Biz Buzz for August 2007: Overhaul at the top of the Journal

By Chris Roush croush@email.unc.edu

OVERHAUL AT TOP OF WALL STREET JOURNAL

New Wall Street Journal ME Marcus Brauchli didn’t waste any time. Less than one month into his new job, Brauchli announced an overhaul of the top editors at the paper.

Bill Grueskin, (right) ME of the Wall Street Journal Online, becomes deputy managing editor for news. In his role, Grueskin’s mission is to draw on the news resources at Dow Jones to ensure that each edition of the Journal — online, Asia, Europe and the U.S. — is getting the right content at the right time, without detracting from its core commitment to long-form, deeply reported narrative and analytic journalism.

Grueskin oversees a melding of the online and print Journals and a rethinking of how the paper approaches and produces news. The combined news desks will report to him, as will the South Brunswick news teams under AME Alan Anspaugh. In addition, Grueskin will oversee the U.S. bureaus and work with bureau chiefs.

Alan Murray becomes named executive editor of online. Murray oversees a wide domain, including The Wall Street Journal Online, and will continue to manage the Dow Jones relationship with CNBC. Dave Callaway, ME of MarketWatch will report to him.

Mike Miller, for the last seven years a Page One editor and before that editor of the Marketplace page, becomes the Journal franchise’s DME for enterprise journalism. He will oversee the Marketplace section, under editor Melinda Beck; the Personal Journal section, under editor Hilary Stout; Weekend Journal, under Eben Shapiro; the Pursuits section, under Tom Weber; and the special reports, under Larry Rout.

Dan Hertzberg, now senior DME, becomes DME for international news. In that role, Hertzberg will oversee the Journal’s overseas editions, as well as the foreign bureaus. Hertzberg will relocate to Europe, allowing him to overlap with most key time zones.

The managing editors in Asia and Europe, Christine Glancey and Jesse Lewis, will report to Hertzberg. He also will work closely with the Journal’s new partners at Financial News in London and will work with the business side of the Journal in developing new editorial products internationally.

Laurie Hays, the national news editor, becomes DME for projects. In that role, Hays oversees investigative teams and works with editors, bureau chiefs and reporters across the paper to develop significant projects and manage surges of coverage on big, complicated stories. She also will be charged with developing computer-assisted reporting skills.

Mike Williams, an editor in Europe and the editor responsible for the Journal’s energy coverage, returns to New York as page one editor. A veteran foreign correspondent, Williams has also been a deputy foreign editor.

CHANGES AT BUSINESSWEEK

Ellen Pollock, a long-time editor and reporter at The Wall Street Journal, becomes executive editor at BusinessWeek in mid-July. She replaces John A. Byrne(left), who becomes executive editor/editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com, the print pub’s Web site.

Pollock most recently was deputy Page 1 editor at the Journal. She edited two Pulitzer Prize-winning series — one in 2003 on corporate scandals and another in 2005 on people living with cancer.

Pollock, 52, started at The Journal in 1989 as an editor for legal affairs, and then spent years as a senior writer covering, among other things, the Whitewater real estate scandal. Before joining The Journal, she was the editor of Manhattan Lawyer magazine, and a writer at The American Lawyer magazine. She worked with current BW editor Stephen Adler at American Lawyer and The Journal.

In his new role, Byrne becomes responsible for the editorial operations of BusinessWeek.com and will push the collaboration between the print and online editorial staffs. BusinessWeek.com averaged more than 6.7 million unique users per month in the first quarter of 2007, a 22 percent increase from the first quarter 2006.

As EE of BusinessWeek, Byrne has served as the day-to-day leader of the business magazine. Byrne succeeds Kathy Rebello, who leaves to pursue other opportunities. He will continue to report to Adler.

Byrne rejoined in August 2005, after serving as editor-in-chief of Fast Company magazine. Prior to joining Fast Company, he worked for BusinessWeek for nearly 18 years, most recently holding the position of senior writer and writing a record 57 cover stories for the magazine.

