Three ‘firsts’ this month. Considering it’s summer we’ve had a lot of stories in so have decided to publish separate July and August issues for the first time. In another ‘first’ for Publitek Media News, we have two very different SOAPBOX pieces - one from the US and one from Europe. (I’m sure it won’t be long before the first one comes in from China.) And for the first time I have received a request for contributed editorial from a well-respected US editor that specifically states that contributed pieces must be from authors who do not have ‘marketing’ in their job title. I’ve heard of ‘ageism’ and ‘sexism’ but it’s the first time I’ve come across ‘titleism’. I wonder if he’s suggesting that people with a marketing title can’t write good technical material. Or that readers won’t believe it if it comes from a marketer. A talent for engineering and a talent for communications do not always go hand-in-hand. Linking the two disciplines is a key part of the role of marketing communicators. For marketing to be forcibly excluded from a mention in the process seems to me an unfortunate approach to take. Shouldn’t contributed editorial material be judged on its relevance and quality alone? I welcome your views.

Penton’s Electronics Group has announced that Alastair Swift is now representing its publications in Europe. Alastair has 23 years’ experience working in the advertising business, beginning as a media planner/buyer at MJP (now Carat) handling many electronics accounts and 10 years as the UK sales rep for Markt & Technik (Germany). He has also served 6 years as Honorary Secretary of the Overseas Press & Media Association (UK trade association for international ad reps). Responsible for European advertising sales of Electronic Design Europe, Electronic Design, EEPN and Microwaves & RF magazines, Alastiar is based in the UK.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Paul Whytock, editor-in-chief, Electronic Design Europe, paul.whytock@pentoneurope.com; Mark David, editor-in-chief, Electronic Design, mdavid@penton.com
Advertising: Alastair Swift, director, ASA Media, alastair@asa-media.com

EDN Europe has announced increased focus on the German market from October this year with the addition of German language sections bound into the English version of the magazine in October and November this year. The German language section will be edited by Wolfgang Patelay and will consist of a combination of EDN articles translated into German complemented by some local content. The German language content will also be uploaded to www.edn-europe.com to create a new German language section. All German language pages published in the print edition of EDN Europe will also be digitized for e-mail broadcast in the digital edition. A series of German language ‘vertical’ newsletters has also been announced.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Graham Prophet, editor, EDN Europe, graham.prophet@rbi.co.uk
Advertising: John Waddell, jwadds@compuserve.com
Web: www.edn-europe.com

EDN has promoted Technical Editor Brian Dipert to senior technical editor. In more than eight years at EDN, Brian has contributed in-depth print and web technical articles, hands-on projects, and his unique perspective in the areas of multimedia, consumer products, PCs and peripherals, memory components, and programmable logic. He has also been a technical resource and a key contact for both readers and vendors. He will continue to work out of his Sacramento, CA, office and report directly to Bill Schweber.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Brian Dipert, senior technical editor, bdipert@edn.com
Advertising: John Schirmer, associate publisher, jschirmer@reedbusiness.com

EDN has announced that it is to be the official media sponsor of the second annual Digital Power Forum, DPF ‘05, organized by Darnell Group and PowerPulse.Net. The 3-day international conference will have an audience of decision makers who are interested in learning about and contributing to the latest practical advancements and anticipated future developments related to digital power management in electronic systems and the use of digital control techniques in power converters, says EDN, adding that “Digital Power Forum proceedings will showcase new components, new design techniques and design tools that will enable the use of digital power conversion and digital power management technologies.”

CONTACTS
Editorial: Bill Schweber, executive editor, bschweber@edn.com
Advertising: Johnn Schirmer, associate publisher, jschirmer@reedbusiness.com
Web: www.edn.com/event/14239.html.

