The Gray Lady is looking to put a techie in its top spot, according to Bloomberg.
Here’s more on The New York Times’ search for a new chief executive.
“It has a big want ad. Apparently it’s looking for a tech-savvy CEO. … the company is hoping to reverse its six-year sales slump.”
On the short list — former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Akamai chief Paul Sagan.
A writer for Business Insider questions whether the Times knows what business it’s in.
“ … apparently because the NYT regards its future as "digital" and these two executives are from the ‘digital’ industry. Now, Eric and Paul are also two smart, excellent, butt-kicking chief executives, and if the NYT is just looking for a ‘capable CEO who understands the Internet,’ the NYT could certainly do worse.”
Other outlets report someone else is in talks for the Times’ number-one job — outgoing BBC chief, Mark Thompson. New York Magazine writes Thompson …
“ … has some experience as a new boss replacing a predecessor who was abruptly shown the door. He became BBC director general after Greg Dyke … was ousted because of a politically loaded scandal over the BBC's reporting on the lead-up to the Iraq War. That could come in handy.”
The Chicago Tribune points out a potential drawback for the talented chief exec …
“Cerebral and well read, with a background in BBC journalism, Thompson is not a born communicator and has sometimes struggled to get his message across, both to staff and to U.K. opinion formers.”
Thompson isn’t touted as one of the top tech-savvy candidates for the job. But a writer for Forbes says Hearst Magazines CEO David Carey could be.
“Hearst, though not a public company, is one of the more aggressive innovators among the big publishers when it comes to digital and mobile media. [Carey is] also a former longtime publisher of The New Yorker … his seven-year tenure marked the magazine’s return to profitability after many years of losses.”
