US: Tierney's plans for Philly papers generate mixed response
Brian Tierney is not a newspaper veteran. That fact underlines many of his goals for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News, aggressive plans generating support from some analysts and journalists while provoking unrest in others.
The new chief executive of the two papers and shared Web site Philly.com has vowed to push for greater media convergence, telling the New York Times, “This is exactly what I want to do, put our talented reporters on the air, on the radio, on other platforms and have our advertising department working for these win-win kinds of things.”
He also wants to pour investment and manpower into Philly.com, and he’s mentioned introducing specialty weekly publications. Using phrases like “opportunity for growth” and “branding,” Tierney says he plans to ambitiously market the papers as a “product” — language uncommon, and sometimes frightening, in journalism-speak.
It’s unclear what direction the papers will take under Tierney and Co. If the new owners interfere with editorial operations, there will certainly be problems. But given the staggering print readership declines and a weakening print advertising industry, Tierney's business-minded approach might be necessary in order to keep newspapers afloat.
Source: The New York Times
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