Top business journalism events of 2010

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Here are Talking Biz News’ top business journalism events for the year 2010:

10. Ad revenue returns to business magazines. After suffering two years of declines in advertising revenue and advertising pages, the third quarter of 2010 saw the 14 business magazines report a 7.9 percent increase in advertising revenue and a 5.4 percent rise in advertising pages. That compares to a 5.3 percent increase in ad revenue and a 3.6 percent increase in ad pages for the overall magazine industry. And Bloomberg Businessweek says it returned to positive growth in the fourth quarter.

9. Lou Dobbs returns to business journalism. The longtime business anchor at CNN had gotten away from a traditional business news show before he left the cable network  in 2009. In 2010, he signed a deal to return to the air with Fox Business Network. Dobbs is a polarizing figure who will draw attention to Fox Business as it attempts to unseat CNBC as the No. 1 business news channel.

8. Business media apps proliferate. There were dozens of applications for smart phones, iPads and other technology launched by business news organizations in 2010, resulting in additional revenue and additional readers. Our favorite: The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal on iPad.

7. “Nightly Business Report” is sold. The longtime public broadcasting business news show was sold in 2010 after being owned for more than 30 years by a Miami PBS station. There’s been some changes at the program, including a small reduction in staff, and some changes in content.

6. Bloomberg Businessweek’s redesign. The overhaul, launched in April, showed that its new owners were serious about keeping the weekly around after many predicted its demise. It’s now got much more of an edge and an attitude.

5. Shakeout among business journals. While business journals such as the Ocala Business Journal and the Blue Ridge Business Journal stopped publication, and business weeklies owned by Brown Publishing were sold across the country after it filed for bankruptcy court protection, American City Business Journals — the dominant player in the weekly market — got stronger by redesigning its sites and launching smart phone apps for all of its 40 papers. ACBJ also announced that it was returning a 5 percent pay cut it mandated in 2009 to its employees in early 2011.

4. Bloomberg decides to take over the world. No business journalism organization has been more aggressive in the past 12 months in expanding its reach. The New York-based Bloomberg News launched a number of newsletters and unveiled BGov, a new editorial service that will cover the intersection of business and government. It also announced it would be starting an editorial page in 2011.

3. Forbes’ top-to-bottom overhaul. The business magazine brought in chief product officer Lewis Dvorkin to lead a radical revamp of its entire operations. But, its changes have not come without criticism, as some have questioned its decision to allow companies to provide blog content on its site.

2. Bloomberg and Fox Business sue the federal government. Both news organizations want the federal government to release documents that show what was done to help Wall Street firms and other businesses during the economic crisis. After a protracted battle, it appears that business media has won. Their actions show that business media is looking out for the best interests of its consumers.

1. Hiring returns to business journalism. Talking Biz News estimated that roughly 400 business journalists lost jobs in 2009 as many media organizations cut back on their business news desks. However, in 2010, Talking Biz News estimates that 250 jobs were added in the field of business journalism, primarily at the wire services — Associated Press, Bloomberg (with at least 100 going to work for BGov), Dow Jones Newswires and Reuters all added to their business news staffs in the past 12 months. The Wall Street Journal also added to its staff, and other media, such as the Financial Times with its new FT Tilt product, also hired.