Media 2023: MIKE REED
Reed has held USA Today publisher Gannett‘s top position since its 2019 merger with GateHouse Media owner New Media Investment Group, where he was CEO. Under his leadership, the company has not only been writing headlines but making them. On June 5, during Gannett’s annual shareholder meeting, hundreds of Gannett journalists walked off the job […]
Media 2023: KELLY TILL
In 2022, Till became the first woman to lead the Richmond Times-Dispatch in its 172-year history, after leading Southeastern U.S. regional advertising sales for parent company Lee Enterprises, a position she also holds. Before joining Lee, Till was an ad executive for The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press. An alumna of Old Dominion University, she serves […]
Graham to be chair emeritus of Graham Holdings
Donald E. Graham, majority owner of Arlington County-based Graham Holdings Co. and former publisher of The Washington Post, announced Thursday he would step down as chairman of Graham Holdings, although he plans to remain on the board as chair emeritus starting in May. Longtime board member Anne Mulcahy, former chair and CEO of Xerox Corp., […]
Gannett restructuring into two units
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc. is restructuring to create two new U.S. business units, the nation’s largest newspaper publisher announced last week. The units will be Gannett Media and Digital Marketing Solutions (DMS). Maribel Perez Wadsworth, based in McLean, will lead Gannett Media, while Kris Barton, based in the Los Angeles area, will lead DMS. “This […]
Roanoke Times union, Lee settle on new contract
The Roanoke Times newsroom union said Tuesday it has agreed on a new two-year contract with owner Lee Enterprises, following a brief picket line last week. Members of the Timesland News Guild, which represents 30 employees of The Roanoke Times and Laker Weekly, will receive 2% annual raises, and minimum full-time pay will rise about […]
Roanoke Times union pickets over wages, mileage
The Roanoke Times’ newsroom union staged its first-ever picket line briefly Monday as a message to the newspaper‘s owners, Lee Enterprises, which the union says won’t budge on requested salary and mileage reimbursement increases. Alison Graham, vice chair of the Timesland News Guild and a staff writer at The Roanoke Times, said earlier Monday that […]
Media matters
It’s hard to have a conversation about anything in the headlines, especially anything to do with technology or politics, without some blame being assigned to “the media,” as if there were one enormous unified communications cloud shaping all our collective thoughts. That would be enormous for certain, but the media is perhaps more consolidated than […]
Lee Enterprises rejects Alden’s $144M purchase offer
Lee Enterprises Inc.’s board unanimously rejected Alden Global Capital’s $144 million buyout offer made last month, saying it “grossly undervalues” the company and its newspapers, which include 31 publications in Virginia. “The Alden proposal grossly undervalues Lee and fails to recognize the strength of our business today, as the fastest-growing digital subscription plat[...]
Newsroom unions urge Lee to reject Alden’s offer
A dozen Lee Enterprises newsroom unions, including three in Virginia, wrote an open letter to company management Monday, urging Lee to reject Alden Global Capital’s purchase offer of approximately $144 million. “Alden has cut their staffs at twice the rate of competitors, resulting in the loss of countless jobs,” the letter reads. “They’ve fostered unhealthy […[...]
Alden Global Capital seeks to buy Lee Enterprises for $144M
Alden Global Capital, the hedge fund that owns The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press in Virginia, has proposed purchasing Lee Enterprises, the Iowa-based owner of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and most other major Virginia newspapers, for approximately $144 million, Alden announced Monday. If accepted, the $24 per share purchase price would consolidate 12 of Virginia’s daily legacy […]
Nine newsroom employees to be laid off at Roanoke Times
Nine newsroom employees at The Roanoke Times were notified of their pending layoffs Monday by parent company Lee Enterprises Inc., according to the newspaper‘s local newsroom union and multiple staff writers who spoke with Virginia Business. The layoffs, set to take effect April 23, would cut the editorial staff to 37 positions, a nearly 20% […]
Gannett to refinance $1.05B in debt
McLean-based Gannett Co. Inc., the largest newspaper publisher in the U.S., announced Monday it will refinance $1.05 billion in debt to lower its interest rates and extend maturity on outstanding debt. Gannett, which has struggled financially during the pandemic, in November 2020 announced it had refinanced approximately $500 million in debt to more quickly repay […]