A knowledgeable source told me today that the Blue Ridge Business Journal, whose revenues have been falling steadily for some time--if the number of ads and their size has anything to do with revenue--will become a monthly publication again. The Journal was a monthly for nine years until it was purchased by The Roanoke Times about 12 years ago.(Update: The Blue Ridge Business Journal's editor, Elizabeth Parsons, says she's unaware of any plan to change the publication day and "I think I would have heard about it before an ad rep," the alleged source of the information.)
When The Times asked us if we thought our staff could handle publishing twice monthly (I was editor at the time), I said, "Yes, want to start with the next issue?" The Times guy laughed and said, "We were thinking six months. Can you do that?" I said, "Yes, we can also do next issue." We converted the next issue and it has run that way since.
The Journal is apparently scheduled to move into the Roanoke Times building when its lease in what we called Business Journal Towers on the corner of 2nd St. and Campbell Avenue is up in August, making its absorption by The Roanoke Times complete.
(I will also note that the BRBJ--after months of a Web site that was laughable at best--has updated its site ... by copying ours. Note the page turning device. Direct rip-off. They know where the good stuff is. Gotta give 'em that.)
You are aware that the Roanoke Star Sentinel was doing the "page turning" bit while you were still working at the BRBJ, right?
ReplyDeleteTheir page-turning sound isn't nearly as satisfying, though.
ReplyDeletepx2217: Nope, wasn't aware of that. I have a hard time reading the SS with or without the little noise-maker. Noble effort, amateur delivery.
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