Bronstein's Job Change Was Months In the Making

By: Joe Strupp Phil Bronstein's decision to give up daily editor responsibilities at the San Francisco Chronicle for a new "editor-at-large" post at the paper actually goes back several months, according to Bronstein and Publisher Frank Vega.

Declining to offer specifics about the negotiations that led to Bronstein's new role that will combine community outreach with digital expansion, among other things, both men said the idea came about over time.

"At a minimum, several months, but probably more than that," said Bronstein, 57, who announced last week he would give up his post of seven years. Describing the past year of turmoil at the paper, he said: "It has been an endless rollercoaster ride of biblical proportions and it is pretty endless."

The ride includes last year's nearly 25% newsroom staff cut in the wake of revenue and circulation drops, with one estimate putting the paper's losses at $1 million per week.

"After 17 years of that, you look for a different adrenaline push," said Bronstein, who previously edited the San Francisco Examiner from 1991 to 2000 before taking over the Chronicle when Hearst bought the paper. On the economic demands, he adds: "It really requires a lot more attention than it used to in terms of the ratio with the creative input."

Ward Bushee, editor of The Arizona Republic, will replace Bronstein in the coming weeks. He did not return calls seeking comment late Monday.

Vega, who took over the Chronicle publisher's chair in 2004, said Bronstein's new role "is going to be positive for the newspaper." Asked how the new position came about, Vega said only, "it was just something that bubbled up through all of us talking."

"Phil's been here a long time, has a great reputation and is synonymous with the newspaper here," Vega added. "We have been talking on and off for months. We've had cuts and a lot of that is hard duty."

The job change also follows significant changes in Bronstein's personal life, which in the past had been fodder for tabloid and gossip pages.

Nearly four years after his divorce from actress Sharon Stone, which drew almost regular coverage in Hollywood, New York and San Francisco, Bronstein leads a quieter home life.

Married to Christine Borders in 2006, Bronstein also became a father for the second time just over a year ago when she gave birth to a boy, Caleb. Bronstein also continues to raise seven-year-old Roan, a boy whom he and Stone adopted in 2000.

"When you've got two kids at home, you've got a great family life, it causes you to think about what you are doing," he said. "You mix that with the opportunity you have to do new things."

Bronstein jokes that he gladly traded a public celebrity life for a more private home life. "My life has never been boring and it remains interesting," said the editor, who gained early fame with award-winning reporting of the Philippine revolution. "An incredibly rich experience. That is not to say there are not going to be incredible challenges, challenges in ways that are new."

The editor-at-large role will include expanded community outreach, said Bronstein. He linked that to the "Journalism of Action" doctrine he adopted last year in the face of cutbacks, which included the loss of former managing editor Robert Rosenthal.

"There is nothing like face-to-face discussions. I had not had nearly the amount of time to do that," he explained. "Whether it is a town hall-style meeting rather than giving a speech about the newspaper. We will look for different forums."

Bronstein also expects an expanded Web effort, including those that span other Hearst newspaper Web sites. "We are deep into the digital age and that will continue working with several different people," he said. "It would not be just about the Chronicle. I have spoken with several editors at those papers; that is something Hearst newspapers is very interested in. Working with other Hearst properties across the divisions. All of this would also benefit the Chronicle."