PC World – Editor in Chief Harry McCracken Returns to PC World
“In a surprise announcement, Robert Carrigan, president of IDG Communications, told PC World’s staff today that “Harry McCracken has decided to remain with PC World as vice-president, editor in chief.”
“[CEO] Colin Crawford will be rejoining the IDG management team as executive vice president, online. In this role, he will be responsible for driving IDG’s online strategy and initiatives in support of our Web-centric business focus,” Carrigan said. “We will conduct a search for a new CEO to lead PC World and Macworld.”
This is a big deal for the PC press because none of the major tech publishers can withstand any reduction in their audience, and certainly no aspersions on their ethics. The trade press had a terrible rep back in the 80s when I was at PC Week — I was grilled by a Wall Street Journal reporter in ’89 about rumored excesses and whispers of graft, advertiser pressure, etc.. Truth is, I never saw it happen, or was to naive to notice.
I never had a story outright croaked by a publisher or someone on the ad side. I caused some massive pain to the sales side, especially at Forbes, and that was fun, and the late Malcolm Forbes took some grief for allegedly stifling stories, but I never ever saw evidence of that in my 13 years. In fact, Malcolm’s son, Tim, my boss during the dot.com days, said something that has hung with me and that was to the effect that journalistic integrity takes years to earn and seconds to squander.
Jesus, I”m laughing so hard milk is squirting out my nose.
So Colin gets sent back down to the minors?
What this really says is even more telling, I believe. It’s an indication that IDG still doesn’t know what to do about online. If they did, they would have hired a front runner, not a demoted shyteweasel,
This makes me want to weep for IDG’s online dreams and leads me to believe that InfoWorld will not last very long, which is what I’ve been afraid of all alongh.
Organizationally, IDG swings between new strategic interests. One week it’s China, the next its online. This says a lot about the lack of a central vision and any plan to achieve that visiion.
As I predicted in a letter to Mr. Crawford, he would lose his battle and Apple would end up leaving him hugely pregnant at the wedding alter.
Sycophants most always lose in this world.
Hurray for Harry.
Jim