In another move, Rob Hunter becomes AME for features at the magazine. He had been senior editor for finance since November 2005.

REORGANIZATION MEANS NEW TITLES IN ATLANTA

A reorganization in the newsroom of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution means new job titles for the top editors in the business news department, according to an internal list.

The reorganization has created two content departments. One is called “News & Info” and the other is called “Enterprise.”

Henry Unger, who was the deputy business editor, is now the “business and sports editor” on the “Enterprise” team. The reorganization is being phased in, and Unger started his new job on July 9.

Dean Anason and former SABEW board member Gertha Coffee, (right) who had been assistant business editors, are now “line editor/business” under ”News & Info.” Another assistant business editor, Scott Thurston, is now the “Dispatch desk editor.”

There are also two production departments. One is called “Print” and the other is called “Digital.”

On the “Print” desk, Bill Steiden is the new “Nation/World/Business editor.” In addition, former SABEW president Susan Wells is listed as the “Homefinder/Homestyle editor.” Wells was the paper’s business editor back in the 1990s and the early part of this decade before going to the editorial page.

Earlier this year, former SABEW board member Mark Braykovich left his spot as business editor to become a PR person for an Atlanta law firm. He was replaced by Dorrie Toney, a former assistant business editor, on an interim basis. Toney is now on the paper’s “Digital” desk as “senior coordinator of initiatives and strategic channels.”

HENNESSEY TO RUN FOX BUSINESS CHANNEL WEB SITE

SABEW board member Ray Hennessey becomes managing editor and director for the Fox Business Channel website. Reporting directly to Fox News EVP Kevin Magee, Hennessey will oversee all editorial content and design function of the website.

The website is expected to launch later this fall when the channel launches.

In making the announcement, Magee said, “Ray has a renowned background in this industry, with a proven track record of journalistic integrity and keen news judgment. We are thrilled he’ll be joining us in this new venture.”

Hennessey (left) was the editor of SmartMoney.com, where he was responsible for all the financial editorial content, television operations and technology. He also had a weekly appearance on CBS News, providing financial commentary.

Prior to that stint, Hennessey was the news editor for Dow Jones & Co. and CNBC-Wall Street Journal Television from 1998 through early 2006. There, he managed the personal-finance and fund-industry coverage at Dow Jones Newswires and appeared on CNBC’s Dow Jones Halftime Report, as well as serving as a regular guest host of Wake Up Call. Additionally, Hennessey wrote the IPO Outlook column for The Wall Street Journal.

BOSS WATCH

Peter Gumbel becomes Europe editor of Fortune. Gumbel was previously at Time in Paris where he was a senior writer covering European business and politics. Based in Paris, Gumbel becomes responsible Fortune’s European coverage. He previously worked for The Wall Street Journal…Nancy Salem (right) becomes the new editor of the New Mexico Business Weekly. Salem replaces Dan Shingler, who left the company in May. Salem is the former business editor and features editor at the Albuquerque Tribune...Joe Scolaro becomes biz editor of the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago, replacing James Kane, who transferred to an editing job on the city desk. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin who joined the Daily Herald seven years ago, Scolaro held various local news editing jobs in the paper's Fox Valley and Lake County offices. Kane had been business editor since 1990 and was looking for a new challenge...Tom Sims becomes Asia business editor of the International herald-Tribune and will be based at the newspaper’s Hong Kong bureau. He previously edited the paper's Marketplace finance section.

UPPER EAST SIDE

Diane Weaver Dunne, worked at the Hartford Business Journal since 2001, leaves the paper to become director of communications in the Connecticut treasurer’s office…Marine Cole joins FinancialWeek as a reporter covering banking and corporate debt. She previously was at Dow Jones Newswires…Former Bloomberg retail reporter Andria Cheng joins MarketWatch as a reporter covering consumer products, athletics and retail…Gillian Gaynair, who covered diversity issues for The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot, joins The Washington Business Journal to cover retail, tourism and hospitality. Also Neil Adler takes over banking, financial and professional services at the weekly, and Erin Killian moves to chief reporter for the Web desk.

