Postmedia Network replaces 10 daily newspaper publishers with 3 regional managers
In a bold step for the company, Postmedia Network has fired three publishers, eliminated the position entirely and replaced oversight of its 10 newspapers with three managers for the eastern, Prairies and B.C. regions.
By Tamara Baluja
In a bold step for the company, Postmedia Network has fired three publishers, eliminated the position entirely and replaced oversight of its 10 newspapers with three managers for the eastern, Prairies and B.C. regions.
“What we have created is a functional reporting structure where specialized areas each report into one senior leader rather than duplicating so many efforts at each of our ten newspapers,” said Postmedia Network CEO and president Paul Godfrey in an internal memo sent Tuesday.
Marty Klyne, publisher of the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Guy Huntingford, publisher of the Calgary Herald and John Connolly, publisher of the Edmonton Journal, have been let go.
Gerry Nott, currently publisher and editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen, will take over control of the Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Windsor Star and National Post as senior vice-president for the Eastern Region. Alan Allnutt, publisher and editor of The Gazette, will manage the Prairie newspapers StarPhoenix, Leader-Post, Edmonton Journal and Calgary Herald. Meanwhile Pacific Newspaper Group president Gordon Fisher will continue to manage Postmedia’s two Vancouver-based dailies, The Province and the Sun.
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Marty Beneteau, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Windsor Star, will continue as editor-in chief at that paper. National Post's publisher Doug Kelly remains with the organization, said Postmedia spokeswoman Phyllise Gefland, although his new role has yet to be determined.
[node:ad]Postmedia’s revenue dropped 10 per cent in the second quarter, showing a $14.2-million net loss. These management shuffles are the latest in the series of moves to downsize the company and reduce expenses as advertising revenues fall.
“This much change takes careful consideration, planning and timing. In spite of that it may feel we’ve gone too far and too fast,” Godfrey added. “The leadership of our company believes these changes are the right changes to strengthen the operations of our business and allow for the acceleration of our strategy.”
Postmedia also announced several other management shuffles.
Lou Clancy will head up all content development and editorial functions across the organization as the new senior vice president of Content, while Wendy Desmarteaux will take charge of all digital operations as senior vice president of Transformation and Digital. Postmedia is also centralizing its sales operations and creating a senior group of sales leaders led by senior vice president for advertising sales Brandon Grosvenor.
Tamara Baluja is an award-winning journalist with CBC Vancouver and the 2018 Michener-Deacon fellow for journalism education. She was the associate editor for J-Source from 2013-2014.