BtoB Media Business - March 2010 - (Page 3)

Upfront MARCH 2010 Upfront Signs point to a rebound in M&A activity . . . . . . . . Page 5 Cover Story Data products increasingly driving revenue . . . . . . Page 6 Penton’s restructuring draws mixed reviews BY SEAN CALLAHAN Feature Audience developers adapt to digital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10 Endnote Social media experimentation a must . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Departments Sales & Marketing . . . Page 18 M&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 20 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 21 Benchmarks . . . . . . . . Page 22 Endnote. . . . . . . . . . . . Page 26 Cover illustration by Dave Ember/Laughing-Stock.com EDITORIAL OFFICES (312) 649-5401 FAX (312) 649-5462 ADVERTISING SALES (212) 210-0782 SUBSCRIPTION HOTLINE (888) 288-5900 VP-Publisher Robert Felsenthal (212) 210-0262 Editor Associate Publisher Ellis Booker David Bernstein Managing Editor Senior Account Executive John Obrecht Eric Gordon Design Director Account Executives Martin Musker Lynne Bosnack Peter Loibl Senior Editor Tequia Burt Marketing and Events Director Media Editor Amy Holtzman Sean Callahan Web Site Director Senior Reporters Jeff Buddle Kate Maddox Christopher Hosford Internet Marketing Manager Megan A. Lee Copy Editor Richard K. Skews Marketing Intern Gabriel Acosta Research Associate Tanya Meyer Production Manager Nicole Dionne Intern Nathan Gannon Group Circulation Director John LaMarca Contributors Marie Griffin, Mark J. Miller, Senior Audience Charlotte Woolard, Development Manager Matthew Schwartz Nicole Chantharaj THE AD AGE GROUP VP-Publishing and Editorial Director David S. Klein CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. Chairman, Keith E. Crain President, Rance Crain Secretary, Merrilee Crain Treasurer, Mary Kay Crain Executive VP-Operations, William A. Morrow Senior VP-Group Publisher, Gloria Scoby Group VP-Technology, Circulation, Manufacturing, Robert C. Adams VP-Production & Manufacturing, David Kamis Chief Information Officer, Paul Dalpiaz Corporate Circulation/ Audience Development Director, Kathy Henry Founder, G.D. Crain Jr. (1885-1973), Chairman Emeritus, Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. (1911-1996) Media Business® is a registered trademark of Crain Communications Inc. The reaction of Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services to Penton Media’s prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last week was to downgrade Penton Media Business Holding’s corporate credit rating to D. Other industry observers had a more positive impression of Penton and its future. “It’s really not surprising,” said Mike Parker, managing director at AdMedia Partners. “I don’t think that this is the last we’ve heard of these situations,” Parker said. Advanstar, Cygnus Business Media and Questex Media have either financially restructured or filed for bankruptcy protection in the past year. Ed Fitzelle, managing director at Whitestone Communications, noted that Penton has also made moves to restructure its business. “The cost side should be much lower,” he said. However, he added, Internet revenue is not yet replacing print revenue in b-to-b media. Roland DeSilva, managing partner at DeSilva & Phillips, said the filing documents reveal Penton to be a company making the right moves as it positions itself more as a digital, business information and marketing services company. He said he expects digital revenue to begin increasing over the next several years. “They will be making more from digital media and, eventually, this will be more profitable revenue,” he said. DeSilva added: “The chances of success are very good simply because of what they’ve put into place in the company. The transition of the company into an information company is progressing; the pieces to that puzzle are in place. The restructuring will give them the ability to implement that.” The restructuring includes a $270 million reduction in debt; a capital infusion from the equity partners, led by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein Partners, which will be between $38.9 million and $51.2 million; and an extension of the senior security facility through 2014. The company said it has between 10,001 and 25,000 creditors. Its biggest nonsecured creditor is printer WorldColor USA Corp., at $1.6 million. Another printer, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., is Penton’s second-largest nonsecured creditor, at $1.4 million. When asked if there is less stigma associated with a b-to-b media company undergoing a restructuring now because so many other companies are in the same boat, Warren Bimblick, Penton’s senior VP-strategy and business development, responded, “There is less ‘stigma’ associated with a restructuring where the restructured company gets the best of three worlds: less debt; an equity infusion from its owners, who are committed to the company’s growth plans; and an extension of maturity.” Bimblick also expressed confidence in Penton’s brands. “We believe most of our businesses have the ability to be leaders,” he said. The restructuring documents show that the company’s revenue declined 26.2% in 2009, falling to $300.81 million from $407.53 million in 2008, when revenue fell 7.5% from 2007’s total of $440.72 million. Penton expects revenue to tumble again this year, falling 3.8% to $289.45 million. The company anticipates returning to revenue growth in 2011. Bimblick said the growth will come in part from restructuring the company, not just its debt. “At Penton, we believe that audience, content, sales and support services need to work more closely than ever to make this all work. And it is a lot of work, particularly when you are in 16 markets,” he said. The 16 markets may be a difficult hurdle, some observers say. One school of thought holds that the best-positioned b-to-b media companies are focused on, at most, a handful of markets where they can provide deep knowledge of a vertical industry and marketing services to companies serving that industry. It remains to be seen if Penton’s restructuring has put the company on the right track or merely put off a reckoning until 2014, when, court documents show, the company will still have about $600 million in first-lien debt. mediabusinessonline.com | March 2010 | Media Business | 3 http://www.mediabusinessonline.com http://Laughing-Stock.com http://www.mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - March 2010

BtoB Media Business - March 2010
Contents
Signs Point to a Rebound in M&A Activity
Data Products Increasingly Driving Revenue
Audience Developers Adapt to Digital
Sales & Marketing
M&A
Events
People
Benchmarks
Social Media Experimentation a Must
Endnote

BtoB Media Business - March 2010