Government Executive Media Group buys CSNY

Government Executive Media Group has acquired City & State New York, a brand that covers politics, policy and personalities influencing New York government. No financial terms were disclosed. Growth Catalyst Partners provided financing to back the acquisition.

PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C., and New York, NY, (January 4, 2021) — Government Executive Media Group (GEMG), the market-leading information services company serving the insights, media, and marketing needs of government leaders and contractors, has acquired City & State New York (CSNY), the trusted brand that covers politics, policy and personalities influencing New York government. The announcement was made today by Tim Hartman, CEO, Government Executive Media Group and Peter Goldstone, Chairman, Government Executive Media Group. The acquisition was completed with financial support from mid-market private-equity firm Growth Catalyst Partners (GCP), terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition of City & State New York serves as a key driver in GEMG’s state and local growth strategy, providing a springboard to expand into new cities and expanding its unparalleled suite of tools that serve state and local government leaders, which includes Route Fifty (digital news and insights covering the state and local space with a national perspective) and The Atlas for Cities (online community and market intelligence platform serving local government leaders). GEMG is committing its infrastructure and investment to expand the CSNY model of building and sustaining valuable, influential local audiences, into other states and localities, beginning in 2021. First target geographies include all of the largest cities and state governments. California, Florida, and Texas are all on the horizon.

Based in New York City, City & State New York was founded by Tom Allon — one of the founders of “The Hill” — in 2006 as a monthly newspaper called “City Hall,” which covered NYC government in the Bloomberg era. In 2011, CSNY launched a weekly publication covering all of New York State, created its popular daily e-newsletter “First Read,” and started a monthly events series. Today, CSNY provides award-winning news, commentary and analysis across a weekly magazine and four daily e-newsletters. CSNY has become the must-read information platform for all elected leaders, lobbyists, political consultants, government vendors, government affairs professionals and others in the New York State government ecosystem. “First Read” is read by the 30,000 most powerful people in New York State. The company also produces more than 30 Power Lists and 50 prestigious events each year, engaging thousands of government leaders and vendor partners across New York State annually. CSNY has unmatched expertise in activating this powerful audience through customized information and events to best enable them to complete their missions.

“City & State New York has created an unparalleled model for driving local influence, convening the most powerful government leaders in New York, and empowering them to develop relationships that drive innovation,” said Tim Hartman, CEO of Government Executive Media Group. “Tom is an exceptional leader and his organization is well respected amongst all levels of New York government. Together we will explore ways to expand City & State properties in cities across the country. By combining this with the exceptional journalism at Route Fifty and the data and insights from our recent acquisition of The Atlas for Cities, we have built a suite of tools for government leaders that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the public sector.”

“Government Executive has achieved fantastic growth in its first year of partnership with GCP,” said Peter Goldstone, Chairman, Government Executive Media Group. “Government Executive Media Group’s newly expanded portfolio is redefining how government leaders access the information, data and insights they need to engage, connect and remain effective. The acquisition of CSNY along with the recent acquisition of The Atlas for Cities, positions the network for significant expansion, as we continue to build the most valued information and insights service for government professionals.”

As part of the acquisition, Tom Allon, CSNY founder and current President and Publisher, will become Publisher and General Manager of City & State New York. Tom will be focused on driving continued growth within New York State and on exploring new market opportunities, with the help of GEMG’s state and local footprint, to leverage the CSNY model to create similar deeply entrenched state and local capabilities across the country.

“City & State New York has built a unique and powerful audience of policy makers and thought leaders in all levels of New York government,” said Tom Allon, President and Publisher of City & State New York. “It is our mission to deliver the highest-quality journalism and analysis to our loyal readers. In GEMG, we have found a like-minded partner who can provide infrastructure and funding to accelerate our growth in New York State as well as into new markets. GEMG will help us provide additional value to our readers through their unparalleled journalism, data and insights, and marketing activations.”

CSNY will remain based in New York. There will be a period of transition over the next several months as the management team at CSNY and GEMG integrate together from an HR and infrastructure perspective. Grimes-McGovern and Associates served as broker for CSNY in this transaction.
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About Government Executive Media Group:
Government Executive Media Group (GEMG) is dedicated to providing federal, state, and local government leaders with trusted and useful insights and best practices to help them advance their organizations’ missions. Through its market-leading Government Executive, Nextgov, Defense One, and Route Fifty brands, GEMG reaches over two million government influencers nationwide across digital content, events and offerings.

About City & State New York:
City & State (CSNY) is dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics, policy and personalities. Its in-depth, non-partisan coverage serves New York’s leaders every day as a trusted guide to the issues impacting New York. It offers round-the-clock coverage through its award-winning commentary and analysis, weekly publications, daily e-briefs, events, Power Lists and more.