A defining characteristic of this magazine is horizontal news and technical coverage of the oil and gas industry.
That means Oil & Gas Journal publishes material about operations in all of the operating streams: upstream, midstream, and downstream.
The mission, after all, is to tell the whole oil and gas story, which has a raw-material dimension (upstream), a manufacturing dimension (downstream), and a linking dimension (midstream). Thorough coverage of the oil and gas story requires attention to all three streams. And thorough comprehension of the industry requires an appreciation for how the streams affect one another and a sense of what's happening in each.
Hence OGJ's ambitious mission.
As technologies develop and an already complex industry becomes ever more so, however, specialization complicates the task. Engineers, scientists, and managers in the modern oil and gas industry work intensely in what can seem like technical tunnels. Keeping up with advances in a single professional discipline can be all-consuming.
Under these conditions, it's only natural for some professionals to feel incapable of devoting much attention to industry subjects outside their own activities. In response to the needs of these readers, OGJ 3 years ago compartmentalized its format to make material in the major operating categories easy to find. Yet even highly specialized decision-makers need to know what's happening in the industry beyond their immediate realms. In response to that need, OGJ remains committed to horizontal coverage.
Four times a month in print and daily on the worldwide web, OGJ delivers a timely and concise yet comprehensive briefing of important developments in the whole industry, all three streams of it.
In the technical parts of that briefing, the most narrowly focused specialists should find plenty to ponder. And crossover interest remains strong.
Subscriber survey
OGJ recently surveyed 5,000 subscribers to, among other things, assess readership across and within the industry's streams. The survey asked readers to indicate OGJ subjects that interest them. Respondents could select as many categories as they wished. The General Interest category didn't appear among the options.
Production drew the greatest share of votes from the 744 readers who responded, 58%, followed by financial and business issues, 51%. Other vote shares were exploration 49%, drilling 44%, pipeline and transportation 37%, refining 33%, gas processing 32%, and petrochemicals 24%.
Interest across industry streams was evident in the multiple votes.
Of 245 respondents selecting refining as an area of interest, for example, 81 also picked exploration, 79 drilling, 128 production, 135 gas processing, and 133 pipeline and transportation.
Among the 363 respondents selecting exploration as an area of interest, in addition to the 81 also interested in refining, there were 119 interested in gas processing and 137 interested in pipeline and transportation.
Predictably, respondents indicating interest in exploration also showed high interest in production (79%) and drilling (71%). Similarly, 65% of respondents selecting refining also picked petrochemicals.
The pipeline and transportation category reflected strong crossover interest. It drew votes from 69% of all respondents selecting gas processing, 54% refining, 43% production, and 38% each exploration and drilling.
According to these numbers, OGJ readers in significant proportions remain solidly interested in the full range of industry operations. The specialization of interest inevitable in the modern industry is apparent. But it hasn't segregated the streams or fragmented the audience.
This continuing breadth of interest partly reflects a tilt toward management among OGJ subscribers.
In the recent survey, 46% of the respondents identified their primary job functions as "company management." The next strongest category was "engineer/technical/geoscience," 34%. Other choices were "superintendent/ field professional/foreman," 2%, and "purchasing/consultant/other," 18%.
Managerial bent
A managerial inclination has long been a characteristic of OGJ's readership. We consider it both a product of and reason for horizontal coverage.
People who run companies and divisions of companies need to know what's happening not only in their own technical disciplines but in other specialties as well—the oil and gas story as OGJ tells it, in other words.
And for people who hope someday to run companies and divisions, OGJ would add that it's never too soon to start paying attention to developments in all three of the industry's streams.
Beyond the obvious career benefits, there's at least one other excellent reason to read regularly about all of the industry. Because its essence is human ingenuity, oil and gas happens to be the world's most fascinating business story.
