Just as journalism in general has adapted and evolved over time, from partisan papers to yellow journalism and muckraking, to gonzo journalism, individual publications have adapted over time to serve evolving readerships and industries. Three years ago, two Scranton Gillette Communications publications, Roads & Bridges and Water & Wastes Digest, collaborated to serve a growing industry sector they shared, storm water management. With the proliferation of environmental concerns, regulations and new technologies, what began as an annual supplement has evolved into Storm Water Solutions, which will be issued bimonthly.
But the story begins much earlier than 2004, about a century earlier. H.P. Gillette, a former editor of Engineering News Record, started a company called Engineering and Contracting Publishing Co. in 1905. The company’s first publication, Engineering-Contracting magazine, evolved into Roads & Bridges, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.
In 1922, Gillette took over Water Works, a publication founded in 1882 as the first independent magazine serving the water industry. Adapting to a rapidly changing industry, Water Works eventually evolved into Water & Wastes Digest.
Meanwhile, Engineering and Contracting Publishing Co. went through some changes of its own, while remaining family-owned, and eventually became Scranton Gillette Communications, Inc.
Getting back to 2007, in serving yet another growing industry, storm water management, Scranton Gillette Communications has launched the newest addition to its publishing tradition, Storm Water Solutions.
And just as the newest phase of journalism has floated into cyber space, individual publications have adapted by creating websites and providing additional online content. Storm Water Solutions’ website, www.estormwater.com, not only offers online versions of the current issue’s feature articles, but also the most recent storm water news, archived case studies and technical articles, a calendar of storm water conferences and training events, as well as an online Buyer’s Guide.
Storm Water Solutions also offers Runoff, a monthly e-newsletter that serves as a source of additional information on popular topics. Each edition includes a feature article, a related article from the archives, and the latest storm water news and products.
One of the most exciting things about this new journalism frontier is the ability to instantly access and exchange information. I encourage you to e-mail me your thoughts, whether you would like to respond to or critique a particular article (as one reader did in the letter to the editor on Page 7), or simply let me know what issues are important to you out in the field and what topics you would like to see covered.
I hope after perusing this first issue of Storm Water Solutions, you look forward to reading more—and, with your feedback, participate in the publication’s development in serving this dynamic industry.
