Long-time Sr. VP of Global Broadcast Jim Williams is retiring next month as the Associated Press consolidates management of its newspaper, broadcast and new media business units. The creation of a unified sales and marketing department will put all of AP’s business lines under Tom Brettingen in the newly created role of Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for AP. Brettingen, who had been Sr. VP in charge of the Global Newspaper Markets department, will now oversee all sales and marketing operations worldwide.
Under the restructuring, Brettingen’s new department will include: Jane Seagrave, currently VP of AP Digital, who becomes Sr. VP for Global Product Development; Sue Cross, currently VP of US newspapers online, who becomes Sr. VP of Global New Media and US Print and Broadcast Markets; and Joy Jones, currently VP, Global Business Operations, who becomes VP of Marketing Operations.
Eric Braun, VP of AP Television News; Ian Cameron, VP of AP Images, AP’s commercial photo division; and the regional directors of Global Newspaper Markets also will report to Brettingen.
"Markets are converging. Audiences and revenues are shifting. AP needs to manage the change, and consolidating business units will improve our ability to do that," said President and CEO Tom Curley as he announced the reorganization.
RBR/TVBR observation: Jim Williams has been running the broadcast operation at the AP for so long that he was the boss when our RBR/TVBR Executive Editor Jack Messmer was working at the AP’s Broadcast News Center in Washington, DC. We’ll not mention just how long ago that was. We wish Jim well in whatever he decides to do next.
