Welcome to PR Vibes™, created by Calysto Communications to provide you with key insights into the publications and events in the telecommunications industry. Today, we’re featuring a short interview with Brad Dick, editorial director of Broadcast Engineering, which is aimed at the market that includes corporate management, engineers/technicians and other management personnel at commercial and public TV stations, post-production and recording studios, broadcast networks, cable, telephone and satellite production centers and networks.
To help you better understand Broadcast Engineering’s focus this year and in the future, we asked Brad to share some of his insights on the publication and on the future of broadcasting in general. Enjoy!
*To schedule a meeting with us at IBC, email Jamey Moran at jmoran@calysto.com
What is the editorial mission of the publication, and how has it evolved?
Broadcast Engineering has a long history of supplying important training for managers, engineers and operations personnel at television stations. Started in 1959, the magazine originally provided first-person, hands-on tutorial primarily for radio and television broadcast engineers.
As technology became more sophisticated and workflow focused, we expanded our tutorial to include the needs of management and operations personnel. Today’s broadcasters, production houses and cable systems need help in understanding not only what technology is available, but how they can best apply it in their facilities. Our cadre of consultants, engineers and managers provide that first-person expertise to them.
Who is the key target audience?
Broadcast, production, cable/satellite and content-producing engineers, managers, operations and news personnel. Broadcast Engineering reaches more than 190,000 industry professionals through our print, online, and event products. Broadcast Engineering and Broadcast Engineering World in print are distributed monthly and reach over 45,000 readers in more than 90 countries around the world. We also feature the NAB Special Report, the IBC Product Source, and an annual Buyer’s Guide, all in print.
How long have you been at the helm of Broadcast Engineering?
I’ve been at Broadcast Engineering for 26 years. Prior to coming to Broadcast Engineering, I worked as a broadcast engineer, director of engineering and consultant for both radio and TV stations. After almost 20 years in the broadcast industry, it was relatively easy to make the transition to editing technical articles for the magazine. I then spent five years as a technical editor before being promoted to editor.
What are you charged with accomplishing?
Task one is to ensure that we deliver the content that our readers seek. This requires a close relationship with both readers and clients. From my own background as a broadcast engineer, I’ve been in the shoes of our readers. I understand their problems, how they communicate and their needs. I work with our staff of experts and editors to be sure we speak our readers’ language and focus our content on providing answers and solutions, not spin.
What is your vision for the future of Broadcast Engineering?
Broadcast Engineering will always be a print-first publication. Sure, we’ll have digital versions, webcasts, newsletters, a mobile presence and other new media products. In fact, Broadcast Engineering magazine was among the first and most successful of Penton’s (formerly PRIMEDIA) foray into digital products. We produced more newsletters than any other company magazine.
But our readers see us as primarily as a technical reference. We’re not just news in print. A two-year old issue of Broadcast Engineering still contains useful and practical long-tail value content. Surveys show that our readers retain several years of back issues because the articles retain value as teaching instruments.
What changes have you put into place (or plan to put in place) to make Broadcast Engineering effective?
Perhaps the phrase, “Any content, any place and any time” might fit what we’re trying to provide. The print content will always appear in digital products. But those digital products will expand the opportunity to provide readers with expanded, timely and highly interactive solutions.
What is the most popular section of your product family and why?
The tutorial articles are among the highest valued because these articles provide timely solutions to problems. When we save a reader time, we’ve saved them money.
How does Broadcast Engineering try to distinguish itself from other industry publications?
We don’t permit product or company mentions in tutorial articles. We teach technology by providing clean editorial. Readers know there will be no PR or corporate spin on the training we provide.
What other special features do you offer, ie Webinars/events/podcasts?
We do them all. We also provide white papers, eGuides, ezines, interactive video training products, directories, live and virtual trade shows. This year, we held the Broadcast Engineering two-day Bootcamp in New York City where we educated more than 100 attendees in the area of Digital Workflow and IT. Coming up in September is our “Building Media Networks with IT Solutions” virtual conference and exhibition.
What do you see as the most impacting technology/trend for the next 12 months?
Look for 3-D and mobile TV to be very hot at the 2011 Consumer Electronic Show. As consumers eagerly adopt new technologies, our readers will need to provide those services and content.
What is one thing about Broadcast Engineering that most people don’t know?
Our magazine has appeared in several movies, the latest of which was “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” The next movie to show our magazine covers will be released this fall.
What was the latest book you read, and why?
If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans, by Ann Coulter. Ann has an extremely quick mind, and she writes with a style that’s highly entertaining, delivering her perspective with razor sharp wit. One may not agree with her opinions, but few writers can deliver viewpoints with as much zing as does Coulter.