This New Year …

By Mark Smelzer -- JCK Online, 2/1/2006 2:00:00 AM

I’m writing this letter while on holiday break (publishing timelines being what they are), so the year ahead is looming large. 2006 will be a year of challenge, opportunity, and, hopefully, success.

This year will see the launch of our newest publication, JCK Style, a twice-annual look at the intersection of the jewelry and fashion businesses. Initial advertising response to the book has been strong, and our first mockups from designer JC Suares look fantastic! This year will also see the launch of a new, improved JCKmagazine.com. We plan to use the inherent strengths of each medium (immediacy and search ability for online; gloss and readability for print) to give the U.S. jewelry retail community the information it needs on a daily and monthly basis.

There will also be internal changes here at Reed Business Information (RBI, publishers of The JCK Group’s products) that promise to bring exciting improvements to JCK. JCK is being moved from the RBI retail group and partnered with Interior Design, RBI’s award-winning interior design industry trade magazine. Interior Design is one of the most successful publications in the RBI stable and is arguably the most stylish. Indeed, I have always held Interior Design as a visual benchmark for JCK.

JCK and Interior Design will now be a group of two, led by Interior Design’s publisher, Mark Strauss. We look forward to the opportunity to learn ways to improve all aspects of our business (editorial, advertising sales, marketing services, circulation, research, etc.) from Mark and his team. The synergies between the books—both substantive and stylish trade magazines written for design-oriented businesses—will undoubtedly benefit JCK.

I’m also happy to thank Larry Oliver, the former head of the retail division here, who is being promoted to vice president of our television group. Larry’s support, knowledge, and advice were a huge part of our redesign, our Eddie Award editorial win, and our healthy ad sales growth in 2005. I know Larry has enjoyed his association with the jewelry industry over the last year and a half.

Here’s to an exciting 2006 for us all!