Bob Johnson Out At Newsday p. 11

Posted
By: George Garneau Publisher ousted after eight years at the helm;
differences in business philosophy with management of
parent Times Mirror Co. are cited as reason for the move sp.

IN A SURPRISE move, Newsday publisher, president and CEO Bob Johnson was ousted Nov. 2 over "differences in business philosophy" with the management of Times Mirror Co., the paper's corporate parent.
Los Angeles-based Times Mirror said Johnson resigned over the differences, but nobody was saying what they were because of a confidentiality agreement related to his severance package.
Newsday's own account paraphrased Donald Forst, editor of the paper's New York City edition, New York Newsday, as saying Times Mirror brass decided to remove Johnson around Labor Day but only informed him during the last week in October.
Replacing Johnson, 49, on the day he left was Raymond Jansen, 55, publisher and CEO of Times Mirror's Hartford Courant in Connecticut. A 22-year Newsday veteran, Jansen was introduced to staff by executives from Los Angeles.
Jansen was succeeded by Michael Waller, who moves up from editor and vice president to publisher of the Courant.
Also, Newsday deputy publisher Steve Isenberg was named the first publisher of New York Newsday.
It was no secret that Newsday has had more than its share of problems in recent years. They were topped by the latest figures showing a hefty 7.3% circulation drop, to 694,000, for the six months ending in September, compared with the year before. It was the biggest decline among the 10 largest U.S. papers.
Local press accounts cited Wall Street speculation about disagreement over New York Newsday, which has been losing between $8 and $14 million a year during its nine-year run in New York City.
For years, conventional wisdom, and consultants, have called for the demise of at least one of its two tabloid competitors, the Daily News or the New York Post, but that has not happened.
New York Newsday's circulation has dipped 16% to 230,000, while the core Long Island edition slipped 2% to 463,000, according to a Post report.
Although the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations FAS-FAX report was just released, circulation of the New York City and Long Island editions is not reported separately.
Because of a slow recovery from a steep advertising recession in the New York area, Newsday has trimmed about 600 jobs in the last few years.
Johnson, who started the city edition under David Laventhol before Laventhol moved up to corporate president, more recently oversaw costly developments in on-line services.
A former labor lawyer who took over as publisher in 1986, Johnson headed Newsday while it won three Pulitzer Prizes.
His removal comes during severe hard times for Times Mirror, whose earnings have plummeted as a result of sluggish advertising at its East Coast newspapers, a punishing recession affecting its flagship Los Angeles Times and costly restructuring at its professional publishing businesses.
For the three months ended Sept. 30, Times Mirror said net earnings plunged 32% to $52.3 million.
Despite speculation to the contrary, Newsday pledged to continue full support of the battle for New York City.
A spokeswoman denied Johnson's differences revolved around New York Newsday and pledged "more focus and more energy on New York than ever before."
"It's not going to get cut," she said of the staff of over 200 journalists plus advertising and circulation workers.
?( Bob Johnson) [Photo]

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