• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, January 5, 2007

This week saw a flurry of sales and acquisitions, including a number of trade titles. Although the deals were relatively small compared to the recent sale of the Reader's Digest Association for $1.8 billion, they say much about the state of the industry. The big picture: magazines associated with events, expos, trade shows and conferences are hot.

1105 Media, publisher of Redmond magazine, announced its purchase of Fawcette Technical Publications, Inc. which publishes Visual Studio and also produces international conferences, like VS Live!, Web Design World, and Web Builder 2.0. In making the announcement, 1105's CEO, Neal Vitale, drew special attention to the conference business: "Besides adding a strong print and online resource in Visual Studio magazine, this transaction significantly expands our conference and event activities in this marketplace."

In addition, Hanley Wood--publisher of B2B titles and producer of trade shows for the construction-contracting industry--announced its acquisition of Pro AV magazine from Ascend media. Peter Goldstone, president of Hanley Wood Business Media, remarked: "Pro AV expands our portfolio of subcontractor information products." Although the magazine doesn't produce a branded trade show of its own, it fits in well with a number of expos operated by Hanley Wood covering home design.

Indeed, many of the companies acquired in recent deals are not just publishers, but conference and trade show owners, too. In late November, Prism Business Media was purchased by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co. The Prism deal also includes Penton Media, which Prism is in the process of acquiring. Prism's holdings include 71 magazines, 170 e-newsletters and 17 industry trade shows. Penton produces market-focused magazines, trade shows, conferences and online media.

These deals come on the heels of research showing that trade shows and expos are the most effective category of B2B media, beating out magazines and online operations. Seventy-seven percent of respondents to a study by Harris Interactive said trade shows drove them to find more information about products or services on the Internet. Direct personal contact also appears to be the most effective means of reaching executives. According to Harris, 70% of respondents said interactions with company reps at industry functions caused them to make or recommend a purchase to their company.

There's also some action in the trade publication and special-interest markets.

On Wednesday, IMG announced that it is acquiring Tennis Week and its Web site, tennisweek.com. The purchase has stirred some controversy, as another branch of IMG represents many of the players covered in the magazine, but it makes sense from a business perspective. Although they are mass market events, not B2B expos or trade shows, there is still a synergy between IMG's event ownership and management business and the in-depth coverage provided by the magazine.

Finally, Time Inc. announced that it sold Progressive Farmer--a 120-year-old publication--to DTN Corp. The magazine is one of a raft of special interest mags the company put up for sale in September 2006. But this isn't quite the good news it might seem to be. The sale of the title--the first of 18 after almost four months--underscores the lukewarm demand that greeted Time Inc.'s announcement. Also for sale are much more recognizable titles including Popular Science, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and Parenting. So far, none has attracted a buyer, although private-equity investors have expressed interest.

Wendy's and National Geographic Kids Team Up

National Geographic Kids is partnering with Wendy's to promote the magazine's content, including features on undersea adventures, bats, safaris and ancient Egypt through miniature magazines and toys. As part of this program, Wendy's Kids Meals will come with one of five unique toys and mini-magazines, as well as an offer for a subscription, during late January and February. Wendy's will also get one ad page in the February 2007 issue.

Washington Post Gets Life

In a pairing of a leading newspaper and renowned revived magazine, the Washington Post will begin distributing Time Inc.'s Life magazine on Jan. 11th. While it clearly enjoys a strong brand identity, Life has struggled financially since its reintroduction as a newspaper supplement in October 2004. The deal with the Post gives it a leg up, raising circulation from about 12 to 13 million.

XM Gets More

More magazine is launching an hour-long weekly radio talk show, "More Time," on XM, set to premiere Jan. 16 on its "Take Five" channel. The radio show will explore the issues covered by the magazine, including health, fashion, beauty, travel and entertainment topics of interest to women 40+. The show will be hosted by Katherine Lanpher, author of "Leap Days: Chronicle of a Midlife Move" and previously the co-host of Air America's "Al Franken Show."

Radio One Gets Giant

Giant, a bimonthly men's magazine focused on popular culture and consumer goods, has been purchased by Radio One for $275,000. Radio One said it bought the magazine to expand its presence in print and also plans to expand the magazine's online operation. Smokey Fontaine will remain as Giant's CEO and editor in chief.

Ann Shoket Named EIC of Seventeen

Hearst Magazines has named Ann Shoket, previously the executive editor of CosmoGirl, editor-in-chief of Seventeen magazine. Seventeen's previous high-profile EIC, Atoosa Rubenstein, left the magazine late last year to start her own consulting business.