Bob Sacks
Publishing Executive
Contact Bob
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Bob:
Where Will You And Your Magazine Business Be in Five Years?
For the record, I stay up to date on many blogs, threads, and various news chains. One of these news sources asked a typical but still important question a few days ago. Where will ebooks be in five years? That, of course, started me pondering several things about the magazine business. Where were we five … → Read More
Whether Print Magazines Are Dead Or Alive Depends on Your Business Model
Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “There are no facts, only interpretations.” That comes mighty close to our understanding of the magazine industry today, at least when it comes to the various reports we constantly read on the subject. How many headlines have you seen that report that “Print is dead” or “Print is alive” or “Print … → Read More
What Does a 16% Decline in Magazine Ads Mean for the Industry?
Let’s be honest, although many attempt to do so, there is no way to find a positive spin to the data in this industry-wide report showing magazine ads down another 16%. As an industry, we have seen negative numbers every year for a decade. Were you expecting a change? Newsstand sales of magazines have plummeted … → Read More
Grappling With Ad Fraud And Its Nuances
Charles Dickens once penned the now famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I am going to counter that with a quote from Art Buchwald, “Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got.” I bring this up while trying … → Read More
At IMAG, Media Revolutionaries Are Breaking the Rules to Find New Revenue
IMAG is filled with media revolutionaries of the highest order. At the 2017 event they shared how they are tapping new revenue streams by embracing change. → Read More
IMAG Report: A Quick Reality Check on Video Revenue
Will digital video be the saving grace of the publishing industry? Bo Sacks agrees video revenue is a thing, but it's not THE thing that will save media. → Read More
Brands Like Goop & Dr. Oz Drag Media’s Reputation Through the Mud
Many publishers throughout the history of the profession have shown that profit can supersede a moral barometer. That, of course, doesn’t condemn everybody. But there are too many examples of profit above truth to deny that the accusations sometimes carry merit. Women’s magazines in particular have for a hundred years or more, fed on the needs … → Read More
F+W Media Taps Power of Alternative Distribution
This week F+W Media announced a unique distribution partnership with URP Music Distributors. The vinyl record distributors will place F+W’s magazine Goldmine, a music title geared toward record collectors, in over 600 independent record stores. The initial distribution of the title will launch on April 22nd, also known as Record Store Day. The Goldmine distribution … → Read More
5 Takeaways From the Digital Innovators' Summit
I have the privilege of attending about 16 publishing media conferences each year. The shows I go to run the gamut of media publishing enterprises. I attend meetings with editors (ASME), circulators (MBR), and production folk (PRIMEX). I meet with various groups of media professionals such as regional publishers (CRMA, IRMA), large publishers (MPA, IMAG), … → Read More
A Retrospective of Publishing Fraud Old and New
A certain level of ad fraud is not new to the publishing industry, but the boundlessness of online content has taken today's ad fraud to new heights. → Read More
The Next Killer App Isn’t What You Think
Many of you have relied on my prescience about the future of media for decades. Today I want to discuss a couple technologies that will and will not be “Game Changing.” Don’t Buy Into the Mobile Video Hype First up is mobile video. Mobile video is a thing but not THE big thing. Although it … → Read More
Publishers Buying Marketing Agencies Is Just One Sign of the Times
Editor’s Note: Yesterday, AdAge ran a piece titled, “Publishers Snapped Up Marketing Agencies at Unprecedented Rate in 2016.” PubExec blogger BoSacks shares his take on why this trend should come as no surprise. Some time ago Bob Garfield, one of my favorite provocative columnists and also the co-host of On the Media, said, “We are … → Read More
BoSacks Speaks Out: Time Inc. Instates “Facist” Policy to Curb Expense Account Abuses
For a professional who has worked at many a large publishing house, and as a person who has had many a large expense account, I suggest that the Time Inc. approach described in this article is absurd, stupid, and a real morale buster on every level. The New York Post reported recently that Time Inc. placed … → Read More
BoSacks Speaks Out: A Salute to the Evolving Publishing Industry
At this time of year I’m asked many times by many magazines and web sites for my prediction of the future. The request is not only for long term punditry but near term predictions, as in what will be happening next year. My usual glib answer is something like, “Next year will be like this … → Read More
Publishers, How Is Your Morale These Days?
To thrive in today's changing media industry, publishing professionals need to continually reinvent themselves and their careers. → Read More
Finally, Hearst, Condé, Time Inc., Offer Irrefutable Proof That Print Magazines Will Never Die!
Readers, what you just experienced is intentional clickbait combined with Fake News. I thought it might be time to have a conversation about the access to free-range untruths. Sad to say false advertising and fake news is nothing new. It is indeed as old as the hills, and the only perceivable change is the absolute clarity … → Read More
Does Media Matter? Does Advertising Still Work?
I did not want Donald Trump to be President. Actually I still don’t, but hopefully I and the other half of the country will get over it and back to some form of normality. But that is another story and not why I’m writing this column. My politics are mine, and yours are, well, yours. … → Read More
Entrepreneurial Local Mags Share Best Revenue-Driving Ideas at CRMA
Yesterday I wrote about the developing style of corporate risk taking place at Hearst, let’s call it tower entrepreneurism, envisioned and shared by Dave Carey. Today I want to suggest another great and often missed sector/movement in successful publishing. That is the city and regional titles. It is my pleasure to speak every few years … → Read More
BoSacks Speaks Out: On David Carey's 'Rule-Breaking' Keynote at The Folio: C Summit
I was at the Folio: show this week in New York City. I spoke at the conference and was spoken to by many a strong, free-thinking, radical member of a still evolving, re-energized publishing community. It was, as usual, a thought provoking event, and I was delighted to attend. Before I continue I want to … → Read More
Handling Consumer Data Should Reflect Common Decency. The FCC Thinks So, Too.
On Thursday, the FCC approved new rules that regulate how broadband providers handle and disclose the use of customer data collected through use of digital platforms, mobile devices, and the like. As the Washington Post reported, the FCC will “require Internet providers, such as Comcast and Verizon, to obtain their customers’ explicit consent before using … → Read More