aside from the various positions he’s held in places including Albuquerque, N.M.; Tacoma, Wash.; Riverside, Calif.; and Trenton, N.J., Bell also has received numerous awards and honors. He was a Pulitzer finalist for a story on euthanasia ahead of a Washington state referendum.

“‘We went to Holland and a lot of places to look at the issue,’ he said. ‘I think we knew we were doing Pulitzer-caliber work on that project. As it turned out we came in second, which is good, but it’s no brass ring.’

“Though Bell said business itself hasn’t changed in the past 10 years he has been working for business publications, the business of media itself has changed.”

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