New company offers Advocate fresh start
Some readers noticed our staff was in a bit of a celebratory, sugar-infused mood on Monday as they posted photos of doughnuts and ice cream featuring Velvet Ice Cream and the hashtag #NewGannett.
The occasion? The launch of a new Gannett Co. focused purely on serving communities with quality journalism and effective marketing solutions for local businesses.
The former Gannett, now known as Tegna, will focus on its local television and digital properties, while our spin-off corporation, including USA Today and 92 community media sites such as The Advocate, will chart a new course. Thankfully, we keep the name.
While this does not signal immediate changes for our products, I’m excited our leadership will be focused on publishing local media while making strategic use of content from the nation’s largest network of journalists.
The new company’s purpose statement says it all: “We are a next-generation media company that empowers communities to connect, act and thrive.”
Many readers concerned about the future of local media, and more specifically newspapers, have told me Newark and Licking County need The Advocate to be successful.
We’re the only media company focused exclusively on the local community, cheering on its successes and leading debate on our collective challenges.
And our marketing services, albeit drastically different than in the past when we sold just print ads, are critical to helping commerce in our town. We still see amazing results after we profile local restaurants in the news and from advertising campaigns.
Our corporate change will help The Advocate, although I’ve cautioned staff and readers that dramatic changes in audience behavior require us to focus on the future, not how things were even a few years ago.
Consider that about 40 percent of our digital traffic now comes from mobile devices that barely existed a few years ago. That’s a seismic change we’ve handled well due to the high quality of our digital products, including our mobile apps, developed by the company.
Nobody will tell you this business move solves all of the challenges facing our business. But it does give us more control in how we serve you. And that’s good news for all.
The Advocate has chronicled this community for nearly 195 years, bearing witness to celebrations, tragedies and everything in between.
We’re planning a great celebration of 200 years in 2020. We hope you’ll join us.
Michael Shearer is executive editor of the Media Network of Central Ohio, including The Advocate. He can be reached at mshearer@newarkadvocate.com, 740-328-8820 or @AdvocateEditor on Twitter.