SDUT article from summer of 2003:

S.D.’s T Sector Magazine making major cutbacks

June 19, 2003

The cratering tech economy has claimed more victims.

The T Sector Magazine, which was launched in the wake of the New Economy boom
and focused on San Diego County’s emerging technology businesses, laid off most
of its editorial staff this week and said it would limit the number of issues it
would publish in the future.

“It’s just unfortunate that the publishing world is what it is today,” said
Larry Edwards, the magazine’s editor until yesterday.

Despite laying off most of its editorial staff, Katherine Harrington, the
co-owner and founder of The T Sector, said the company still hopes to publish an
issue bimonthly or quarterly. In addition, the company will focus on industry
networking events and continue to publish a daily e-mail newsletter.

“Really it will be business as usual,” Harrington said. “Internally it will look
different, but externally it will appear the same.”

The troubles plaguing The T Sector, the only local publication that focuses
exclusively on the area’s technology companies, are hardly unique. Many of the
magazines developed amid the mania that surrounded the dot-com era have vanished
like the companies they once covered. Such high-profile national publications as
the Industry Standard and Red Herring closed up shop as their advertising
evaporated.

Even the formidable Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones, have
seen ad revenue dwindle as technology companies have cut back on spending. Since
2001, Dow Jones has laid off 1,000 employees and left hundreds of positions
vacant, according to a report by The Washington Post.

The real surprise is not that The T Sector has experienced a setback but that
the magazine held on as long as it did, said Tyler Orion, executive director of
the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance, a nonprofit that supports technology
start-ups.

“I was really, really disappointed to hear about it,” Orion said. “But I have to
say I was amazed that they’ve lasted as long as they did given the economy.”

This was not how it was supposed to turn out. Conceived in the early part of
2000, The T Sector was envisioned by the husband and wife team of Robert and
Katherine Harrington as a prototype publication for other emerging tech markets
such as Austin and Phoenix. But by the time the magazine published its first
issue in November 2000, the tech economy was in a swoon. As the technology
sector failed to rebound in 2001, plans to expand into new markets were scrapped
and key employees were laid off.

“Reality is reality,” said Katherine Harrington about the tough economic times
and the layoffs of four key editorial staffers.

The triple whammy of the telecom bust, the September 11 attacks and the war in
Iraq left the company no choice but to cut key staff. Fearing the impending war,
companies did not budget for branding campaigns or print ads this year,
Katherine Harrington said. Instead local companies were more interested in
sponsoring networking events, which The T Sector will continue to organize and
promote.

But Orion said the monthly technology publication will be missed.

“It was more symbolic,” he said. “It was so meaningful for San Diego to have its
own technology publication.”

But The T Sector’s struggles shouldn’t be taken as a measure of the health of
San Diego’s technology scene, she added.

“I wouldn’t point to San Diego,” Orion said. “Is there any emerging technology
economy that can support a specialty publication?”

i have a 2002 issue and I am identical look alike to katherine harrington. I would like to contact her; can anyone help me.
Laura Keys