Plain Dealer to have home delivery only three days a week

Plain Dealer to have home delivery only three days a week

CLEVELAND – April 4, 2013 – A new digitally focused media company, the Northeast Ohio Media Group, will launch this summer to help meet the rapidly changing needs of local readers and advertisers. The President of the new company will be Andrea Hogben, currently Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at The Plain Dealer. The Northeast Ohio Media Group will be responsible for all ad sales and marketing for The Plain Dealer and oversee the operation of Cleveland.com and Sun News. The Northeast Ohio Media Group and The Plain Dealer Publishing Company will provide content for all print and digital platforms.

Also seeking to address rapid changes in the way people can and want to receive news and information, The Plain Dealer Publishing Company will adopt a new home delivery schedule for its newspaper. Beginning late this summer, The Plain Dealer will continue to be published in print seven days a week, readily available at thousands of outlets throughout Northeast Ohio, with home delivery offered three days a week, including Sunday. All 3-day home delivery subscriptions will include access to the 7-day e-edition.

The Plain Dealer Publishing Company, which will continue to publish The Plain Dealer, will be led by Virginia Wang as General Manager. Wang, who is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Plain Dealer, will oversee production, distribution, finance, information technology, accounting and other support services provided to The Plain Dealer Publishing Company and Northeast Ohio Media Group.

These moves were announced today by Terry Egger, Plain Dealer President, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer, who will become Chairman of The Plain Dealer Publishing Company before retiring at the end of the year.

“These actions are aimed at driving innovation, capitalizing on the tremendous strengths of our existing organizations, preserving high-quality journalism and marketing solutions, and providing greater efficiency and flexibility in serving Northeast Ohio through print and digital applications,” said Egger.

Egger emphasized that while staffing decisions have not been finalized, the planning process should be completed later this summer.

“I’ll be working closely with Andrea, Virginia and our local management teams at The Plain Dealer, Sun News and Cleveland.com to finalize our plans over the coming weeks and months,” Egger added. “We’ll also be working with advertisers to discuss their needs and opportunities, and keeping readers informed and preparing them for the transition.”

Hogben said, “We are committed to delivering quality journalism and building a sustainable business in an increasingly digital era. We will continue to evolve in ways that best serve our community and meet the needs of our readers and business partners.”