Welcome to PR Vibes, created by Calysto Communications to provide you with key insights into the publications and events in the telecommunications industry. Today, were featuring a short interview with Sean Buckley, senior editor of FierceMarkets Wireline Group about FierceTelecom.
To help you better understand FierceTelecoms focus this year and in the future, we asked Sean to share some of his insight on the publication and on the future of telecommunications in general. Enjoy!
What is the editorial mission of FierceTelecom?
I see FierceTelecom as the wireline industrys daily newscast. With FierceTelecom, a reader can get a concise yet informative view on the most important industry news items of the day. At the same time, I think its just as important to complement our daily news coverage with longer-form features and regular opinion columns that chronicles major wireline telecom industry trends.
Who is the key target audience? Do you have any breakdowns of readership? How has your audience evolved?
FierceTelecom is targeted mainly at C-Level executives, consultants and end-users at telcos. Executives make up 26% of our readership, technical/engineering folks make up 30% and marketing and sales personnel make up 29% of our readership. Thirty percent of our readers are service providers, 23% are equipment and infrastructure providers and 23% are consultants. Also, the coverage we have done on the ongoing negotiations between AT&T management and their wireline union workers has attracted a lot of attention.
How long have you been at the helm of the Wireline Group?
I have been with FierceTelecom since July 2009. Before that I served as the editor-in-chief of TelecomEngine and the former Telecommunications Americas print magazine. I returned to Telecommunications in 2006 after a one-year stint as an analyst covering the public sector IT space and wireless at Current Analysis.
What are you charged with accomplishing?
As the senior editor of FierceTelecom, I oversee the development of the daily FierceTelecom newsletter and editing our sister publications FierceVOIP and FierceOnlineVideo. I am also charged with a host of other activities including running special events such as our wireless backhaul breakfast at this falls SUPERCOMM, overseeing and developing new webinars, working with freelancers on special projects and growing our list of columnists.
What is your vision for FierceTelecom?
I want to make FierceTelecom the number one spot where telecom executives get their daily news on the events shaping the wireline industry.
More specifically, I envision four other overarching elements I would like to see FierceTelecom pursue. First, I would like to enhance our coverage of the cable industry, as well as expand our international markets, including Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. We will achieve this initially with the addition of columnists who have requisite experience in these specific regions.
Second, I will continue to incorporate more industry experts (consultants, industry groups and analysts) to our ever-growing list of columnists.
Third, I would like to start incorporating a series of case studies on how wireline services are being implemented in the real world. I talked to a New Jersey township that was able to save $100,000 a year on its telecom spending after it switched to a common Ethernet platform from Optimum Lightpath to carry its voice and data services.
Finally, I would like to help my publisher identify segments (healthcare, government and financial) where we could jointly launch events with our sister publications that target these market segments on how wireline operator activities.
What do you see as the most impacting technology/trend for the next 12 months?
Its difficult to point to one technology trend because I think there are many trends as I previously outlined. Although I have seen some reports that say well see a rebound in capex spending in 2010, I think wireline telcos especially are going to remain somewhat cautious. While there will likely be others that will pop up in 2010, these are some of the topics we are currently tracking on the wireline side of the house:
- Wholesale Wireless Backhaul
- Ethernet Network to Network Interconnection (E-NNI)
- Fiber to the X
- Cable targeting business markets
- SIP Trunking
- 100 Gbps networking
- Packet Optical Networking platforms
- U.S. Tier 2 ILEC consolidation
What value-added services do you offer? Is there anything about your product bundle that youd like to elaborate on, such as your e-newsletter strategy, Webinars, or blogs?
FierceTelecom is a daily online publication that covers the major industry events taking place in the wireline section of the telecommunications industry. One of the goals for 2010 will be to have a more steady stream of special reports and editorial features and even case studies that will chronicle emerging trends in the wireline side of the telecom industry. In January, for example, well have an end-user case study with radiology provider and Optimum Lightpath and a feature on the adoption of Fiber to the X by rural telcos.
We offer a host of ongoing editorial and custom webinars, special events and now eBooks on specific telecom topics. One example of a great new product is our eBook series. Thus far, FierceTelecom has published two in 2009one on wireless backhaul and another ATCA. In 2010, FierceTelecom will be publishing new eBooks on the Latin America Telecom Market, Packet Optical Networking Platforms and SIP Trunking, to name a few.
On the special events side, we will continue to target opportunities for wireline-related events. Last fall, FierceTelecom had a successful wireless backhaul panel at SUPERCOMM consisting of representatives from the ILEC wholesalers (Qwest and Verizon), competitive wholesalers (Level 3) and wireless backhaul specialists (FiberTower).
How does FierceTelecom try to distinguish itself from other industry publications?
Since we dont have to deal with the rigors of a legacy print magazine, I think FierceTelecom can respond quickly to the days news and give readers a taste with references to other stories if they want more information.
What do you feel the main value proposition is to your readers?
I think the value with the FierceTelecom newsletter is its immediacy and overall ease of use. What I mean by that is that a reader can get a concise look at the days major events in the industry thats complemented with color commentary and long form feature articles on bigger trends.
What is one thing about FierceTelecom that most people dont know?
I think what you would find here at FierceTelecomand FierceMarkets overallis that theres this infectious energy among the management team here. They not only strive to set a high bar in terms of the goals we have to meet, but also on attracting the best talent to achieve those goals. In attracting that talent, the company has taken a 21st century mentality by allowing their workforce the opportunity to work remotely.
What do you like most about your position?
Apart from not having to make a long daily commute (I work out of my house in Dracut, Massachusetts), I think its the thrill of the news chase and engaging with our audience. Whether the feedback is positive or negative, I am always intrigued by the responses we get from our diverse set of readers.
If you could interview anyone, who would it be and why?
In telecom I think it would be interesting to interview Vint Cerf and Larry Roberts, two of the early founders of todays Internet. The Internet not only allows via e-mail
, but its also becoming a hub for entertainment (Over the Top video) and social networking (Facebook).
Outside of telecom, I think it would be interesting to interview a cinematographer such as Owen Roizman, who was the director of photography for one of my favorite movies, The French Connection.
If you weren’t in telecom, what would you be doing?
I would likely be teaching American history or literature.
What was the latest book you read?
I am in the process of reading Ben Franklins autobiography.