Reed Electronics Group (REG) will publish the Electronics Industry’s Movers & Shakers, sixth edition, identifying the leaders and innovators in the global electronics industry. REG editorial correspondents will report on and analyze the future of the electronics industry by profiling how leading companies drive innovation. In addition to ranking the leading electronics suppliers, Movers & Shakers 2005 will include feature stories on innovation as well as business forecasts about what’s in store for 2006 and beyond. And for the first time in its six-year history, the content in Movers & Shakers will emphasize the global nature of the electronics industry from cover to cover. “This year’s Movers & Shakers is a massive undertaking. For the first time, we are looking at the global electronics industry region by region in five areas of the world - China, U.S., Europe, Pacific Rim, and Japan. In addition to celebrating the leaders and looking at the challenges they face, we are sizing up 2006, as well as looking at innovation in the five regions of the world,” says John Dodge, editor-in-chief of Movers & Shakers and EDN. “It will be packed with facts, figures and insight directly from the industry’s most influential people about where the industry is going and where it’s been.” REG will deliver Movers & Shakers 2005 through an integrated mix of media. Its content will be published in print, on the web, in digital format, via email newsletters, and a live event to generate greater reach and greater access across the globe. More than 200,000 top electronics engineering and corporate managers will receive the special edition via select Reed Electronics Group circulation, reaching readers from Design News, ECN, EDN, EDN Asia, EDN China, EDN Europe, EDN Japan, Electronic Business, Electronic Business China, Electronics Weekly, and Test & Measurement World, amongst others.

CONTACTS
Editorial: John Dodge, editor-in-chief, john.dodge@reedbusiness.com
Advertising US: Carole Sacino (West coast), csacino@reedbusiness.com; Mary Mitchell (East coast), mary.mitchell@reedbusiness.com
Advertising Europe: John Waddell, jwadds@compuserve.com

Datateam, UK publishers of monthly magazine Electronics, has announced three new appointments – all of them from rival publisher IML. Andrew Pratt joins as publication manager with a brief to develop business for all electronics and electrical titles at the publisher. Natalie Luck takes up the post of advertisement manager for Electronics, and Andrew Castle takes up a business development role in which he says “I will initially be concentrating on the newly acquired ‘industrial portfolio’, although I have an open brief to evaluate and develop the entire suite of Datateam publications, through organic growth, acquisition, product launch and joint ventures.”

CONTACTS
Editorial: Jo Bennet, editor, Electronics, jbennett@datateam.co.uk
Advertising: Natalie Luck, advertisement manager, Electronics, nluck@datateam.co.uk

LEDs Magazine (www.ledsmagazine.com) has unveiled an on-line subscription service for its electronic magazine product, LEDs Magazine Review. Readers can subscribe to gain access to current and archived issues of LEDs Magazine Review, which is delivered as a PDF file. There are no subscription fees. LEDs Magazine has also appointed a new sales executive, Joanna Hook, who is based in IOP Publishing’s office in Bristol, UK. The July issue of LEDs Magazine Review, available now, includes a number of articles on areas such as architectural LED lighting, micro-optics, LED headlamps, energy codes for residential lighting, and drivers for automotive lighting. LEDs Magazine is published by IOP Publishing and Cabot Media, and covers the applications of high-brightness LEDs and the technology of building LED-based systems. Companies are welcome to submit product press releases directly to the website (www.ledsmagazine.com/press/add) or to enter their details in the Buyer’s Guide (www.ledsmagazine.com/buyers). Business news, case studies and ideas for technical articles can be submitted directly to the editor.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Tim Whitaker, editor, editor@leds.iop.org
Advertising: Joanna Hook, sales executive, Joanna.hook@iop.org

Alix Paultre, well known to many as a writer and editor on Electronic Products magazine, has published his first novel. Zep Tepi Publishing has released Cyberchild, a sci-fi action thriller novel that takes readers into the near future to examine the concepts, ethics and technologies that will challenge us in the coming years. Cyberchild is full of advanced weaponry, medical research, and next-generation technology. The book is about a little girl, named Gordona, who has been exposed to advanced technology in the form of an escaped lab animal with a bloodstream full of “microbots.” While those near Gordona struggle to understand what has happened to her, the corporation behind the research is searching for her to get their technology back. Cyberchild explores what happens when advanced science meets human reality. It delves into real-world issues and the challenges presented by medical research and developing technology that we will all face in the future. ISBN 1-4116-2661-3. Suggested retail price in the US is $19.95. (Take a look at Alix’s SOAPBOX at the end of this issue of Publitek Media News).

