News and Advertising: Hanging together or separately

When the nation’s key editors and publishers met in Washington this week, one of the topics was “Making the Publisher/Editor Partnership Work.” These days, that often means editors understanding they need to take down some of the wall with advertising departments, as Louis Hau describes at Forbes.com. That doesn’t mean giving up a bit of responsibility for producing an honest news report. It does mean being smart about finding the sweet spot where reader and advertiser interests overlap and both are served by cooperation between news and advertising. One example I can point to proudly is the Business Today section in the Wichita Eagle, now about 18 months old.  Editor Sherry Chisenhall, Advertising V.P. Wendell Funk and their staffs were in close contact all through the development of the section. It turned into an outstanding reader and advertiser success, as Sherry told the Readership Institute at Northwestern University.  The bottom line on cooperation is that profits, readership and advertiser satisfaction are all served when newsrooms and advertising departments find ways to cooperate.

A model media executive — Jay Smith

Jay Smith today announced his retirement as president of Cox Newspapers, which owns the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Austin American-Statesman, Dayton Daily News and other excellent local newspapers. I’ve known Jay since our first journalism class together at Ohio State 40 years ago. In my completely biased opinion, he’s been one of the outstanding media executives of our generation. The proof is in the quality improvements in the newspapers Jay has served as publisher (those above) and in other Cox papers in Palm Beach and elsewhere. Jay chaired the Newspaper Association of America, served on the board of Associated Press and held other key industry roles. In each case, he been an untiring advocate of quality journalism and the public’s right to know. He’s still a young man, so more great things are expected. In an email to friends this morning, Jay said:

The challenges facing newspapers are daunting, but the men and women of Cox Newspapers are up to the task. As long as we remember to exist for others, not for ourselves, we will do fine. How will it all turn out and what route will get us there? Darned if I know, but I’m confident of a good outcome. And may you never lose sight of the fact that newspapers and, increasingly, their Web sites are vital to an informed and active democracy. 

Jay goes out as he has always been, a class act.