It’s always sad to see publications close, even when you know that the publisher has already made the decision to stop publishing. I started this morning optimistically, enjoying David Manners’ view that there has been “one heck of a turnaround” in our industry. Then I was brought down to earth by the following email:
Dear M Maynard,
Our parent company, Reed Elsevier, announced in July of 2009 its intentions to substantially exit its Reed Business Information U.S. publishing business, while retaining other businesses. Over the past several months, multiple publishing brands have been divested. On April 16, 2010, we announced the closure of the remaining publishing brands and their associated products and services. Consequently, the April 2010 issue was the final issue of Semiconductor International Magazine and our web sites will cease operating as of April 30, 2010.
We are proud of the role we have played in informing our industry over the years and it has been our pleasure to serve you.
Regards,
The Staff of Semiconductor International Magazine
I know that publishing faces a very challenging future, even if the recovery proves to be strong and sustained, but even so I wonder whether some publishers might be wondering if they were a little too hasty in making decisions to close publications. At Napier, we’ve seen our clients deliver very impressive results as we pull out of the recession, and I hope that a recovery in marketing spend across our industry will help ensure the security and stability of the electronics media around the world.
