Really. No Kidding. We're Serious. We're Gonna Spill The
Beans
Yeah, yeah, we've been
hyping this project to distraction... but as soon as you find out
what we're up to, you'll see why. Like a number of other things
that we have dragged out a bit more than we prefer (and are finally
completing... honest), we're about to finally spill the beans on
everything associated with our most aggressive upgrade to the
Aero-News Network family of services, in other words, the
fire-breathing monster we've been calling "ANN 10.0."
What we're about to tell you is the product of many months of
study, planning, research, and expert advice from hundreds of
expert sources and consultants -- including some of the most
celebrated media minds in the business (including TWO Pulitzer
winners... no kidding). While we haven't tried to be all that
mysterious about what we have planned, we must note that this is
been a very fluid program that seems to have grown or morphed on a
daily basis. Until recently, much of it was still (very much) up in
the air. In the meantime, we've worked out the parameters of what
we could do, what we should do, and what the industry truly needed.
And so, we came up with ANN 10.0.
So... what is this all about? If you've been an observer of the
media and associated media industries over the last year or so,
it's not hard to mistake the fact that a massive revolution is
taking place. Old sources for news and information are falling by
the wayside, having to change their modus operandi or risk
obsolescence (or worse). Electronic media and print media are both
under the assault of progress, and the online world has been a
cornerstone for that change.
Nearly 10 years ago, when ANN first got started, we had a
feeling that things were going to change radically. But we have to
be honest when we say, right now, we had no idea how radical all
this change was going to be, and how it was going to affect
everyone. Now, more than ever, it's time for us to step up and out
as aggressively as we dare, not just because we can, but because we
now have the opportunity to play a major role in reshaping news and
information services for aviation and aerospace, as well as how
that information is related to everyone outside of our
Aero-world.

In just a few days, we will indeed spill our guts and finally
let you in on everything that ANN 10.0 can mean to you and to the
industry at large. But before I do that, I'm going to plant two
ideas with you with the intention of letting them sit for a little
bit before we actually take the wraps off this critter. The first
thing I wanted to discuss is the fact that while the online world
offers more opportunities for interactivity than ever before, that
I want ANN readers around the world to join us in a renewed and
more intensive partnership to work together so that we might ALL
stay informed of what's happening to the aviation industry -- and
(most important) how you need us to relate it to you. I want to
invite ANN readers the world over to "take ownership" of a piece of
ANN, and to get fully involved in the revolution that's taking
place in information services, especially the part of it that we
hope to play over the next few years.
What this means is this -- I need to hear from you. A lot. More
than ever. I need to hear from you, not just about news, but how
news affects you... and I need to hear more from and about how you
are involved in aviation. I want you to get fully involved as a
more involved partner in the revolution that we're undertaking, I
want you to feel welcome at any time to let us know what's
important to you, what we're doing -- right or wrong -- and how we
can all collectively make aviation a better place for those of us
who work and play among the skies. So... this is my invitation to
you -- become our partner, become more fully involved, and be very
vocal in making sure that this is as much your ANN as it is ours.
When you see all that ANN 10.0 entails, I think you get an idea of
how important this new partnership with our readership and
viewership must come to be.
There's another area
where were going to ask you to get more involved with ANN... and
this one isn't quite as altruistic, but it is equally important in
the grand scheme of things. ANN has, since day one, been a
surprisingly self-sustaining business. ANN has never lost a dime
(even in the early days when we barely made one). In those early
days, we were so fortunate to have so many who took it on faith
that we could do all that we said we would do, and supported us
unselfishly. You have no idea how thankful I am for all those who
supported us as sponsors, contributors, staffers, stringers, and
Aero-groupies. There is no way we would have survived this past
decade without all of you, collectively.
The ANN 10.0 initiative we are about to undertake (as you will
shortly see), is potentially the most aggressive aviation media
initiative in recent history. We are not just remaking ANN, we are
working to remake aviation media. I kid you not. This aggressive
initiative is going to be an expensive project, and will require
(more than) a doubling of our current staff, incredible equipment
investments (we're already into six figures), a bone crushing
travel budget, and the need for additional resources above and
beyond our norm. I think it's fair to say that while we're not only
going to be doubling our staff, we're going to be doubling and
(eventually) tripling our budget for the purposes of news
gathering, and to support a whole new group of new services.
What I'm going to ask is this: for those of you who do business
within the aviation community, and rely on ANN for news and
information, I'd like to ask for your help/support in spreading the
word of the value that ANN means to you and to the aviation
business. We've been extremely blessed to have a very strong "word
of mouth" following... in both our readership AND our relationship
with the industry. Our readers have been instrumental in
establishing ANN as THE dominant aviation news service out there...
and now more than ever, we're gonna be generating some serious
"buzz." So spread the word to everyone you know in the aviation
community... things are about to become even MORE exciting than
ever before.
Okay... enough of the
sales pitch for now. I will let you sit on this for a day or two
and then let loose with the full skinny. But here's a hint.
While the part of ANN 10.0 we're about to
reveal seems to suggest the direction we're undertaking, when
you hear it, please don't jump to the obvious conclusions.
The name for this program only suggests the teeny-tiniest tip of
the iceberg... and while we are adding new programming and new
media capabilities, it's not just those new goodies that are so
revolutionary... it's what we're going to do with them and how were
going to do it. Mark my words, with all hyperbole set aside, we
truly do believe that ANN's greatest contributions to the world of
aviation are just ahead of us.
A well-known and influential CEO of a major general aviation
company, upon being briefed with just a few of the highlights of
ANN 10.0, called our plan "A Game Changer."
We couldn't agree more.
So sit back for a day or two, take us up on our invitation to
get more involved with ANN, and as we make our plans more clear,
please let the aviation industry know that you would like them to
help support ANN and this new initiative.
And get ready for the next generation in aviation news and
information services... a small part of which we call
"Aero-TV."

I think you're going to like it.
Jim Campbell, Editor-In-Chief,
Aero-News Network