AY Drops Publication of Talk Business

There’s been a shakeup between former publication partners Vicki Vowell and Roby Brock.

Since 2012, Vowell Inc., which publishes Little Rock’s AY Magazine, had also been printing Brock’s bimonthly Talk Business Arkansas publication.

But late last month Brock announced that he and Vowell were no longer working together. According to Brock’s statement, he’ll be publishing his magazine through his company, River Rock Communications. Brock told Outtakes that he had no further comment beyond this statement.

“The good news is that we will not miss a beat as we bring the magazine back into the River Rock shop,” Brock said in the statement. “We will continue to produce the same first-class publication we always have since the beginning. Readers can continue to expect the same high-quality, insightful and fair business and political coverage we have built our reputation on for the past 15 years.”

Not only that, but Vowell’s company also seems to be planning a new magazine that may compete directly with Brock’s magazine. Vowell did not respond to repeated calls for comment, but her LinkedIn profile page lists her as the publisher of Arkansas Money & Politics, billed as “the state’s only business magazine that reaches affluent decision makers. Each issue provides uncompromising commentary, in-depth analysis and provocative features. The magazine is an essential guide for new entrepreneurs, women in business and existing business.”

Outtakes has learned that the publication will be bimonthly, like Brock’s, and that the first issue is slated to be released this spring.

Rex Nelson, author of the blog Rex Nelson’s Southern Fried, confirmed that he had written a cover story for Vowell’s publication.