Categories: OLD Media Moves

PR exec: Big difference between BW and Bloomberg BW

Public relations executive Norman Birnbach says he saw a notable difference between the old BusinessWeek and the first issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek — but he’s not saying if that’s good or bad.

Birnbach writes, “I read through the first Bloomberg BusinessWeek issue — the one after most of the columnists and longtime reporters had either left on their own or had been pushed.

“I’m sure I’ll get used to the new bylines, but if the magazine were a real estate property, Bloomberg basically bought the magazine for the prestigious address. The new magazine has similar columns to the McGraw Hill BusinessWeek, but this new version is clearly different.

“I’m sure most former BizWeek reporters will do ok. Steve Hamm has already started working at IBM. But there are a lot of reporters who still haven’t figured out what they’ll be doing. I wish them all the best of luck, and look forward to reading the articles in some other format and some other outlet.”

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Norman Birnbach says:
December 17, 2009 at 11:57 am
The other aspect of the deal was that Bloomberg said the acquisition was to extend the brand and reach an audience beyond subscribers to the wildly successful Bloomberg terminal. This makes the firing of popular and well-known columnists like Maria Bartiromo, Jack & Suzy Welch and Stephen Wildstrom all the more perplexing. The personnel changes will help the bottom line, but won't necessarily help accomplish Bloomberg's stated goal.