Light Reading Expands Into Asia With New Site & China Office

February 17, 2009 | 8:00 am

Light Reading Asia, a new regional Website covering the Asian communications market, will debut in April. In addition, a new Light Reading China office is announced in Beijing, headed by Sam Song, a China telco market veteran

NEW YORK, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), the leading research-led media and events company covering the worldwide communications market, announced today that it will be launching Light Reading Asia in April and that it has established Light Reading China, a new office in Beijing that will drive events, media, and research products for the Chinese telecommunications market.

Light Reading Asia will cover key trends and news with analysis targeted at communications service provider executives in India, China, and all the hot developing markets in the region. Light Reading’s staff of leading journalists drive the communications industry’s news cycle with a strong point of view and a healthy bit of attitude... a winning formula that has made Light Reading by far the largest telecommunications news and analysis Website in the world.

Led by International News Editor Ray Le Maistre, content for the site will be managed and written by a new LR Asia site editor. Other Light Reading group editors and analysts from the Heavy Reading team will also write for the new site, while the team at Pyramid Research, the leading market research and analysis company covering developing telecom markets that was acquired by Light Reading in Sept. 2008, will provide cutting edge market-specific content. Pyramid’s Asia team will write blogs and provide in depth reports, analysis, and commentary.

Light Reading Asia will offer communications industry online advertising, lead-generation programs, regionally focused Webinars, video programming, and events, including Broadband India 2.0, a two-city conference in September to be held in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Light Reading has also opened an office in Beijing and has named veteran China telco media professional Sam Song as Director, Light Reading China. Mr. Song will be in charge of taking leading Light Reading event brands such as TelcoTV and Ethernet Expo into China, as well as other research and online products that will be tailored to the Chinese communications marketplace. Previously, Song ran his own media and events company called World Sources, and has extensive prior telco journalism experience with Computerworld China and China Digital TV Magazine.

“The telecom market’s center of gravity is largely moving to Asia,” said Joseph Braue, Senior Vice President and Group Director of Light Reading. “Light Reading Asia will give the communications industry a targeted way to reach these coveted buyers of communications products and services across the region, while Sam Song will be creating focused event and media products for the Chinese market, which is still the primary growth driver of telco services in the region.

“As the media leader in the worldwide communications industry, we believe that despite the challenging worldwide economic climate, we need to continue to invest in the growth areas of this market,” added Braue.

    Contact:

    Amy Averbook
    Director of Corporate Marketing
    Light Reading
    averbook@lightreading.com
    212-925-0020 x112

About Light Reading

Founded in 2000, Light Reading (www.lightreading.com) is the leading online media, research, and focused event company serving the $3 trillion worldwide communications market. Lightreading.com is the ultimate source for technology and financial analysis of the communications industry, leading the media sector in terms of traffic, content, and reputation. Light Reading’s research arms, Heavy Reading and Pyramid Research, provide the most comprehensive communications research, market data, and technology analysis in close to 100 markets around the world. Light Reading produces nearly 20 targeted communications events including TelcoTV, Ethernet Expo New York and Ethernet Expo London, The Tower Summit @ CTIA, and Optical Expo, as well as focused one-day events tailored for cable, mobile, and wireline executives. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005 and operates as a unit of TechWeb.

About TechWeb

TechWeb (http://techweb.com/aboutus), the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million* business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created around our global face-to-face events, Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat, and VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading, Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek, TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, and Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb also provides end-to-end services including next-generation performance marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services. TechWeb is a division of United Business Media, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on number of monthly connections

About United Business Media Limited (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com)

United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing services company that informs markets and brings the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than 6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $2.5 billion.