Reed Business Information is a large business publisher in the United States, United Kingdom, continental Europe, Australia and Asia, often referred to as RBI. It is a division of Reed Elsevier, provides a multitude of paid data services, hosts conferences and publishes magazines that serve business professionals in the electronics, construction, media, manufacturing and hospitality industries. Among its most well-known brands are Variety and New Scientist. In 2005, Reed Business Information started the Quill Awards, a literary award broadcast on NBC.
Norman Cahners started the Cahners Publishing Company in 1946 with the launch of Modern Materials Handling. He sold the company to Reed International in 1976. Cahners was combined with Reed's British trade publications in 2002 to form Reed Business Information.
The trade magazine industry has been under pressure in recent years, and the parent company made several efforts to sell either part or all of RBI. In early 2008 Reed Elsevier said it was considering a sale of the entire division.[1] In February 2009 Ian Smith was named CEO, and the decision to divest was cancelled.[2]
In July 2009, the company reported it might sell some magazines while holding on to core publications and focusing on developing its data services business. In December, it sold Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TWICE to NewBay Media.[3]
In January 2010, RBI announced plans to close three magazines that had failed to attract a buyer: Video Business, Manufacturing Business Technology and Industrial Distribution[4]. The latter two were later sold to Advantage Business Media. In April, RBI closed 23 more publications—the majority of its U.S. magazines—and later sold seven of those titles.
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