Chip News (a Russian publication) has stopped publishing, although they hope to restart when the economy improves. They have made the decision only five issues after moving from a print to a CD format. The publishers cite a number of reasons for the decision: logistical problems, technical problems with ads, the expense of mailing and the fact that not as many Russian companies are ready to work with an electronic advertising format.
The decision to switch to an electronic edition of Chip News was made in Feb 2009. The publisher conducted a survey of most of their readers, and received a response from around 1/3. Westerners might be surprised that 95% of respondents requested a CD issue, rather than electronic delivery by email. Despite the clear demand from readers, it’s apparent that advertisers have been less enthusiastic. Interestingly the major competitor to Chip News, Electronics and Components has also started to use a CD format, although they have retained a print version.
I’d expect Chip News to roll out an online publication pretty quickly, perhaps even by the end of this year, and hope that this will ensure the brand continues to live on.
