Butterworths closes titles acquired from THC

SINGAPORE: Butterworths, the legal publishing division of Reed

Elsevier, has closed a number of the magazines it acquired last year

when it bought THC Press, including flagship regional title Asian

Lawyer.

Other magazines that have been shuttered include regional title

Corporate Counsel and Singapore titles Straits Lawyer, Human Resources

and Financial Post.

Michael Evans, Butterworths Asia-Pacific chief executive, said the

magazines were losing money. "Revenue suffered following the September

11 terrorist attacks in the US so profitability suffered. We couldn't

sustain these losses," said Evans.

The company will retain its custom publications - newsletters produced

mostly for legal societies.

THC also publishes the Singapore 4As monthly magazine Ad Voice although

the 4As said its two-year contract has nearly expired and that a new

publisher would be appointed shortly.

Butterworths acquired THC Press partly because it wanted access to Asian

Lawyer's readership as Butterworths is in the business of selling books

to lawyers.

Since the take-over, THC lost some of its top executives. A few left

early this year to help establish rival company Key Media.