BtoB Media Business - May 2012 - (Page 25)

People On the Move Magnotta named CIO of Summit; three execs leaving company Brian Magnotta has been named CIO of Summit Business Media, succeeding Dave MacDonald, who had held the title of CTO and who is leaving the company. Summit Business Media CEO Steve Weitzner also confirmed that two other executives—CFO/COO Thomas Flynn and VP-Human Resources Kathy Schneider—have left the company. Successors to Flynn and Schneider have not yet been named. Magnotta was most recently CTO of Ziff Davis Enterprise before it was sold to QuinStreet in February. Weitzner, who was CEO of ZDE, said the moves are part of a remaking of Summit Business Media to take better advantage of digital opportunities and marketing services. He also detailed other moves designed to boost “cross-company collaboration.” He named James E. Green, formerly group editorial director of Summit’s life and health group, to VP-content, a new position in which he’ll oversee all the company’s editorial. Weitzner has also named Elliott Markowitz, formerly senior VP-editorial director at ZDE, as director-strategic content, a newly created role in which he oversees Summit Business Media’s custom content efforts. Last month, Weitzner named Peter Westerman chief audience officer, also a new position. He had held a similar post at ZDE. Weather Channel hires Hecht as chief global revenue officer Weather Channel Cos. has named Curt Hecht chief global revenue officer, a new position. Hecht was most recently CEO of Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi Nerve Center in Paris. At the Weather Channel, Hecht will oversee the company’s international business and lead digital and cable ad sales. He will report to ChairmanCEO David Kenny, a co-founder of digital agency VivaKi. PROFILE Carter expands ALM’s info, digital offerings New president-CEO looks to combine databases, content BY JAMES PODOLNY B ill Carter, previously senior-VP of Thomson Reuters’ small law business unit and an executive at legal research provider LexisNexis, joined ALM as president-CEO in March. He brings a strong background in technology and legal information services to a company looking to diversify its product offerings and strengthen its digital presence. Carter, who advertised products in ALM publications and partnered with the media company to create custom marketing programs at his previous jobs, said he will approach the job from a customer’s perspective. “I’ve been in the legal in- formation services space. I have a good picture of where the market is going, where a lot of the other companies in the space are trying to go, so I can help [ALM] get to where they want to be from [a] technology perspective in the next five years,” Carter said. Carter said he will look to expand ALM’s legal research and information product offerings, adding that there is an increasingly blurry distinction between media companies and information providers. “I don’t think any company, at least in this legal information market at this point, positions in one bucket or the other,” Carter said. “We are blending [and] going to be on both sides of that equation as we go forward.” Carter sees significant growth opportunities in database products. In early April, ALM released Smart Litigator 2.0, an upgraded version of its Smart Litigator (a state-specific legal research tool that provides access to legal resources and original content). The enhanced Mobile media platform Mag+ names Hano CEO Mag+, a mobile media platform for magazines, has named Gregg Hano as its CEO. Hano, who most recently was Bill Carter Company: ALM Location: New York Title: President-CEO Big Move: Thomson-Reuters VP takes over ALM to facilitate its digital transformation and strengthen its information product offerings Core Responsibilities: Ensuring content remains engaging, strategic planning and developing new products version, available in New York and New Jersey editions, features a more user-friendly interface, added content and improved navigation. Although he declined to give exact figures, Carter said there has been a noticeable uptick in subscription rates since the introduction. ALM also plans to release an enhanced version of VerdictSearch, a research tool that includes an expansive verdicts and settlements database as well as original content and trend analysis, in the near future, Carter said. “We have a lot of content that we generate from our reporters and editors [while] getting our newspapers out,” he said. “If we take that content and actually form a his- torical database, and start to analyze it, I think there are things we can do on trends and in analysis that would provide a deeper level of insight to our audience.” He added that increased audience engagement will in turn help ALM attract more advertisers. Carter said he will also focus on strengthening ALM’s presence on tablets and mobile devices. According to Carter, ALM’s audience of legal professionals, traditionally thought of as slow to adopt new technologies, is moving online faster than previously anticipated and credits the iPad with spurring that transition. “[The iPad] has taken off so much faster than anybody had imagined; I see now [with] a lot of legal professionals that this is their main way of interacting with all kinds of contents and products that they have in the marketplace,” he said. Carter added that ALM is also starting to optimize its digital content for mobile browsing and is in the early stages of creating a mobile app.  senior VP-corporate sales at Bonnier Corp.’s technology group, succeeds Staffan Ekholm, who will return to Stockholm to focus on international expansion for Mag+. While working in Bonnier’s technology group, Hano was a driving force behind Popular Science’s iPad app, which debuted two years ago and relied on Mag+ technology. mediabusinessonline.com | May 2012 | Media Business | 25 PEOPLE http://www.mediabusinessonline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BtoB Media Business - May 2012

BtoB Media Business - May 2012
Contents
Peter Goldstone returns to Hanley Wood
Our ninth annual selection of cutting-edge leaders
Building databases grows list rentals
Sales & Marketing
M&A
Audience Development
Events
Production
People
Benchmarks
Incoming ABM chair takes stock of industry

BtoB Media Business - May 2012