CONTACTS
Alix Paultre, editor, technology writer and novelist, apaultre@hearst.com

Electronics Supply & Manufacturing-China has announced the results of its annual Electronic Component Distributor Survey, which show that China-based component distributors achieved average revenue of US$29 million in 2004 and are projecting revenue to increase by 20 percent in 2005. The survey was launched in 2001 to provide a benchmark for component distribution in China. This year’s study was conducted online and drew responses from 265 component distributors and 584 corporate, general and procurement managers working for China-based electronics manufacturers. The survey also highlighted some of the challenges facing distributors in China, including increased competition, erratic purchasing patterns and fluctuating market demand.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Major Lee, managing editor, ESM-China, majorlee@globalsources.com
Advertising US: Craig Pitcher, cpitcher@globalsources.com
Advertising Europe: Patrick Flynn, pflynn@cmp.com

This September, Electronics Supply & Manufacturing-China is publishing a special anniversary issue as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. The special issue focuses on the progress made by China’s electronics industry in the past 20 years, particularly its design and manufacturing capabilities and business conditions that are likely to impact the sector’s growth. The issue will cover developments in China’s IC market, particularly in ferroelectric RAMs and other advanced memory ICs, miniature motors and new applications being developed for these components, design trends for thin-film capacitors, Chinese manufacturers’ ongoing efforts to implement lead-free manufacturing.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Major Lee, managing editor, ESM-China, majorlee@globalsources.com
Advertising US: Craig Pitcher, cpitcher@globalsources.com
Advertising Europe: Patrick Flynn, pflynn@cmp.com

Electronics Supply & Manufacturing-China Online unveiled on July 18 a new website for corporate, engineering, procurement and manufacturing managers across China. Launched in 1999, esmchina.com provides 126,098 registered online users with instant desktop access to the latest manufacturing strategies and industry news that they need to manage for profit, says the publisher. The new site promises enhanced search capabilities, instant forum topic posting, RSS support, and improved section for distributors and a cleaner layout.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Major Lee, managing editor, ESM-China, majorlee@globalsources.com
Advertising US: Craig Pitcher, cpitcher@globalsources.com
Advertising Europe: Patrick Flynn, pflynn@cmp.com
Web: www.esmchina.com

Electronic Engineering Times-Asia is adding 10,046 new readers across mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea—Asia’s principal centers for electronic design and semiconductor consumption, according to publisher Mark Saunderson, taking the total circulation to over 76,000. He also tells us that China will see the most significant increase, with EE Times-China circulation moving up to 48,480 in December, and that by December an additional 7,796 mainland design engineers and engineering managers will get the magazine biweekly, including 21 percent more engineers working in consumer electronics, 20 percent more in computers and 16 percent more in communications. In Taiwan, EE Times-Taiwan will reach 14,025 engineers, an increase of 12 percent from June 2005. And in South Korea, EE Times-Korea will have an enhanced circulation of 8,505—up 23 percent. Advertising rates are due to be reviewed in January 2006.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Vivek Nanda, editor-in-chief, EE Times Asia, vnanda@globalsources.com
Advertising US: Craig Pitcher, cpitcher@globalsources.com
Advertising Europe: Patrick Flynn, pflynn@cmp.com

This fall (autumn for Europeans!), EE Times will kick off the Great Minds, Great Ideas Project to celebrate and examine innovators who come up with the revolutionary ideas that enable new capabilities and new markets. It’s an integrated marketing program that includes a special collectors’ publication on December 5, 2005, 7,000 square feet of exhibition space at the 2006 International CES, and a web site. Until August 12, EE Times is seeking nominations for the publication. About 30 innovators who have made recent accomplishments or that will have a significant impact on some aspect of the electronics industry will be featured in December 5 publication and on the companion web site. EE Times is primarily focusing on accomplishments of the last 3-5 years and invites anyone from the industry to make the case for a disruptive innovator or technology whose concepts have or will affect the way we live, work and play. For more information, including details of the nomination process, visit www.eetimes.com/disruption.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Brian Fuller, editor in chief, bfuller@cmp.com
Advertising: David Blaza, associate publisher, dblaza@cmp.com

Embedded Systems Engineering has announced the appointment of Dick Selwood as editor. Founder and previous editor, Jeremy Kenyon, becomes publisher and Martin Whitbread remains technical editor. Commenting on the appointment, Dick joked, “is this gamekeeper turning poacher or vice versa? Over 20 years in electronics PR and it comes to this.” (We wish him luck! Ed.)

