So Long AVweb, Hello AVBrief

As some of you may already know, I was fired by Firecrown Media as Editor-in-Chief of AVweb on July 31, ending a 21-year career with what I, and many of you, consider to be one of the most topical, influential and informational aviation news sources anywhere. When I answered a flurry of text and phone messages last Thursday, it was with the knowledge that AVweb was strong, well respected and meeting the daily challenges that all media face in this evolving world of content delivery.

We had just come off enormously successful AirVenture coverage, AVweb was among Firecrown’s most financially successful titles and all indicators were pointed in the right direction. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was told my modest stipend for ensuring the beast was fed day in and day out was too much for the company’s budget and I was done, effective immediately. I was among three senior people let go on Thursday and Friday of last week.

I get it. Things change, goalposts move.

Except some developments over the past few months have given me cause for concern about AVweb’s continued role in the industry it has so passionately and vigorously covered, criticized and celebrated over the last 30 years. With these new developments, the process of creating the daily flow of news, videos, opinion and features has been disrupted and may be for some time. I believe this morning’s edition of AVweb Flash, the first since my departure, illustrates my point perfectly. By all means have a look for yourself.

There’s no magic to this work. Journalists all over the world do the same basic thing day in and day out, but an aviation publication benefits greatly by having editors and writers who are pilots or have other relevant aviation experience. In my mind, it’s crucial that those creating the content have that expert knowledge and experience to inform their writing.

I could go into great detail about what I think is going to happen to AVweb but I will leave it at this. It is going to fundamentally change and I don’t think it will continue to serve the audience and industry that it has for more than three decades. In my mind, that creates a void in the market and is the business justification for starting this new publication.

As new publications go, it will not be especially groundbreaking. AVBrief (good name, eh?) will look a lot like what AVweb has looked like and will never, ever use artificial intelligence to create articles, commentary or news items served to readers. Their actual intelligence would be terribly insulted by the error-riddled examples of AI editorial attempts I’ve reviewed. Firecrown is embracing AI as a productivity tool and cost-saving device to the point where AI competitions and indoctrination sessions have been held for staff. Quotas have been set for using AI as a fundamental content producer. A couple of weeks ago, one staff member was publicly recognized for being the first to reach 100 AI “projects” in his work.

Again, and I can’t stress it enough, AVBrief will never let AI write a story, do a product review or formulate opinions on the myriad issues facing this industry. It is really terrible at it.

So far, it’s just me, a wonderful IT guy who also happens to be pilot and some other volunteers who have put this inaugural edition of AVBrief together in the last three days. If you think there’s a place for a continuation of the traditional AVweb type of publication, please, please, please sign up for a free (always will be) subscription to AVBrief. This AVBrief Update is only going out to a few hundred people and we need thousands of subscriptions to ensure advertisers can spread their message to a receptive audience. Many potential advertisers are getting this first newsletter. If you have ideas on launching this new publication, please email me at russ@avbrief.com with any thoughts.

The great thing about AVweb was that our advertisers were also our readers and they knew the value it brought to the thousands of people who, like one of the pilots of that beautiful Constellation at AirVenture, started every day by catching up on the latest aviation news with us. We were gratified by the many people who approached us at the show to tell us how much they appreciated our efforts and to encourage us to carry on.

So we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We’re just trying to keep doing what we’ve always done but under a slightly different banner. Every issue will have a “News” section where we’ll tell you about regulatory stuff, new airplanes, crashes and the normal mix of aviation-centric news that we hear about and investigate every day. We will also have a “Smart Aviator” section where we’ll tell you about new products, do flight reviews and generally keep abreast of the best practices for maintenance and airmanship. You will find it very familiar.

To get this thing launched, we will need help but it’s pretty straightforward. The most important thing is to please sign up to receive the AVBrief Update Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (we will take it daily when demand warrants) and tell everyone you know in aviation about us. As we build momentum, we’ll keep you posted on our progress and try not to pester you too much with promotions and offers. We’ll have to do some of that but we don’t need to clog your inbox.

AVBrief will rely on advertising revenue to continue bringing the news to our readers, but our coverage will never be influenced by the finances. Advertisers who have dealt with AVweb in the past can expect the same kind of environment going forward with AVBrief.

The media landscape is changing rapidly, but some basics remain unshakable, especially for participants in specialized fields like aviation. You need a reliable, credible, unbiased and accurate source for information about flying safely and as economically as possible. Our pledge to you is to be that source.

Thank you very much.

Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief, AVBrief