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

FMI: I WANT MY Aero-TV!!!!