Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • September 18, 2017 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS: Professional Services By Patricia Daddona pdaddon@HartfordBusiness.com W hen pressed about the benefits that will be brought to bear by Hearst's recent purchase of three Connecti- cut dailies, a magazine and eight weeklies, Hearst Newspapers President Mark Aldam had a simple response: "Scale matters." The acquisition in June particularly of the New Haven Register — "the paper we were most interested in" — brings Hearst's Con- necticut publication count up to eight dailies and 13 weeklies, plus the monthly Connecticut Magazine and twice-yearly Connecticut Bride Magazine, he said in a wide-ranging interview. The deal also expands Hearst's geo- graphic footprint, giving it its first toehold in central Connecticut with the acquisition of the Middletown Press. All told, Hearst will now be reaching 850,000 households — the largest aggre- gate readership in a state with a population approaching 3.6 million. What consumers — not just readers — have to look forward to as Hearst invests in its newly acquired news gathering organi- zations and sales teams is solid journalism, beefed up newsroom staffing, shared back- office resources and stories across news outlets, Aldman said. In addition, Hearst, which is a New York- based multimedia company with more than 360 businesses including cable TV networks, is introducing events to its Connecticut oper- ations, with two new events planned for 2018, said Paul Barbetta, president and publisher of the Hearst Connecticut Media Group. "We expect to add more as we evolve," Barbetta said. "We typically partner with event companies located in Connecticut and New York." Hearst's website GameTimeCT.com will also be rebuilt and modeled after the Houston Chronicle's Texas Sports Nation site, catering to all sports in Connecti - cut and featuring both interactive and reader contributions. "This is a Hearst Connecticut project and not confined to New Haven," Barbetta said. Aldam also said Hearst will unveil this fall a "game-changing" approach to interacting with readers. No further details were provided. Aldam and Barbetta declined to disclose the private company's financials, but they did say Hearst's newspapers group has experienced earnings growth in each of the last six years. "We are committed to developing, train- ing, educating and employing the largest local sales teams in every market we do business in," Aldam said, "and to retaining and upgrading the highest quality local journalism in those same markets." Expanded coverage Hearst's expansion in Connecticut comes at a time of much change and uncer- tainty in the media industry as fewer readers subscribe to print publications in favor of digital content. According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, total weekday circulation for U.S. daily news- papers — both print and digital — fell 8 percent in 2016, marking the 28th consecutive year of declines. Rich Hanley, associate professor of jour- nalism at Quinnipiac University, has been eagerly watching for changes at Hearst, and said the June purchases from 21st Century Media Newspaper LLC, a Digital First Media company, should prove good for the indus- try and customers. "There's a strong probability they didn't go into this guessing; they knew exactly what they wanted to do and they will ex- ecute that plan," Hanley said. "I expect them to deploy best practices from what they've learned across their company, and that's to the benefit of their readers because it's worked in other markets." Coverage of state news, UConn and news from the state Capitol will be spread across Hearst publications and constitute a priority, along with local coverage, Aldam said. The New Haven Register will also bring back inhouse its statewide political coverage, which it previ - ously outsourced to a third party. At least four Hearst reporters will be dedicated to statewide coverage, Aldam and Barbetta said. Ad campaign seeks to rebrand Hartford Club Q&A talks with Tony Cashman, pres- ident and CEO of Glastonbury integrated communications firm Cashman + Katz, about the Hartford Club's ongoing ad campaign and other industry trends. Q. Cashman + Katz helped launch the Hartford Club's first-ever major media campaign at the end of last year. What was involved in the campaign? A. When the Hartford Club approached us, it had been experiencing a significant drop in membership and new membership growth had slowed markedly, especially among the younger demographic. The Club was feeling its age and it wasn't alone. Simi- lar clubs around the country had been clos- ing up shop at an alarming rate, a failure to adapt to the changing times. This, along with some other factors had many question- ing the Club's viability. Fortunately, the Club had far more sup- porters than detractors, including a group of really dedicated directors, members and area business leaders with their hearts and their heads fully engaged in not just saving the Club, but rejuvenating it. That goal would require a rethinking of how to make the Hartford Club brand more relevant to a younger generation in a much more highly competitive environment. It needed a re-positioning, perhaps the Club's first real repositioning in decades. We joined the supporters and worked closely with them to develop that new posi- tioning and a multi-touchpoint campaign to articulate it. The campaign includes televi- sion and radio advertising, digital tactics, print and outdoor. Q. What were the challenges around trying to change the perception of the Hartford Club, which had been experiencing finan- cial troubles in recent years, and making it seem more amenable to a younger and more diverse membership? A. The biggest challenge was making the Club relevant. Not just to a younger demo, but in a social and business environment quite different than when the Club was in its heyday. Quite simply, the core of what the Club provides — social interaction and busi- ness networking — is now more often done online. To paraphrase one of our ads, people today connect through social media instead of by being social. Our positioning had to acknowledge that reality while showing how the Club can augment your online life with "Real Life Connections." Q. What impact has the campaign had? A. Facing foreclosure only two years ago, the Hartford Club is certainly on the upswing, with growing membership and a recent reinvestment resulting in some very exciting renovations to the physical Club. The reposi- tioning, along with the amazing efforts of the Club directors and staff have helped achieve some bold membership goals. The most important impact though is a renewed energy and spirit within the Club and its member- ship. It really feels like The Hartford Club is back, and has a very promising future. Media Giant As newspapers struggle, Hearst bets big on Connecticut's media industry Tony Cashman President and CEO, Cashman + Katz The New Haven Register's newsroom is preparing for changes as its new owner, Hearst, prepares to invest more in its journalism and expand its sales team. Hearst now also owns a toehold in central Connecticut with its purchase of the Middletown Press. Rich Hanley, associate professor of journalism, Quinnipiac University Mark Aldam, President, Hearst Newspapers PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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