TelevisionWeek

TelevisionWeek was an American business-to-business magazine serving television executives, broadcasters, syndication companies, station owners, advertisers, and other media professionals. The publication originated in May 1982 as the Electronic Media Edition of Advertising Age, another Crain Communications property. Later in 1982 it became an independent publication titled Electronic Media, a name chosen to leave room for the television and broadcasting business to evolve beyond a narrowly defined technology or distribution category. The magazine reported on the commercial and operational sides of television rather than functioning primarily as a consumer entertainment title. Its coverage included broadcasting, television stations, syndication, programming, advertising, ownership, and developments affecting the professional media market. Broadcast syndication was an especially important editorial and advertising area. As the television industry developed, the publication positioned itself as a broad resource for television executives, distinguishing itself from competitors perceived as concentrating more heavily on regulation, cable, or film-related subjects. In 2003, Electronic Media was retitled TelevisionWeek. The new name made the publication’s intended audience and subject matter more immediately recognizable and reflected its effort to serve as a general trade magazine for television leadership. During its active years, it competed with established industry publications, including Broadcasting & Cable. The magazine also developed a digital presence through TVWeek.com, which carried news, blogs, and commentary in addition to material associated with the print publication. Contributors and commentators included figures from the television community, such as Access Hollywood producer Rob Silverstein, Inside Edition personality Deborah Norville, and television critic Tom Shales. The business environment became more difficult in the 2000s. Consolidation among television syndicators and station owners reduced the number of independent participants in the market, weakening both the publication’s potential readership and its advertising base. These structural pressures contributed to Crain Communications’ decision to end the print edition in 2009. The company retained TVWeek.com in a reduced form and separated the NewsPro insert as a monthly magazine. TelevisionWeek therefore ceased to operate as a conventional print weekly, although elements of its editorial brand and related digital activity continued for a period afterward. The official website was no longer receiving content updates by January 2020 according to the cited reference material.

TelevisionWeek began within the Crain Communications publishing portfolio in May 1982, when Advertising Age produced an Electronic Media Edition aimed at the television and broadcasting business. The project was subsequently developed into a standalone publication later that year under the title Electronic Media. Its original name was intentionally broad: the publication was meant to follow developments in a changing electronic-media environment rather than be tied to a single technical platform or distribution system. As an industry publication, Electronic Media concentrated on the business of television. Its subject areas included broadcasting, station operations, television syndication, programming, advertising, ownership, and issues affecting media companies and executives. The syndication market received particularly substantial attention and was also an important source of advertising. The magazine operated in a specialized trade-publication field alongside competitors such as Broadcasting & Cable, but sought to occupy a broad editorial position. Its rationale was that some rival publications focused mainly on regulation, others concentrated on cable, and others addressed film more directly than television management. The publication was organized across Crain’s offices. Corporate and circulation functions were based at the company’s headquarters in Detroit, while the editorial department operated from Los Angeles, a major center of the American television industry. This arrangement linked Crain’s publishing infrastructure with proximity to the entertainment and broadcasting communities that supplied much of the magazine’s subject matter. In 2003, Electronic Media was retitled TelevisionWeek. The new identity made the magazine’s core market more explicit and presented it as a general publication for television executives. Beyond the weekly print product, the brand developed TVWeek.com, which hosted industry news, blogs, and commentary. Some online contributors came directly from television production and journalism, including Access Hollywood producer Rob Silverstein. The site also featured contributions from recognizable television commentators such as Deborah Norville and Tom Shales. The magazine encountered increasing commercial pressure during the 2000s. Consolidation in television syndication and station ownership reduced the number of independent companies participating in the market. That consolidation narrowed the publication’s potential readership and diminished the advertising base on which a specialized trade weekly depended. These changes occurred alongside broader shifts in television distribution and media consumption, making the traditional print model more difficult to sustain. In 2009, Crain Communications discontinued the print edition of TelevisionWeek. The company kept the website operating in a reduced form and separated the NewsPro insert into a monthly magazine. TelevisionWeek consequently ceased to exist as an active print weekly, although the digital site and related publication activity preserved parts of its editorial function for a time. The cited reference material reports that the official website had no content updates after January 2020. The brand is therefore best understood as a defunct American television trade-magazine title with a historical print run from 1982 through 2009 and a later, limited digital presence.

• 2009

  Print publication discontinued

  [1]TelevisionWeeken.wikipedia.org

  Crain Communications ended the print weekly, retained TVWeek.com in a reduced form, and spun out NewsPro as a monthly magazine.

• 2003

  Retitled TelevisionWeek

  [1]TelevisionWeeken.wikipedia.org

  Electronic Media adopted the TelevisionWeek name as part of its effort to serve television executives with broad coverage of the industry.

• 1982

  Launch as Electronic Media

  [1]TelevisionWeeken.wikipedia.org

  The title began as the Electronic Media Edition of Advertising Age in May and became a standalone Crain Communications publication later that year.

A professional television-industry trade publication focused on broadcasting, syndication, station ownership, programming, advertising, and executive-level media business developments.

• Trade magazine · 2003

  TelevisionWeek

  The principal weekly print publication, TelevisionWeek covered the professional television and media business. Its reporting addressed broadcasting, syndication, station ownership, programming, advertising, and executive-level industry developments. The title was aimed at television professionals rather than general entertainment consumers and competed with other specialized broadcasting and media trade publications. Print publication ended in 2009.

• Trade magazine · 1982

  Electronic Media

  Electronic Media was the publication’s original standalone title after the project separated from Advertising Age in 1982. It used a deliberately flexible name while reporting on the broader broadcasting and electronic-media business. The magazine was especially associated with coverage of television syndication and continued under this title until the 2003 rebranding as TelevisionWeek.

• Digital publication

  TVWeek.com

  TVWeek.com extended the brand into digital publishing with industry news, blogs, and commentary. Its contributors included members of the television community and established television journalists. After the print shutdown, Crain Communications retained the site in a reduced capacity. The cited reference material indicates that it had stopped receiving content updates by January 2020.

• Monthly magazine

  NewsPro

  NewsPro began as an insert associated with TelevisionWeek. Following the end of the print weekly in 2009, Crain Communications spun the insert out as a monthly magazine, preserving a related publication focused on television news professionals.

• 2009

  End the print weekly and reduce the digital operationStrategy

  Background

  Consolidation among television syndicators and station owners weakened the readership and advertising base supporting the publication.

  Action taken

  Crain Communications closed the print edition, kept TVWeek.com in a reduced capacity, and separated NewsPro as a monthly magazine.

  Aftermath

  TelevisionWeek ceased to operate as a print weekly, while limited digital and related magazine activity continued.

  Source

• 2003

  Rebrand as TelevisionWeekStrategy

  Background

  The original Electronic Media name was replaced as the publisher sought a more direct identity for a general magazine serving television executives.

  Action taken

  Crain Communications retitled the magazine TelevisionWeek.

  Aftermath

  The new name clarified the publication’s television focus while preserving its trade-magazine role.

  Source

• 1982

  Separate Electronic Media from Advertising AgeStrategy

  Background

  Crain initially presented the title as an edition of Advertising Age but developed it into an independent publication to cover the television and broadcasting business more broadly.

  Action taken

  The Electronic Media Edition became the standalone Electronic Media trade magazine later in 1982.

  Aftermath

  The independent title established the publication as a dedicated television-industry trade brand.

  Source

1. 1TelevisionWeeken.wikipedia.org