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| Kevin Merida |
Los Angeles Times editor Kevin Merida is exiting, effective Jan. 11. Merida was named executive editor at the Times in May 2021 after stints as EVP and editor-in-chief at ESPN and managing editor at the Washington Post. According to the New York Times, Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the LA Times in 2018, said in a note that he and Merida “mutually agreed” that Merida should depart. According to the NY Times report, Merida and the Soon-Shiong family have been at loggerheads over such issues as editorial decisions and business priorities. Last June the LA Times axed more than 10 percent of its staff due to economic difficulties. Soon-Shiong said the search for Merida’s successor will include both internal and external candidates.
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| Arthur Bochner |
News Corp brings on Arthur Bochner, who most recently served as VP, strategic communications at the Walt Disney Company, as chief communications officer and EVP following the retirement later this year of Jim Kennedy, who has been with News Corp for over a decade. Kennedy’s decision to retire was announced last October. Bochner will begin at News Corp this month, working with Kennedy and his team during the transition. He will be based at News Corp’s headquarters in New York. “Arthur has vast and valuable experience at the highest levels of business and government, which will enable him to play a vital role in News Corp’s continuing growth,” said News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson.
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| Lindsay Horrigan |
Hearst Magazines names Lindsay Horrigan SVP, consumer growth officer, a new position at the company. Horrigan joins Hearst from Wayfair, where she served as chief marketing officer of Perigold, Wayfair's luxury home decor marketplace, and Birch Lane, a specialty brand. Before that, she was global head of consumer marketing and general manager of subscriptions at Bloomberg Media. With a focus on digital customer engagement, Horrigan will be responsible for leveraging data and insights to help drive growth across the company’s consumer revenue streams, including subscriptions, membership operations, commerce and licensing. “Her innovative approach to engaging consumers and strong business acumen will play a critical role in our long-term growth strategy,” said Hearst Magazines president Debi Chirichella.
Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has replaced CEO and former California Congressman Devin Nunes with Kevin McGurn, a seasoned media sales executive.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is being bought by the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, a nonprofit that is the parent organization of the Baltimore Banner... The British Broadcasting Corporation is axing approximately 2,000 jobs, about 10 percent of its work force... Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is also succumbing to layoff fever, announcing plans to lay off 16 percent of its employees, about 1,000 people.
CBS News Radio will go off the air on May 22, part of the axe-swinging managerial plan put into play by CBS editor-in-chief Bari Weiss... The Economist, which was first published in 1843, is changing hands. Canadian billionaire Stephen Smith has agreed to acquire a 26.9 percent stake in the publication from Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, her family and family foundation... Nexstar Media Group says it has closed its acquisition of TEGNA, the broadcast, digital media and marketing services company that was formed in 2015, when the Gannett Company split into two publicly traded companies.
USA TODAY brings on Jamie Stockwell as VP of news, effective March 30. Stockwell was most recently deputy managing editor of news for the Washington Post... YouTube expands its likeness detection capabilities to a pilot group of government officials, journalists and political candidates... The AP Fund for Journalism adds 50 news organizations to its local news program, bringing the total number of participating newsrooms to 100. 
Versant Media Group, the NBCUniversal cable TV spin-off, today reported its first financial results as 2025 revenues dipped 5.3 percent to $6.7B and standalone EBITDA dropped 9.1 percent to $2.2B.
