SAGE just bought book publisher CQ Press from Times Publishing. CQ Press was part of Congressional Quarterly Inc., which is based in Washington DC and has about 150 reporters, editors and researchers who cover US politics and public policy. It’s a unit of Times Publishing Company, based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The parent company publishes the St. Petersburg Times, a daily newspaper. I gather Times Publishing wants to concentrate its efforts on news in Washington and Florida, so sold off the book, directory, and research publisher to focus on the core businesses of CQ and St Pete Times. Sage says it will keep CQ Press just as is. It will be a separate division, stay in the District, and retain all employees and executives, including Publisher and President of CQ Press, John Jenkins, who has been with CQ since 1998, following stints at the Cobb Group, Questel-Orbit, and BNA. Call me cynical, but that’s what they all say.

Back in 1999, CQ bought Legislate from the Washington Post and is a trusted name in political news circles. SAGE should be a good home for CQ Press, since it has a strong presence in the academic market for both journals and books, not to mention the electronic formats so attractive to digital libraries.