best,
Chris Ott
Referral Key

To address a few points above:
1) We haven’t intentionally decreased the amount of content provided in print – - Edit pages are based on Ad Pages – the Ad:Edit ratio – - about 65% ads; 35% edit. If we’re not supported by Ad Pages, we don’t have Edit pages (content). Period.
2) I agree with Mitchell above and have been suggesting this model for the past couple of years – that in order for print to make a stab at succeeding, I think we need to start working with Paid Circulation instead of the old Controlled model. We may lose some subscribers, but the ones who remain will be the ones who truly wish to engage in the magazine.
3) Engagement and Readership – I represent three technical engineering publications/audiences – and have the opportunity to meet our readers in person. These readers exclaim about how much they value and rely on our publications to help them in their jobs. The engineers who are left (after downsizing and acquisitions during the past number of years) doing the work are multidisciplinary – and cannot begin to know everything there is to know about engineering. Now more than ever, they depend on educational content – in print and online – not fluff. That is Penton’s core competency – outstanding, technical and knowledgeable editors who know how to write for and deliver USEFUL information to technical audiences.
4) “rightsizing” – has to happen. When I started in the engineering space 25 years ago, there were around 700,000 engineers in the U.S. – - now, due to downsizing, there are aroudn 350,000 or so. Every day, even I as a salesperson, receive emails asking for engineers to be removed from the circulation because they are no longer there. It’s a fact of life – fewer engineers out there – and our circulation is going to be rightsized to reflect that.
5) “People don’t want to read print” – mullarkey. First, I ask all of you out there to consider the magazines you personally enjoy reading at home. Mitchell, above, mentioned the New Yorker. Readers/subscribers have RELATIONSHIPS with their magazines- and many of us still like the touch and feel of relaxing at home, holding and reading a magazine. Further, studies have been done about the brain synapses: reading in print is more “digestable” than reading online – especially when you’re talking TECHNICAL content. I agree that if you’re just looking for brief news tidbits or product updates, those are readable online. But try reading a 10 page article with charts, graphs, algorithms, math, ONLINE – it’s pretty tough.

Unfortunately, many media buy decisions are being made by (sweeping generalization here) 25 year olds who spend half their life on Facebook, having A.D.D. as they skulk around the internet or use the latest “app” on their I-Phone….they themselves don’t read print at all (kind of scary – these are the people who will be taking care of me in the nursing home). And these 25 year olds have to justify their ad spend to CEO’s who are just bean-counters and really don’t understand or believe in marketing at all. They don’t stop to consider how THEIR customers (our readers/subscribers) are doing their jobs. At the end of the day, it is all about delivering useful and educational content to audiences – whether it’s in print, online or through customized content venues – webinars, eBooks – - and publishing companies have what marketers need – - content develpoment through highly skilled and capable editors and content distribution to real audiences who desire and devour our content.