When AV Specialist first launched in May 1991 the broadcast market in Southern Africa had been looking for a technical mouthpiece for a number of years. Several attempts had been made to launch a broadcast technology magazine but nobody had found the right mix of content and advertising to build and sustain a professional magazine. With the support of all the major domestic suppliers AV Specialist kicked off with David Jones as the advertising manager. 15 years later David is still with the magazine and we’re justified in our claim that AV Specialist is firmly established as the premier business-to-business technical journal for the broadcast, production and post-production industry in Africa.

It’s a matter of trust
“The pages of AV Specialist are where broadcasters and production companies go shopping,” says David. Approaching 70, he’s changed roles and is now the editor of the Africa edition of the magazine. Even though he’s turned his advertising responsibilities over to Alan Worsley, he’s still passionate about the magazine and our responsibility to provide value to our advertisers. “If broadcast suppliers are not investing a large part of their marcoms budget in AV Specialist they’re just not selling where their customers are buying,” he says. “Successful magazines, like AV Specialist, become brands in their own right. AV Specialist stands for authority and trust within the industry. We’re a credible and independent source of information and for 15 years, broadcasters have relied on us to keep them up to date on the latest technologies available – same publication; same publishing company; same people.”

Reaching the right audience
AV Specialist’s Africa edition is concentrated on delivering information to a highly targeted readership in Africa. “This makes each magazine a well-focused and relevant editorial product, which reader’s value,” says David. “It also attracts a quality readership who are receptive to our content. AV Specialist is an established marketplace for the broadcast industry and the most cost-effective medium for raising the image and profile of vendors active in this region.”
David believes strongly that the magazine’s local content is key to its success. “It is the local content that provides the sparkle to each issue,” he says. “Sure, readers want to know about the latest technologies that are available but more importantly, they want to know how these apply in the local market. In most of Africa, AV Specialist is the only broadcast magazine that many engineers ever see. Over the last decade we’ve attended many exhibitions in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Egypt and a host of smaller countries, and more often than not we’re the only magazine participating at these shows. We lead the way into Africa so that vendors have access to new markets. We blaze the trail and create opportunities that vendors can tap into.”

Trailblazing experience
This ‘trailblazing’ experience is another key element in AV Specialist’s success. “David and I have shared the AV Specialist dream for nearly 15 years,” says publisher Kevan Jones “and when I relocated to Dubai to launch the Middle East edition of AV Specialist I wanted to ensure that my place in Africa was filled by someone who shared my passion. That’s why, two years ago, we brought Alan Worsley into the team. Alan didn’t come from a publishing background. He’d spent the last 25 years working with broadcast technology vendors and had held senior marketing positions with the largest broadcast suppliers in Africa. He understands the needs of vendors active in this market and is able to develop marketing programmes that are uniquely relevant to them.” Two years down the road, how has Alan’s experience measured up to his expectations? “It’s not that different really,” admits Alan rather sheepishly. “During my time at Spescom Broadcast (the largest broadcast technology vendor in Africa) I spent a lot of time working with manufacturers trying to secure co-op funding for our marketing activities in the region. It was a slow process then and it’s a slow process now.” Alan is convinced that there are huge opportunities for manufacturers prepared to open lines of communication within the local broadcast industry. “Broadcast engineers and content producers in Africa aren’t any different to those in Europe or the USA,” he says. “They want to buy appropriate product from companies they know and trust – and when manufacturers leave Africa off their marketing and advertising schedule they’re doing themselves a huge disservice. How on earth do they expect to sell anything when potential customers aren’t familiar with their company, products or brand values?”
It’s a question the manufacturers need to address as a matter of urgency. “AV Specialist is an independent voice that can facilitate business in Africa,” asserts Alan boldly, “but manufacturers need to get more involved. The broadcast industry is changing and unless the manufacturers accept responsibility for marketing their own products and brand values they’ll not succeed in the African market.”
Alan concludes with an open invitation. “At AV Specialist we’ve all got lots of experience in the local broadcast industry and we also understand the needs of the market. If you’re serious in building your business in Africa you need to speak to us.”