Si Newhouse and the ACBJ business weeklies

Whit Shaw and Kirk Shaw of American City Business Journals sent out the following about Si Newhouse Jr., who died on Sunday at the age of 89:

We’re sure that most of you have heard that S.I. Newhouse Jr. died yesterday at his home in New York City after a lengthy illness.

While virtually all of the obituaries and columns mentioned Si’s work with Condé Nast magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair as well as his commitment to The New Yorker, Si was also a valued friend of American City Business Journals and a trusted colleague of our father, Ray.

When ACBJ became part of Advance Publications, Si took the time to visit a number of business journals with Ray because he felt it was important to learn our business. There is no greater sign of the respect he had for what we do.

Si’s strong commitment was evident a number of times over the years when he and the Advance board invested additional resources that enabled us to make critical acquisitions or fund start-ups such as Sports Business Journal. That commitment continues today through Michael and others in the Newhouse family.

On a personal level, it was educational to watch Si and Ray discuss business and ACBJ. Although they came from very different backgrounds and thus brought different perspectives to the table, they shared great respect for each other.

Please know that we have conveyed your condolences to the Newhouse family. All of us have lost a respected colleague.