WaPo Digital-Print Integration: The Fast Track
This story was written by Staci D. Kramer.
Reading through some clips in the wake of the news that Jim Brady is leaving WashingtonPost.com, I was struck by the rapid shift from separate but cooperating news operations to Russian nesting dolls following Katharine Weymouth's promotion to Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) publisher and CEO of the Media Group:
Feb. 7, 2008: From the Washington Post: "Washington Post Media is designed to forge a closer relationship between the business functions of The Post newspaper and washingtonpost.com, while maintaining separate newsrooms and editorial decision-making."
Feb. 7: From an interview with paidContent: "Integration: I speculated earlier today that this could be a move toward integrating the business sides of the paper and the site while continuing to keep editorial separate. Weymouth: "I have no secret plans that go into place tomorrow." Instead, she says, "My approach is going to be to talk to as many people as I can at both and get a feel from there what works well separately, what doesn't. ... We're pretty confident that there are areas that really make sense to be separate." They want to be able to "be nimble and react quickly." But when I asked if it would remain separate no matter what, she replied: "I won't say 'no matter what' to anything you never know."
Apr. 11: Weymouth via memo: "I am taking this opportunity to move washingtonpost.com and The Washington Post closer to a true Washington Post Media organization rather than a newspaper company and an Internet company."
July 7: Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com, and Phil Bennett, managing editor of the newspaper and the top internal candidate for the job, will report to Brauchli, who is expected to move closer towards integrating the two operations.
Dec. 22: WaPo: "Brauchli, who started in September, took over editorial control of the Web site and newspaper. Weymouth and Brauchli are now studying ways to integrate the newsroom of the newspaper, which is based in downtown Washington, with the newsroom of the Web site, which is based in Arlington." Later, this was supplanted by: "Earlier this year, executives and editors concluded that bringing the units together would foster closer collaboration between the newspaper and the Web site. The units were merged into Washington Post Media, which is run by new publisher Katharine Weymouth. Weymouth tapped former Wall Street Journal editor Marcus Brauchli as executive editor of the Post, with responsibility for the Web site and newspaper. That put a layer of editorial control above Brady. Questions remain about how else the newsrooms will merge apart from the most senior positions."
By Staci D. Kramer