Phantom Media acquires Busicom publications

“All these publications provide high value-added analysis and commentary of Australian political, national security and new military capability development and acquisition affairs,” said Phantom Media managing director Gerard Frawley. “They are a natural fit with Australian Aviation’s positioning as Australia’s highest selling aviation and aerospace publication. The acquisition of the Busicom titles will become the cornerstone of an expanded Phantom Media presence across the aviation, aerospace, defence and national security spheres.”

Editorship of the weekly DIAR.com e-Newsletter and Australian Defence Business Review will be assumed by current Australian Aviation deputy editor, Andrew McLaughlin. McLaughlin was recently awarded the National Aviation Press Club’s ‘Aviation Journalist of the Year’ for 2010, and also won the ‘Aviation Defence Story of the Year’ category.

Phantom Media’s acquisition of Busicom’s titles will continue to see the weekly Inside Canberra e-newsletter written by long standing editor, Rob Chalmers, however, all administration and financial matters will be transferred to Phantom Media. Phantom Media will also assume responsibility for publication of the Avalon Airshow 2011 trade show daily.

Commenting on the sale of its defence publishing titles, Trevor J Thomas, managing director of Co-operative Ventures, said: “Busicom titles have traditionally been recognised for their high analytical content and unmatched achievements in the production of new military capability acquisition data for defence business executives, such as our ‘DCP at a Glance’ spreadsheet. I am excited that the tradition we have established over two decades of publication will be carried on under the stewardship of Phantom Media’s award winning team.”

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has confirmed the appointment of Thomas, 55, to fill the newly-created position of senior communications manager for the Asia-Pacific region, based in Canberra.

“Not only has he established over the past decade a respected position as a defence analyst and commentator, but Trevor also brings with him commercial experience as an entrepreneur in his own right (having run his own publishing company), as well as wide experience in dealing with small, medium and large companies across Australia and New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region,” said Lockheed Martin Australia Ltd CEO, Paul Johnson, on January 12.

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“In his new role, Trevor will be responsible for advising on Lockheed Martin communications planning and direction over a broad geographic region spanning India through Southeast Asia and north to South Korea and Japan. He will also serve as Lockheed Martin’s chief media spokesperson, as part of his responsibilities to manage the development, planning and conduct of public relations and community programs to improve and support Lockheed Martin business objectives with the public, industry, stockholders and/or employees. In carrying out these roles, he will work to ensure alignment with the organisation’s communications functional strategy to enhance integrated positioning for the company.”