JRC, MediaNews Unite As Digital First Media

Journal Register Co. and MediaNews Group have joined forces as Digital First Media, the companies announced today. JRC CEO John Paton lead the new entity, as well as serve on MediaNews Group's CEO and on its board of directors.
By
NetNewsCheck,

Journal Register Co. today announced the formation of Digital First Media Inc., which will manage JRC and MediaNews Group Inc.

JRC CEO John Paton will serve as CEO of Digital First Media. Paton was also appointed CEO of MediaNews Group and will serve on the company’s board of directors as part of the agreement.

Story continues after the ad

“This allows these companies to accelerate our digital first strategy of transitioning from what have largely been print-centric businesses to modern, multiplatform media companies focused on local news and advertising,” Paton said in a release. “I am very excited to be working with MediaNews Group and the Journal Register Company teams. This initiative creates a local news powerhouse with more than 880 multiplatform products in 18 States serving more than 57 million Americans per month for the benefit of our communities, customers and employees.”

The arrangement provides MediaNews and JRC with the ability to leverage the combined scale and expertise of both companies for their mutual benefit, the companies said.

“Media News is intent on continuing its transformation from a print-oriented newspaper company to a locally focused provider of news and information across multiple platforms. At the forefront of our efforts is developing a successful digital strategy. With ‘Digital First,’ John has implemented just such a digital strategy for Journal Register Company. We are delighted to tap into John’s experience as we accelerate further our successful transition to a digital world,” said Dean Singleton, who will step down as CEO of MediaNews Group. Singleton will remain chairman of MediaNews Group.

Edit Article

Related Links

Tags

Comments (0) -

Today's Top Stories

Classifieds

The Market

Symbol Last Change (%)
Nasdaq 2874.04 +0.00 (+0.00)
NYSE 7570.46 -22.36 (-0.29%)
S&P 500 1324.80 +0.00 (+0.00)
Updated 05/17 9:48a ET Quotes delayed at least 20 mins.
Source: Financial Content
Opinions
Features
Ideas
  • Mobile And The Media's Imploding Biz Model

    Michael Wolff: "If the news business on the Web is depressing, contributing to the existential angst that has gripped every established news organization, mobile turns the story apocalyptic: there is no foreseeable basis on which the news establishment can support itself. There is no way even a stripped-down, aggregation-based, unpaid citizen-journalist staffed newsroom can support itself in a mobile world."

  • WashPo Ombud's Paywall Analysis Is Faulty

    Ryan Chittum: "You can't compare nine months of circulation-revenue changes to 12 months of ad-revenue changes and then say the former 'didn't even cover the decline in the latter.' That's like giving somebody a 100 meter headstart in the 400 meters and then talking about how the laggard couldn't even compete, even though they ran faster than the rest of the field."

  • The 'Sharing' Mirage

    Frédéric Filloux on the benefits and pitfalls of teaming up with content distributors: "Media should be very careful with their level of reliance on other content distributors such as Facebook, Google, Apple or Amazon. This can be summed up to a simple question: can we trust them?The short answer is no."

  • Paywalls Open Doors For Local News Sites

    Howard Owens: "As a matter of business reality, when an incumbent business moves deeper into sustaining innovation it opens up opportunities for disruptors. In every market where a newspaper puts up a paywall, an opportunity is created for an entrepreneur to start a local online news business."

  • For Future Of News, Killer App Is Credibility

    Robert Hernandez, an assistant professor of professional practice in journalism at USC Annenberg: "With technology empowering everyone with the ability to create and to distribute, I predict — and wish — that in 2012 the new dominating factor will be Credibility. Actually, earned Credibility."

  • Layoffs, Cutbacks Lead To News Deserts

    Tom Stites: "Desertification is on the march, claiming more and more communities as newspapers continue to wither and few Web efforts manage to replace more than a fraction of the original reporting that newspapers have abandoned."

  • Moneyball: Fixing Newspaper Web Sales

    Mel Taylor: "Today's Newspaper industry is like that once great, but now struggling baseball team playing on a new, hyper-competitive field called the Internet. The veteran print team is stuck in a rut using the same, tired strategy that did serve them well for years, but no longer. Today, they get trounced by those with more money and muscle."

  • The Metric For Missed Expectations

    Matthew Shanahan: "Here’s the problem: [Click-through rates don't] take into account audience engagement, not to mention the fact that other advertisers are competing for the click-through on the same page."

  • View More Opinion & Commentary

     

This advertisement will close automatically in  second(s). You will see this ad no more than once a day. Skip ad