Hello and Goodbye

Well, all this talk about how print is hurting suddenly became more personal yesterday when the plug finally got pulled on Portable Design. That ends a 12-year run for the magazine, including four with me at the helm. I'm now, as they say, "looking to pursue other opportunities."

If a rising tide lifts all boats, an ebb tide can leave them high and dry--especially small boats like PD. With even big publishers like "The Company Formerly Known As CMP" downsizing their print books (read: laying off my friends), there's a limit to how long smaller outfits like the RTC Group can hang in there in a down market. Between a huge increase in competition in our space over the years; a strong move from print to online, with a corresponding sharp drop in ad revenues; and the current recession, it was time to pack it in. I give RTC a lot of credit for hanging in there with me and PD, but this was the right thing to do.

I don't have any plans at the moment, though starting online magazines or e-newsletters for clients is an interesting idea, as is doing some more in-depth research than is possible under deadline pressure. If you have any bright ideas, feel free to let me know. You can reach me at jpdonovan@ieee.org. I'll keep the blog going, so posts here are also welcome.

Best regards,
John

UPDATE (5/4): I didn't at all mean to imply above that the RTC Group will have trouble "hanging in there"--I was referring to there being a limit to how long they could "hang in there" losing money on PD. To reiterate: I agree with John R's decision to pull the plug on PD, sad as that was. The RTC Group as a company is doing quite well despite the downturn, not the least for making intelligent, if difficult management decisions. -- JD