Jim Edwards Takes the Helm of BNET's Ad Blog

BNET Pharma blogger Jim Edwards dons a new hat today as he takes on the additional responsibility of shepherding the BNET Advertising blog. As managing editor at Adweek in the late 1990s, Edwards covered the Madison Ave. agencies and their up-and-coming digital rivals, and has continued to write for both Adweek and its sister publication Brandweek in recent years.

In addition to stints at APBnews.com, Brill's Content and the New Jersey Law Journal, Edwards has been a Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. He has also won the Neal award for business journalism, an S.P.J. award for investigative journalism, and the N.J. Press Association's Public Service award.

Edwards brings a sharp eye to coverage of the ad business as a downturning economy and the ongoing migration of advertising to the Web put traditional business models through the wringer. In his inaugural post, he gives a close read of recent comments by Omnicom CEO John Wren that strongly suggest layoffs and bonus cuts are in the offing at the huge ad-agency holding company. Check it out.