POWER September 2013 - 6

SPEAKING OF POWER
Change and Continuity
E
ven if you missed Bob Peltier's retirement
signoff in last month's
column, you will have noticed that
something has changed. POWER has a new
editor at the top of the masthead (its 10th
in 131 years, according to magazine historian
Bob). Some of the changes are obvious,
including the fact that I have more
hair on my head and less over my lip than
Bob. If you look past appearances, you'll
learn that my PhD is in English while Bob's
is in engineering.
Unless you know both of us well, you
may not know that the past and present
top editor of this illustrious title have a
lot in common. We both have been professors,
so we appreciate the educational
value that POWER's content can provide.
We also both care about the brand's legacy-particularly
the print magazine-
while recognizing that its future depends
upon being accessible on multiple media
platforms. And we both prefer communications
via email rather than telephone!
You can reach me at editor@powermag
.com (preferred, because that reaches all
editors) or gailr@powermag.com.
For the decade and a bit that we worked
together as editor-in-chief and managing
editor, Bob and I made a fine team. Some
of what I know about publishing (I had
previously had a career that included various
roles in book, magazine, and newsletter
publishing) rubbed off on Bob, while
some of what he knows about the power
industry rubbed off on me. In other cases,
we learned together.
We had complementary skills and interests.
I came to the magazine from a business
that provided information services to
distribution utilities and their end users.
Bob brought a combination of prime mover
technology expertise plus engineering
theory and practice to the enterprise. On
matters of power politics and policy we
sometimes disagreed, but just as often we
seemed to more or less agree. The editorial
team of a good industry magazine
should be able to accommodate a range
of well-informed opinions, and I believe
you'll find that the new team we have and
6
are building will demonstrate diversity as
well.
Luckily for me, though Bob has retired,
he hasn't completely disappeared. He has
graciously agreed to stay available part
time as a consulting editor. You'll see his
name in these pages and on our website
which means flexibility and adaptability
are essential. To respond to shifting priorities,
we have another staffing change
effective this issue: Our colleague David
Wagman has moved from the editorial side
to the POWER events side. He'll be working
mostly on ELECTRIC POWER, webinars, and
As improved technologies enter the
operating environment, they sometimes
bring with them new risk factors.
with some regularity, but he'll also be available
to staff as the go-to tech advisor. Even
as I envy Bob's new, more leisurely pace of
involvement with the POWER brand, I am
grateful to have had a smart, reliable, and
qualified colleague for so many years.
Nobody Is Immune to Change
Meanwhile, the power industry isn't standing
still. That's why the weekly POWERnews
eletter (you can subscribe online)
and news stories posted throughout the
week on powermag.com are your best way
of staying current on the latest big stories.
This issue's cover stories on awardwinning
gas-fired Top Plants also indicate
some of the ways the industry is changing.
Unfortunately, as improved technologies
enter the operating environment,
they sometimes bring with them new risk
factors; our special reports on cybersecurity
offer information about current and
emerging ways to mitigate those risks.
The publishing industry also continues
to change-at an even faster pace. The media
options for delivering information-the
" platforms " -continue to proliferate, and we
are constantly evaluating how best to deploy
our resources to reach our audiences where
they spend their time. You'll be hearing more
about platform upgrades in future issues.
Powering On
Regardless of the challenges power generators
and media companies face, our
customers expect regular, reliable service,
www.powermag.com
other events, but you'll still see his name
in print and online now and then. And because
we need to fill the gap left by editors
who have moved into different roles,
we are advertising for a new technology
editor (see the announcement on p. 56).
In the meantime, the core of the familiar
POWER team remains hard at work. Ken
Maize, whose knowledge of the history
of power and its politics is voluminous,
continues to handle our MANAGING POWER
Direct eletter, the blog, and the occasional
print feature. Sonal Patel's keen interest
in international power issues and domestic
policy developments makes her the center
of gravity for news coverage (and those
wonderful BIG PICTURE infographics each
month). Tom Overton's unique background
in engineering, the nuclear Navy, law, and
publishing has made him valuable not just
as editor of our GAS POWER Direct eletter
but also as a social media maven and as a
flexible player in various supporting roles
across the POWER brand.
Together, we're determined to ensure
that POWER continues to be the industry's
leading source of information across print,
web, email, social media, and event platforms.
Over the next months I'll be sharing
some of the ways in which you, our diverse
audience, can take advantage of what we
offer to help to make the POWER brand,
and your businesses, even stronger. ■
-Gail Reitenbach, PhD is editor of
POWER. Follow her on Twitter @GailReit
and the editorial team @POWERmagazine.
POWER | September 2013
http://www.powermag.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER September 2013

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