The new news business

I still read at least one print newspaper every day. It's a familiar and fulfilling component of my daily routine. I know, even as I read, that many stories already are outdated, but I still appreciate the depth of information and the insight that comes from real reporting.

I'm also a voracious reader of magazines, on virtually dozens of topics. To me, the magazine is media in its most perfect form: It's compact, colorful, portable and versatile, and when done right, it becomes a showcase for writing and design excellence.

Then there is the Internet, with its enduring ability to disrupt. Everyone uses the Web differently for news: Some people read everything online, while others use it as a resource for quick and frequent updates. Either way, there's certainly no denying the Internet's importance as a news medium and as a critical element to any news strategy.

All that is to help explain some changes to Telephony that debut with the issue you're now reading. Online news is certainly not new to us, as we have been generating breaking, staff-written news on the TelephonyOnline site for years. What is new is the way we have tightly integrated our online news coverage and our print publication, simultaneously making them each more unique and more complementary to one another.

It is the experience, knowledge and determination of our editorial staff that makes that possible. Here's just one example: On Jan. 9, the service provider McLeodUSA emerged from Chapter 11 and named Royce Holland its new CEO. We disseminated that information instantly, on our Web site and through our e-newsletters. Then, within days of the announcement, we dispatched Carol Wilson to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a sit-down with Holland. The outcome is a cover story on Holland and McLeod's prospects that includes never-reported details about a boom-era merger that almost was.

That's what I mean by integration: We used our online resources to break news, our access to dig deep and analyze, and our instincts to break even more news in print.

You'll find even more examples of print/online complements and breaking news in our new upfront section, Forward Motion: Dan O'Shea's coverage of last week's WCA conference and milestones in WiMAX certification. Kevin Fitchard's news about a mobile virtual network operator launch this week, enhanced by his analysis of the business MVNO market. Ed Gubbins' conversation with former Wall Street analyst Dan Reingold, excerpted in print and in its entirety online.

This issue also features two columnists who will contribute regularly this year: Neale Martin and Andrew Cole. Telephony's content trademark is still our in-depth coverage of technology and markets trends — again, in print, online and in our e-newsletters. And all of it is made even better by the vibrant and innovative packaging conceived by our design experts: Sheila Schirz, Lucas Buick and Isabelle Debowski.

Our pledge to you, meanwhile, remains the same: We will strive to provide the most comprehensive, timely and relevant telecom content through every available medium. We hope you will hold us to it — and, as ever, we invite you to tell us how we're doing.