• by January 24, 2005

CQ Weekly is taking to the streets of the nation's capital to trumpet a new design and content focus that debuts with today's issue of the magazine. The 60-year-old publication, known for its comprehensive coverage of Congress and legislative developments, will tout its makeover today via street teams distributing the magazine at Washington, D.C. Metro stations.

CQ Weekly's makeover involves expanding beyond its traditional focus of following legislation in Congress, to examining the impact of that legislation on lobbyists, the courts, the presidency, and government agencies. By expanding its mission, the magazine hopes to attract more advertisers, particularly advocacy organizations. CQ Weekly began taking ads in 1990, but relies mainly on paid circulation. Now, it's looking to aggressively step up advertising revenues.

"The redesign is a significant alteration of the fundamental mission of the magazine," said Bob Merry, CQ Weekly's president and publisher. Founded in 1945, the publication set out to help people know more about what members of Congress were doing. It quickly became the publication of record on Congress and enabled subscribers--including government agencies, members of Congress, the media, and lobby groups--to track the status of legislation.

Merry said CQ.com, the company's legislative tracking service of some 25 databases, gradually came to supersede the original mission of CQ Weekly. "We cannibalized ourselves," he said, adding that CQ.com has "tripled in revenue in the last six years or so," although he declined to specify a number. The success of CQ.com necessitated a re-invigoration of the magazine that has been in progress for 18 months, according to Merry.

CQ Weekly has a paid circulation of 10,083, according to BPA statements. Its chief competitor, National Journal, has a paid circulation of 9,445, and has nearly 20 percent more qualified copies delivered to Congress than NJ.

Of the redesign, Merry said: "A publication of record, by necessity, tends to look back [to cover] what happened last week. We're going to continue to cover Congress, but the new coverage will go beyond Congress and will be very forward-looking, focusing on what's likely to happen." Merry said CQ content will focus on how the federal government affects business and commerce.

The magazine will feature a different columnist each week, including Craig Crawford writing from the White House. Other columns will feature forward-looking analysis on the Supreme Court, technology and the government, the media, and the interaction between federal, state, and local government. "We didn't used to have columns in the past," Merry said, adding: "Ours will be aimed at providing information on developments, looking ahead, and seeing what's happening before others know about it."

Merry hopes to add some advocacy advertisers to a stable of national advertisers that include ADM (Archer Daniels Midland Corp.), Shell Oil, Freddie Mac, Microsoft Corp., and Northrup Grumman. CQ will market the redesign via direct mail, online ads including listings on Google, e-mail advertising, and in print, and with distribution at selected events.

Apart from street hawkers, promotion for the redesign includes a colorful banner draped on its building at 22nd and M Streets emblazoned with a copy of the magazine's Jan. 24 cover. In addition, there will be a car that will drive around Washington sporting the magazine's new look, ads in metro stations designed by Bates Neimand, Washington, D.C., and 30-second radio spots airing during morning drivetime. Metro and radio ads run through February 14.