This Computerworld Mequoda Case Study is derived from one-on-one interviews with Pat McGovern, IDG's founder and Robert Carrigan, the CEO of US Operations. The case study outlines Computerworld's story from the beginning, and explores how they're making such a successful shift into the digital world of publishing.

As a way to introduce where IDG and Computerworld stands today, we thought we'd share excerpts from a recent blog post by Colin Crawford, IDG's Senior Vice President, Online. The post is titled "The transformation of IDG."

"For over four decades we’ve had print blood running through the veins of the corporate body. But over the last few years we’ve seen dramatic change. Today the absolute dollar growth of our online revenues now exceeds the decline in our print revenues."

"With this change in the revenue mix and the higher margins from our online businesses—the company is more profitable today than it has been previously."

"In the US, our online revenue now accounts for over 35% of our total US publishing revenues. Next year, for many brands, online revenues will be greater than print revenues, in fact they already are at some of our key brands and by 2009—approximately 50% of IDG’s US revenues will come from online."

"To drive this change and to focus on online revenue we’ve changed the business mission of our organization away from print. Going forward IDG Communications will define itself as a web centric information company complemented by expos, events and print publications."

With 2006 revenues estimated at more than $510 million, up from an estimated $460 million for 2005, the newly formed Forbes Media Network is on a roll.

Forbes Media currently includes print, online conferences, radio and TV properties. At this time, an estimated $330 million still comes from the American edition of Forbes Magazine, however, senior executives Steve Forbes and Jim Spanfeller both tell Mequoda that online publishing revenues will pass print in 2008 or 2009—if the current growth rates for both print (up 6% for 2006) and online (up 57% for 2006) hold for 2007, 2008 and 2009.

This would the first time in media history that an online publishing business using an existing media brand would surpass the revenues of its successful print sibling. It will happen sooner or later. The question is simply which media brand will be the first. Forbes is an odds-on favorite for accomplishing the feat. And the feat will be all the more impressive because Forbes Magazine is continuing to grow its revenue and profits while Forbes.com makes its impressive climb. The milestone will prove that a wildly successful dot.com brand extension does not hurt the print sibling from which it sprung. In fact, the power and synergy of the integrated brand strategy may give the existing magazine a competitive edge on several fronts.

Chris Kimball, CEO of Boston Common Press, is master of what we now call multiplatform publishing. Chris has gone from a publishing a single cooking magazine, Cook's Illustrated to a growing media empire that spans books, another print magazine, books, membership websites, a TV Show on PBS, email newsletters and DVDs.

While we have seen other publishers practicing this multiplatform publishing model, it seems as though they are stumbling into new media. They often struggle with their branding in this new era of publishing, while Chris and his team thought very carefully about this process from the very beginning.

Chris knew he needed a brand that was bigger than Cook's Illustrated and that could span easily across different media. Hence, America's Test Kitchen was born as the "uber" brand with a very simple editorial mission: to provide cooking enthusiasts with recipes that work.

• These recipes are published on TV, the Web, email, books, magazines and DVDs.
  
  
• Revenue has increased a staggering 20 to 30 percent year over year since 2001 and will exceed $46 million for 2006.
  
  
• ATK has profitably mastered the use of multiple media platforms to serve millions of customers.

Looking at the operation from the outside you might conclude that it is a magazine that started a TV program. But it is a much more sophisticated and complex operation. There are lessons for every publisher in the ATK experience.