BtoB Media Business Recognizes CQ’s Robert W. Merry as Top Innovator in Business Publishing
Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2009) — Congressional Quarterly Inc., the nation's premier provider of news, analysis and information on Congress, politics and public policy, is pleased to report that President and Editor-in-Chief Robert W. Merry has been named one of the Top Innovators in Business Publishing by BtoB Media Business. This is Media Business’ sixth year of honoring business-to-business media executives who, in a rapidly changing environment, are constantly creating new products and services to build their audiences and generate revenue.
According to Media Business: “Many media companies today aspire to give their audiences exactly the information they want in the precise place, time and medium in which they want to consume it. At the moment, though, few can fulfill that promise. Congressional Quarterly is one of those few.”
Merry was recognized as a Top Innovator in the publishing executive category, small trade division. A decade after joining Congressional Quarterly as managing editor, Merry was named CEO in 1997. “I immediately sought to create an online product,” he said. He found himself in a race against the industry leader to convert an outdated dial-up information service to the Web. CQ got to market first and eventually acquired its formal rival.
Merry feels that CQ has succeeded for two primary reasons: “Our staff of more than 160 reporters, researchers and editors is the biggest, best and most objective editorial team covering Congress, politics and public policy.”
“We also have a state-of-the-art, highly functional online platform that links subscribers to nearly 40 subscription-based services and databases where they can track bills, monitor video of congressional floor debate, receive custom e-mail alerts or comb through daily reports on Congress,” Merry added.
Prior to joining CQ in 1987, Merry spent 12 years as a national correspondent in the Washington Bureau of The Wall Street Journal. He holds a B.A. in editorial journalism from the University of Washington and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Merry is also the current chairman of the board of the Software & Information Industry Association, and he is the author of three books on American history and foreign policy.
CQ, which was founded in 1945, relied solely on print subscription revenue for decades. Today, more than 50 percent of CQ’s revenue comes from online subscription revenue, with the remainder coming from advertising, print subscriptions, licensing and events.
The Media Business awards are presented in six categories: CEO, publishing executive, online executive, events, audience development and production. Some categories are broken into large trade, small trade (less than $200 million in annual revenue) and general business. Read the whole article in BtoB Media Business.
About Congressional Quarterly Inc.
With more than 160 reporters, editors and researchers covering Capitol Hill and Washington, CQ keeps its readers updated in print and online on a weekly, daily and real-time basis. With a readership that includes nearly every member of Congress, as well as Executive Branch officials, leaders in business and associations, top academic institutions and important media outlets, Congressional Quarterly provides opinion leaders with comprehensive, credible, current and objective information on Congress, politics and public policy. CQ’s award-winning product line includes: CQ Weekly, CQ Today, CQ.com, CQ Politics, CQ Homeland Security, CQ Budget Tracker, CQ HealthBeat, CQ MoneyLine and Governing Magazine. CQ is owned by the Times Publishing Co. of St. Petersburg, Fla., publisher of the St. Petersburg Times and other publications. For more information, visit www.cq.com or www.cqpolitics.com.
About BtoB Media Business
BtoB Media Business is the leading magazine for business publishing executives. Because it's the only publication focused exclusively on business-to-business publishing, more than 5,000 industry leaders subscribe to Media Business for the latest trends and insightful analysis.