Natoli: Philly Needs Both Dailies

By: Joe Strupp Don't be surprised if Joe Natoli, the newly named publisher and president of Philadelphia Newspapers Inc., not only keeps the company's Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News going, but adds new or expanded products in the market.

While the 48-year-old Knight Ridder veteran, who takes over Jan. 1, would not provide specific plans for the top post as he replaces departing Publisher Robert Hall, Natoli hinted that his first impulse is more likely to increase revenue and advertising and make sure all potential markets are served rather than cut back publications.

"It takes multiple products to serve the market," Natoli told E&P Online, denying published rumors that part of his directive from Knight Ridder had been to reduce or close the smaller Daily News. "There is no plan to do anything like that."

Natoli, who comes to Philadelphia following a two-and-a-half-year stint as publisher of the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News, spent seven years prior to that at The Miami Herald. He said both of those newspapers, which print non-English language editions, taught him the value of serving readers in various ways. While that does not mean Philadelphia would get a Spanish-language daily any time soon, he did say that he would look to serve readers beyond the two major dailies. "It is not one size fits all," he said of the city's readership pool. "I have to get up there and learn the market."

In recent years, both newspapers have made dramatic efforts to change their images, with the tabloid Daily News going to a more magazine-style cover and the broadsheet Inquirer expanding its emphasis in suburban areas to draw circulation. Natoli declined to comment on those past moves, saying he would take a fresh look at the needs of each paper. "We start with two papers that have strong readership," he said. "I don't have all of the answers yet."

Those who have worked with or under Natoli in Miami and San Jose credit him for working well with both the business and newsroom sides of the papers he has managed. Most call him friendly and smart, but willing to make tough decisions.

"He strikes me as someone who is going to be a great publisher for Philadelphia," said Zack Stalberg, Daily News editor. "The signal he sends is that he really wants to grow the business."
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