Volume 2, No. 6. March 22, 2002
Allied
force
In
a marriage of strengths and mediums, THE LOOP is formally forging a partnership
with the industry newspaper Amusement Today. Officially launching April
1, the partnership will manifest most in a new Web site, www.amusementtoday.com,
that will be run by Minton Enterprises, LLC, publishers of THE LOOP.
"It
just fits," said Gary Slade, publisher of Amusement Today, which begins
its sixth year covering the amusement industry with its April issue. "We do
so much together anyway we needed to find a way to combine efforts that was
good for both of us. We found a way that will also change how news is delivered
to the industry."
In
particular Slade means a special feature of the new Web site, a page titled
Extra Extra that will contain breaking news stories as they develop. The stories
will then be expanded with the reporting of complete details in the semi-monthly
LOOP or the monthly Amusement Today.
In conjunction with the Extra Extra updates, THE LOOP will start running an Extra Extra box that will be continuously updated with headlines of new items posted on amusementtoday.com. This way, readers can have a quick source to breaking news. THE LOOP will continue to be delivered free via e-mail notifications with the posting of each new issue the second and fourth Fridays of every month.
Though other web sites offer amusement industry news, amusementtoday.com will
feature the combined efforts of Amusement Today's team and Minton Enterprises,
two organizations grounded in journalism with strong connections throughout
the industry. Further, the partnership combines the strengths of the two organizations:
Amusement Today is the industry's most respected publication among manufacturers
and parks, especially in North America, while THE LOOP brings to the mix Eric
Minton's nine years of experience covering the amusement industry—including
zoos and haunts—plus international connectivity and a strong web presence
that already draws more than 8,000 visitors per month.
While both entities remain separately owned, the alliance also represents a
combination of advertising efforts. Amusement Today will take on the
bulk of ad sales for THE LOOP in addition to selling amusementtoday.com and
the newspaper. With all three outlets advertisers will be able to purchase maximum-exposure
packages through cooperative advertising.
At the least the alliance clears up confusion, both for readers of the two publications
and the publishers themselves. THE LOOP, which was first developed in 1999 as
a column for IAAPA's Funworld Magazine, launched as a web site in February
2001; a month later, as a freelance writer, Eric Minton joined the Amusement
Today team as the Ohio Bureau Chief. Both publications occasionally shared
information and traded out advertising, and THE LOOP operated out of the Amusement
Today booth at the 2001 IAAPA Trade Show. Nevertheless, the two entities
competed for editorial and advertising.
Now, they combine forces, keeping what makes each special, adding a breaking
news element and making the whole more affordable for advertisers and more accessible
for readers. "It marks a new beginning for reporting news to keep our readers
better informed," Slade said. Meanwhile, it marks the end of confusion and competition
between two good friends.
