Gannett Co. (GCI) hired David A. Payne as chief digital officer,
filling a void left by the April resignation of Chris
Saridakis.
The move comes as newspaper companies struggle to derive enough
revenue from their online operations to offset continued declines
in their traditional print businesses as consumers and advertisers
shift to the Internet. Gannett in January posted a 5.2% increase in
revenue at its digital division, which includes the employment site
CareerBuilder, and digital revenue from across the entire company
rose by 10.2% to $271 million, or 19% of its total operating
revenue.
Companywide, the publisher has continued to struggle with
stagnant revenue in its print business.
Previously, Payne was president and chief executive of ShortTail
Media Inc., a video ad technology start-up he co-founded in 2008.
He earlier served as senior vice president and general manager of
CNN.com, a unit of Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) Turner
Broadcasting.
Saridakis now serves as CEO of marketing services at e-commerce
and interactive marketing company GSI Commerce Inc. (GSIC). In
April, Gannett had disclosed he would leave to pursue other
interests.
-By Matt Jarzemsky, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2240; matthew.jarzemsky@dowjones.com