Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News, two longtime industry publications covering the TV biz, are getting shuttered.
The current owner of the publications, U.K.-based media company Future plc, announced the move in an article posted Tuesday on NextTV, the umbrella brand that encompassed both B&C and Multichannel News. “As part of Future’s plans, it will cease publication of the print magazine and daily newsletters of B+C, Multichannel News and NextTV from September 30, 2024,” the company said. A rep for Future plc declined to say how many staffers will be laid off.
On Oct. 1, Future said, it will introduce a new SmartBrief newsletter on media and entertainment and a “reformatted” nexttv.com site.
Future said it is retaining the 33-year-old Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame event. The company named industry veteran Charlie Weiss to the 2025 event chairmanship role, while current chairman Bill McGorry will partner with Weiss as chairman emeritus next year. This year’s event is scheduled to take place Sept. 26. The B+C Hall of Fame “honors the trailblazers and visionaries who have made significant impacts in the broadcasting and cable sectors,” the company said.
“This industry is going through rapid transformation that requires our business to adapt,” Amanda Darman-Allen, SVP of B2B at Future, said in a statement. “By focusing our efforts on impactful in-person events and a unified newsletter, we believe we will maintain our role as a key connector and influencer. The B+C Hall of Fame is a perfect example of the kind of high-caliber event that aligns with our strategy, and we are proud to continue our support for this important celebration.”
B&C first launched as Broadcasting, covering the radio business, in October 1931. It expanded its coverage to include television and was rechristened Broadcasting & Cable in 1993. Multichannel News was first published in 1980 by Fairchild Publications.
Both have had several different owners over the years. B&C and MCN were previously owned by Cahners Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier (which at one time also owned Variety). The renamed Reed Business Information division sold B&C, Multichannel News and consumer-electronics trade publication TWICE to private-equity backed NewBay Media in 2009; NewBay then sold the titles to Future plc in 2018. (Disclosure: Before joining Variety in 2013, I was the technology editor of Multichannel News.)
Future’s brands include TechRadar, PC Gamer, Tom’s Guide, Android Central, The Week, Kiplinger, GoCompare, GamesRadar+, Marie Claire, Guitar World, MusicRadar and Space.com.
Pictured above (l. to r.): Dylan Dreyer, Sheinelle Jones, Al Roker, Hoda Kotb and Craig Melvin attend the 2023 Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 3, 2023.