PennWell Acquires Leading Public Safety Media Business

TULSA, Okla., Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PennWell Corporation, a diversified global media and information company, announced today that it has acquired the Elsevier Public Safety Group including flagship magazine JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Services), JEMs.com, and the EMS Today Conference & Exposition (the JEMS Conference), EMS Insider newsletter, along with FireRescue magazine, FirefighterNation.com, FireEMSblogs.com, Law Officer magazine, LawOfficer.com, and the publishing contract for APCO's Public Safety Communications magazine from Elsevier, Inc.  Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

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Elsevier Public Safety was founded in 1980 as JEMS Communications, with JEMS magazine published continuously since then as one of the most iconic brands in the emergency medical services (EMS) market.  During the last 32 years Elsevier Public Safety expanded to become the only media company serving all four key public safety segments – EMS, Fire/Rescue, Law Enforcement and Communications.  The management and staff will join PennWell and remain based in San Diego. 

Robert F. Biolchini, president and CEO of PennWell, said, "The Elsevier Public Safety business is a rare and perfect fit with PennWell.  We have long pursued JEMS magazine, known as the 'Conscience of EMS,' and which has earned its reputation as the #1 leading title for EMS due to the quality and integrity of its editorial content in print and online which match PennWell's high standards for excellence.  PennWell is equally enthusiastic about the EMS Today Conference & Expo, the largest and most prestigious training conference and exhibition for EMS, and we envision many expansion opportunities for this event on other continents."

Biolchini continued, "This acquisition also gives us additional strength in the fire sector with FireRescue magazine and FirefighterNation.com as complementary to PennWell's Fire Engineering and Fire Apparatus magazines and FDIC (Fire Department Instructors Conference), the world's largest annual training conference and exhibition for the fire service.  With Law Officer magazine we will fill a needed new presence in law enforcement along with our role as publisher of Public Safety Communications magazine.  With an outstanding team led by Jeff Berend, PennWell expects to continue to develop and expand these great products and will be positioned as the only business-to-business media company serving all sectors of the public safety industry.  PennWell is pleased to add this perfect fit that we have sought to acquire for the past ten years."

JEMS magazine was founded by the late James O. Page, known as the "father of modern EMS" because of his contributions to the field.  As a young firefighter in the early 1960s he was a pioneer in teaching CPR and helping develop EMS.  Page later became a battalion chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the first director of North Carolina's statewide EMS system, and a writer and technical consultant for the 1970s television show Emergency!  Along with founding editor Keith Griffiths, JEMS magazine was conceived and launched and today serves a monthly qualified readership of more than 47,000 as the most authoritative source of EMS information worldwide, reaching field providers such as paramedics and EMTs, as well as instructors, supervisors and EMS administrators.  JEMS.com provides daily news, videos, training, jobs, networking and product information for over 150,000 unique visitors each month, and the EMS Insider monthly newsletter reports on legislative and legal issues, billing and reimbursement and other vital topics for EMS executives. 

The EMS Today Conference & Expo, held annually each Spring, celebrated its 30^th anniversary during its March 2012 conference in Baltimore and is the longest running and most highly regarded event in the EMS industry.  EMS Today provides education and networking opportunities to over 5,000 attendees each year, with 115 conference sessions and 257 exhibiting companies covering 54,000 net square feet of exhibit space.  In 2012, the EMS Today Conference & Expo introduced a co-located event, the International Conference on Disaster and Terrorism Preparedness.  EMS Today 2013 will be held March 5-9 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

FireRescue Magazine, started in 1983 and published monthly, serves a qualified readership of over 53,000 with a focus on fire chiefs and company officers.  It is a premier media partner of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC).  FirefighterNation.com and FireEMSBlogs.com have attracted a loyal following of over 610,000 unique visitors per month.   

Law Officer magazine, launched in 2005, is published ten times per year for a qualified circulation of 36,000 trainers, middle managers, and heads of specialized units in law enforcement.  Its digital newsletters and web site, LawOfficer.com, are experiencing rapid growth with over 180,000 unique visitors monthly and 215,000 social media followers.

Public Safety Communications is the official magazine of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), with Elsevier Public Safety as the publisher for the past six years.  With a qualified readership of over 13,000 each month made up of members of the prestigious association, Public Safety Communications and its e-newsletters and websites serve leaders of 9-1-1 dispatch centers and radio/field personnel.

Jeff Berend, vice president/publisher of Elsevier Public Safety, and his San Diego team will report to Lyle Hoyt, senior vice president and group publisher of PennWell's Fire and Dental Groups.  PennWell's Fire Engineering magazine is the company's oldest magazine and the oldest one for the fire service, published since 1877.  FDIC (Fire Department Instructors Conference) is also the oldest conference and exhibition for training firefighters, having started in 1928.  FDIC is held each Spring in Indianapolis with an exhibit floor covering 425,000 net square feet for 820 exhibitors to show their products and services to over 28,000 firefighters.  PennWell also publishes Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment magazine which it acquired in 2010.  

According to Berend, "We are honored to be part of the PennWell family, which is such a respected provider of information and training for the fire service.  In that mission we are kindred spirits and admire PennWell's aggressive goal of serving all facets of public safety.  We look forward to tapping into PennWell's strong reputation earned over its 102 year history for excellence in print, conferences & exhibitions, and digital media in several strategic markets around the world. We're excited to accelerate our growth in these markets under PennWell, expanding our international reach and providing even better service to public safety practitioners and advertisers alike."

About PennWell Corporation

Founded in 1910, PennWell Corporation is a privately held and highly diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries:  Oil and gas, electric power generation and delivery, hydropower, renewable energy, water and wastewater treatment, waste management, electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, optoelectronics, fiber-optics, aerospace and avionics, LEDs and lighting, fire and emergency services, and dental.  PennWell publishes over 130 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research and database services. In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Company has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire; London, England; Houston, Texas; Mountain View, California; Fairlawn, New Jersey; Moscow, Russia; and Hong Kong, China.

Contact:   Jayne Gilsinger
918-832-9303; [email protected]

SOURCE PennWell Corporation