by Ray Schultz
Source: www.mediapost.com, June 2022
Gannett Co., Inc. has created two new U.S. business units, Gannett Media and Digital Marketing Solutions (DMS), in a restructuring announced by the firm on Wednesday.
The goal is to ensure “our consumer and B2B businesses are strategically optimized for our next stage of growth,” states Michael Reed, Gannett chairman and CEO.
The Gannett Media unit will oversee content, news, B2B, print distribution and the subscriber journey—but through a digital-first lens, it says. Maribel Perez Wadsworth, president of news and publisher of USA Today at Gannett, will serve as president of Gannett Media.
“My focus is on strengthening our journalism — this is our mission — and dramatically diversifying our content portfolio for growth,” Wadsworth says.
DMS will function as a “differentiated marketing platform,” serving the company’s client base. It will help brands attract and retain customers, overseeing customer service, product and engineering, according to a report on the restructuring in USA Today. Kris Barton, chief product officer for Gannett, will serve as president.
In addition, DMS will build a complementary business model, offering do-it-yourself SaaS products for new customer segments, the company says.The unit includes LOCALiQ, a digital marketing service provider.
Prior to joining Gannet, Barton served as chief product officer at ReachLocal, as chief operating officer at Nero and in various leadership roles at Microsoft Corporation.
“We are a subscription-led business,” Barton said, according to USA Today. “That means that we are organizing this way to focus on that strategy.”
A spokesperson also confirmed that Kevin Gentzel, the chief revenue officer, and Bernie Szachara, the president of U.S. publishing operations, are leaving in the coming weeks.
Reflecting the shift toward digital, Gannett started eliminating the Saturday print editions of 136 brands in March, and reportedly was closing down 19 print newspapers and reforming others, while shifting reporters from local beats to regional.
