A new corporate structure effective with the New Year will put Cox Radio, Cox Television and Cox Newspapers all under the umbrella of Cox Media Group, with newspaper veteran Sandy Schwartz, pictured, as President. Cox Radio will continue to be publicly traded, with Bob Neil as President & CEO. Bruce Baker was recently promoted to Exec. VP to head Cox Television and Doug Franklin will become Exec. VP of Cox Newspapers as Schwartz becomes responsible for all three media units. Franklin is currently Publisher of the Palm Beach Post.
“Bringing together our media operations under one organization creates efficiencies that allow us to strengthen Cox for the future. Working together, our businesses will grow to become more cost effective, learn more from each other and continue their leadership position in serving our markets,” said Jimmy Hayes, president and chief operating officer of Cox Enterprises.
With the three media units united under one umbrella, Cox Enterprises will have four major subsidiary groups: Cox Communications (cable, broadband, telephone & Travel Channel); Cox Media Group (radio, TV, TV reps, newspapers); Manheim (auto auctions); and Cox Auto Trader. The Adify Corp. and Kudzu.com will continue to operate out of the Cox holding company structure.
The businesses comprising Cox Media Group will include 17 daily and 26 non-daily newspaper publications, 15 television broadcast stations, 86 radio stations, more than a hundred digital services associated with these businesses and Valpak. Cox’s efforts to sell Valpak and newspaper assets in Texas, North Carolina and Colorado continue during this reorganization.
For employees of the Cox media outlets, nothing really changes at the local level. There will be some consolidation at the corporate level, resulting in smaller and more centralized human resources and finance operations. A Cox Enterprises spokesman says the reorganization should enhance future online and mobile operations for the media properties. The three units will now be working more closely together and, for example, will have access to each other’s research.
“All of the publications, stations and digital properties we operate within Cox Media Group will continue to compete as the leading source of news, entertainment and information in the markets in which they operate,” said Schwartz.
