For 28 years, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal has represented and covered the Valley-area business community like no other media source. I’m excited to announce that the publication format will change from a biweekly newspaper to a bimonthly magazine. The new magazine, branded as Inside the Valley, will be distributed to subscribers starting in March.
Two years ago, we merged operations of the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles Business Journals to provide more consistent news coverage throughout Greater Los Angeles. The concept was simple: two publications, one editorial voice. The results have been impressive. In 2023, both the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley Business Journals received top honors as best regional large tabloid and best regional small tabloid in the country, respectively, by the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.
This new magazine product, dedicated to the Valley’s Community of Business™, is an important component of our long-term strategy and is overdue. The format change allows our editorial team to increase its time-sensitive Valley coverage within the pages of the weekly edition of the Los Angeles Business Journal. At the same time, it allows us to dive deeper into the people, companies and industries leading the Valley area in the pages of the magazine.
Inside the Valley will don the Los Angeles Business Journal masthead and will continue to cover important business developments, economic trends and newsmakers, but in a way that will have greater longevity. The Business Journal will continue to expand local Valley business events including panel discussions, networking receptions honoring Valley leaders, and recognition programs from the commercial real estate awards to our women’s leadership symposium and our diversity, equity and inclusion program.
“I see tremendous opportunity in the upcoming changes to the way we approach our coverage of the Valley,” said Hannah Welk, the newly announced interim editor of the Los Angeles Business Journal. “Inside the Valley will allow the Business Journal to showcase the companies and leaders who have made the Valley thrive with longer pieces, engrossing stories and a unique design.
“Furthermore, the inclusion of Valley-based companies in the Los Angeles Business Journal on a weekly basis will give these companies greater visibility and allow us more possibilities to spotlight these organizations,” she said.
Longstanding must-reads (which are already in magazine format), The Valley 200 and The Lists, will continue to publish and will be incorporated into the new magazines. The Lists will be unveiled in digital format each week, with many of them also appearing within the print edition as well. Our digital content covering the Valley will continue with three newsletters per week focusing on business news, the community and The Lists.
The ways in which readers consume content is constantly evolving. We’re committed to providing award-winning content in all of the ways our readers choose to absorb it: in newspaper print, in various digital formats, in person through face-to-face events, and now, in magazine print. Regional business magazines are among the fastest-growing media platforms throughout the country, offering a unique reader experience. Adding this to our array of products expands our media footprint and only increases engagement with our readers. If you are a San Fernando Valley Business Journal subscriber, you don’t have to do anything. You will automatically become a subscriber of the new magazine.
While the look and name may be changing, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal spirit is engrained in its pages and shares its goal of continuing to serve the Valley business community in new and evolving ways.
Best regards,
Josh Schimmels
Publisher & CEO