Matt Sharp: Covering Over 130,000 Businesses

Matt Sharp, publisher of the Michigan Business Review, describes how his publication covers over 130,000 businesses in three distinct markets.

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Filed under: Finding Gaps | Livonia, MI | Matt Sharp | Michigan Business Review | Publishing

In this 5 and a half minute segment (download iPod compatible, 29MB), Matt Sharp, Publisher of the Michigan Business Review, describes his business and coverage area. The Michigan Business Review is actually a family of publications including the Western Michigan Business Review, the Ann Arbor Business Review, and the Oakland Business Review. Both the publications and the regions they cover are unique. Matt outlines them as follows:

• The Western Michigan Business Review (founded in 1996) covers twelve counties in Western Michigan with offices in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, the hub of the Western Michigan economy. The region comprises about 55,000 businesses with an estimated 35–40% of those in manufacturing (based on subscriber figures). The Western Michigan Business Review is the first business specialized publication focused on this region.
• The Ann Arbor Business Review (started in 2002) covers 10,000 to 12,000 businesses in the Ann Arbor area with an estimated 20% of those in manufacturing (based on subscriber figures). Sixty-five hundred to seven thousand of these are micro-businesses employing three people or less.
• The Oakland Business review (started in 2004) covers 60,000 businesses in Oakland County with and estimated 35–40% of those in manufacturing (based on subscriber figures). Businesses in Oakland County tend to be larger than those in Ann Arbor.

This interview continues our publishing series and will add a new perspective on how print publications are coping and even thriving in the digital age.