CONTACTS
Editorial: Dick Selwood, editor, ese@edaltd.co.uk
Advertising: Jeremy Kenyon, publisher, ese@edaltd.co.uk

Following a 42% increase in advertising pages in 2004 over 2003, Hanser automotive, the specialist automotive electronics title is continuing its strong growth, according to the publisher. Hanser will publish a special issue in cooperation with the FlexRay Consortium to coincide with the FlexRay ProductDay, which will be held in Böblingen on the 1st of Dezember 2005. This English language FlexRay-special will report on new developments and current projects in the fields of hardware, software and tools. The magazine (print run: 18,000 copies) will be circulated by HANSER automotive, on the FlexRay ProductDay and by the members of the FlexRay Consortium. Publication date will be 10th of November and the advertising deadline is 19th of September.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Klaus Oertel, editor in chief, oertel@hanser.de
Advertising: Tilmann Huber, thuber@hanser.de

Erika Fuchs has joined the editorial team of Mechatronik F&M. Amongst, other things she will be responsible for writing and editing material on personal computers and embedded computing. From August, the magazine will introduce a new advertising format known as a ‘Profile’ advertisement. At 50% lower rates than normal display advertising. Profiles come in standard full page and half page formats where advertisers only have to supply text and graphics, a company logo and contact information. They can also provide custom artwork for use within the standard framework.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Dr. Matthias Laasch, editor-in-chief, laasch@hanser.de
Advertising: Tilmann Huber, thuber@hanser.de

The Chips & Tools conference and exhibition is a European event focusing on microcontrollers and microprocessors, development tools and operating systems. It is a platform for manufacturers and distributors to meet and communicate with the users of chips, tools and services. Now in its third year, Chips & Tools is rapidly establishing itself as the most effective and well-attended event of its kind and has proved to be a great networking and marketing tool, say organizers InVents and ICC Media. As a result, they have decided to expand further and this year it will be staged in the UK in Reading and Edinburgh and in Germany in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart. The conference papers are application and solution oriented, highly technical, but not academic. The papers are about technical trends, basic know-how, applications and solutions with microcontrollers and microprocessors, development tools and operating systems, system solutions and services. The conference audience is expected to be mainly design engineers, engineering management and other technical specialists. The entrance fee for conference delegates (including food and drinks) is GBP 90 for the UK and EUR 120 for Germany.

CONTACTS
Germany: Manfred Blumoser, mb@iccmedia.com
UK: Vanessa Culliford, vc@invents-uk.com

Electronicstalk, claimed to be one of the biggest online electronics industry publications, has grown mainly through word-of-mouth and the enthusiasm of the manufacturers who get their news releases published there, says editor Laurence Marchini. The marketing communications managers around the world who use the site have created their own micro community, and use an email newsgroup to share advice and opinions, and to bounce ideas off each other. In addition to creating the site, Electronicstalk publisher Pro-talk helped to put many of them in the same room last month with two free seminars in the UK on the subject of “Industrial marketing on the Internet”. The events were fully booked, the organizers tell us, and featured speakers from Google, from leading search engine optimization companies, and from website development consultancies.

CONTACTS
Editorial: Laurence Marchini, editor, news@electronicstalk.com
Advertising: Tony Rand, advertisement manager, tony@pro-talk.com

The IEE Seminar on Signal Processing Solutions for Homeland Security takes place on Tuesday, 11 October 2005 The IEE, Savoy Place, London. It is designed to show how the capabilities of signal processing can potentially improve homeland security and how signal processing can provide solutions to the problems posed in the fight against crime and terrorism. The latest R&D developments form research centers, universities and industry will be presented at the seminar.

