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| David Novak |
Comcast names David Novak, former CEO of fast-food company Yum! Brands and a Comcast board member since 2016, as chairman of SpinCo, the bundle of cable TV networks that it is getting ready to spin off into a separate entity. Along with USA Network and MSNBC, SpinCo’s portfolio is set to include Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine. Novak will give up his seat on the company’s board once the spinoff transaction is complete. Mark Lazarus, who takes on the role of SpinCo CEO in April, is currently chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group. SpinCo will be the second spinoff Novak has worked with, since Yum! was spun off from PepsiCo in 1997. “With David’s track record of driving growth and value creation at public companies, he is the ideal person to assemble and lead a world-class board,” said Comcast CEO Brian Roberts.
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Print media will face a big hurdle if Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs go into effect on April 2. According to the Columbia Journalism Review, about 80 percent of the paper used by US newspapers is from Canada. When tariffs on Canadian newsprint were temporarily imposed in 2018, such measures as staff layoffs, reduced page counts and print schedules, and even shutdowns followed suit. “There is no scenario under which this is cost-positive for the media industry,” Columbia Business School professor of professional practice Brett House told the CJR. In a brief issued by the National Newspaper Association, the organization said that in addition to increasing costs, the tariffs “will place an existential burden on small newspaper publishers who have no ability to purchase domestically produced newsprint because there is not enough supply.”
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| Trisha Gosser |
Gannett promotes Trisha Gosser, who has been with the company since 2007, to CFO. As SVP of finance and investor relations at the company Gosser played a key role in the merger of Gannett Co., Inc. and New Media Investment Group, Inc. She most recently served as deputy CFO, overseeing financial and strategic planning, data and analytics, and investor relations. Gosser will now lead the company’s finance functions including investor relations, financial planning and analysis as well as audit and compliance. “Gannett is fortunate to have a leader with her deep institutional knowledge and operational experience to enable the finance organization to deliver excellence and value to our stakeholders,” said Gannett chairman and CEO Michael Reed. In its Q4 2024 financial report, the company said it ancitipates digital grow of between seven and 10 percent for this year.
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