DOWN SOUTH

Leo John, tech and utilities reporter for the Triangle Business Journal, becomes the paper’s special reports editor.

MIDWEST MOVES

Cleveland Plain Dealer deputy biz editor John Kroll leaves the biz desk after 21 years to become the paper’s News Impact Editor, working on its increasing online efforts. His former duties included the biz desk’s online work and a weekly podcast. Randy Roguski, the medial team editor, takes over as deputy biz editor. Kroll had been deputy biz editor since 2000 and personal finance/personal tech editor from 1996 to 2000…Biz copy editor Ron Nies, biz reporter Greg Patterson and biz reporter Susan E. Peterson leave the Minneapolis Star Tribune through its voluntary buyout program…Nick Reiher becomes biz editor at the Joliet Herald News in Illinois. He had been editorial page editor. Former biz editor Bob Okon, is now covering the Joliet city beat, while Will County reporter Cindy Cain moves to the business beat as its primary writer….Jim Coates, who wrote the “Binary Bits” and “Ask Jim” tech columns for the Chicago Tribune, retires after 40 years at the paper.

WEST COAST WATCH

Glenn Bunting, the former deputy biz editor of the Los Angeles Times who took the newspaper’s buyout earlier, accepts a job at the Sitrick & Co. PR firm…Vindu Goel, (left) an editorial writer and blogger at the San Jose Mercury News, moves back to the biz section to become a columnist. Goel, who joined the paper in 1999, is a former assistant biz editor and biz editor at the paper…Assistant biz editor David Tong leaves the San Francisco Chronicle…Dave Lester, who has been reporting on government and water supply issues for the Yakima Herald-Republic, takes over a new beat called ‘growth and economic development.’...Michelle Dunlop is the new aerospace writer at The Herald in Everett, Wash., where the Boeing Co. assembles its wide body jets, including the new 787 Dreamliner. She had been doing the job on a temporary basis while Bryan Corliss attended Columbia University on a Bagehot fellowship. After completing the fellowship and earning a master's degree in business journalism, Corliss has joined Washington CEO magazine as a senior writer.

GLOSSY GOINGS

James Pethokoukis becomes AME for the “Money & Business” section of U.S. News & World Report. Pethokoukis, formerly a senior writer, replaces Tim Smart, who was recently promoted to ME…Amy Choi joins BusinessWeek Small Biz as a staff writer. She previously was at Women’s Wear Daily…Lew Bryson takes over the beer column on Conde Nast Portfolio’s web site from senior editor Ken Wells…Mark Kemp becomes a senior editor at monthly Business North Carolina.

AIRWAVE ACTION

Brian Shactman joins business news network CNBC as a general assignment reporter. Shactman anchored “NBC 30 News Today” at WVIT-TV NBC 30 in Hartford. Before assuming full-time anchor duties, he was a reporter and sports anchor at the station.

AND THE WINNER IS….

The Wall Street Journal series on backdating of stock options, which two months ago received a Pulitzer Prize, as well as the Louisville Courier-Journal’s examination of safety of coalmines are among the winners of the 2007 National Press Club Awards. James Carroll of the Courier-Journal won the Washington Correspondence Award for his articles on coalmine safety. Carroll used databases and shoeleather reporting to examine unpaid fines levied on mines by federal safety regulators. His stories prompted Congress to give the Mine Safety and Health Administration new powers to collect fines. The Journal team of Charles Forelle, James Bandler, Mark Maremont and Steve Stecklow won the Consumer Journalism Award for its series exploring the abuses of stock options in pay packages for corporate executives.

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Posted July 25, 2007