CONTACTS
Website: www.iee.org/Events/SPSforHS.cfm

The 1st IEE International Conference on Commercializing Technology and Innovation: Strategy Forum takes place on 14 - 15 September 2005 at The IEE, Savoy Place, London. This event will address key aspects of emerging and evolving technologies that will drive business growth as well as deliberating the commercializing process. The program has been developed with participation from key international figures and targets strategic thinkers, managers, project managers, engineers, researchers, VCs and academics. The IEE has brought together some of the finest inventors, leaders and entrepreneurs in the world to discuss which new technologies will emerge and where they are going to take us, they say. The event takes the form of a two-day strategy forum and will form the main track of this international conference.

CONTACTS
Website: www.iee.org/events/strategy

The IEE Seminar on Beyond WEEE: Unsustainable Product Design, and how to avoid it takes place at the IEE, Savoy Place, London on Tuesday, 29 November 2005. The EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive begins to roll out from August 2005. This directive passes the responsibility for the collection and recycling of WEEE back onto the producers. Manufacturers and designers of EEE now have a vested interest in sustainable product design, as by employing suitable design techniques, companies have a chance to minimize these costs, maybe even reducing overall product cost. This event will explore the state of the art in sustainable product design. It will provide details of the rollout of the WEEE directive across Europe, in the context of how designers and manufacturers can lower the cost burden of their products, and create value for their companies by enhancing their sustainability.

CONTACTS
Website: www.iee.org/events/beyondweee.cfm

Many organizations are struggling with the challenges and opportunities the Internet provides, from well-established media conglomerates to one-person startups. Each group makes their approach to this new media format in a different way, based upon their core business capability, and bring with them the resulting paradigms and methods of doing business. This can create a fragmented perception of the situation, not unlike that of the blind men and the elephant. Each is limited in their observation by the point of view their handicap (or business paradigm) restricts them to. However, by properly applying the lessons and methods from their core business to the developing new web environment, an organization can adapt the best of their operating methodology to this new media. One problem in adapting to a web-oriented effort is the difficulty in understanding roles, and transitioning the corresponding tasks and responsibilities to the new operating paradigm. One of the sources of the turf wars that plague a company undergoing the growing pains of internet adaptation stem from a misunderstanding of the areas of management responsibility. The leadership in a media organization is usually a team of two individuals: one controlling the money and focus, and one determining style and content. In print, there is a publisher and an editor. In film, video, and radio, we have a producer and a director. In other arts, we have the patron and the artist. The rest of any team involved in the process fall primarily under one of these two ledgers. (Logistics and infrastructure are separate issues.) By viewing conflicts through this lens, many misunderstandings can be clarified. The threat of marginalization, coupled with the need to change, can impel an organization to move itself forward, but the onus on management is to make this a positive action as opposed to a negative one. There are many hurdles to leap, and the danger is that the procedure can become full of negative attitudes and poor interdepartmental cooperation.

Alex Paultre, writer and editor, apaultre@hearst.com

Cisco has recently bought the Danish manufacturer of settop-boxes and intelligent DVDs, Kiss Technologies. This is to help Cisco gaining access to an increasingly communications-heavy market for consumer products. Networked entertainment has a present value of 3,9 billion USD annually, claims In-Stat explaining Cisco’s interest in this particular market. Kiss Technologies is based just outside Copenhagen, and Cisco follows the path of numerous international electronics companies that are placing their main R&D in Copenhagen. According to Cisco they are joining the “Copenhagen-cluster” of companies like Broadcom, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Tellabs and Vitesse Semiconductor - to name a few. This is potentially interesting information for vendors of components and EDA-tools, as the top of the “food-chain” is to be found in obscure facilities in Denmark rather than in the country of origin, hence, Copenhagen becomes the access-point for both design-wins for components and choice of EDA-tools.

Rolf Syvester-Hvid, editor-in-chief, Aktuel Elektronik, rsh@techmedia.dk