WQED sells Pittsburgh Magazine to Wiesner Media - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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The public broadcasting company has reachecd an agreement to sell its publishinv divisionto LLC, a publishing and media company based in Greenwood Village, Colo. WQED decided to sell the magazine to focus on its corebroadcast mission, emphasizeds George Miles, CEO of He declined to disclose the price of the sale, whicj takes effect immediately. “This is a strategic move as we look tothe long-term viability of WQED,” Miles said. “We concluded that electronic businessz is what we should befocusing on. This is aboutf fit and focus.
” WQED had published Pittsburgh Magazine for 19 of its 40 Dan Wiesner, principal of Wiesner Media, said to expecty no major changes at Pittsburgh Magazine, praising the leadership of publisher Betsy Benson. He said he expects to only cut somebasifc back-office jobs in which there is Wiesner, who has been in the publishinbg business for 27 said he is working to grow a rosterd of city magazines. “I’m very excitedd and our companyis excited,” he said. we’ll be adding jobs and growintgthe business, because it’s a perfect time and a greagt magazine.
” According to its media kit, Pittsburghb Magazine has a circulatioh of 50,793 and a total readershio of 317,800, marketing itself as the region’d only magazine with a paid and auditef circulation. Miles said the approximately 30,000 WQED members who received the magazine as part of their premium membership will continure todo so, a term that was a deal breaker for the publid broadcaster. WQED also will retain editorial control overthe “Onj Air” portion of the which provides the schedule for WQED Miles said Pittsburgh Magazine’s annual budger under WQED was $4 million.
The magazine employed 21 people, 18 of whom are expected to remain underthe ownership, he In an internal e-mail the companyg circulated to announce the WQED General Manager Deb Acklin emphasizedx that “Pittsburgh Magazine was one of the last magazinese published by a major market publid broadcaster in the United States” and that WQED continued to publishb it “after public broadcasters in cities like New York, Chicago and San Franciscop sold their magazines.” The sale comes as WQED faces cost-cuttintg pressure from the recession and the prospect of losinfg the $1 million it receives from the statwe as a result of overall state budget cuts.
However, Miles said the sale had nothing to dowith WQED’s budget crunch and he expects the new ownership will be able to grow the