Remember back in July I did the interview with the Orlando Sentinel's Associate Managing Editor for Visuals, Bonita Burton, about the then-recent redesign of the print version of the Orlando Sentinel? Well, it turns out that re-design might have had roots further up the food chain, starting in March, with the hiring of Lee Abrams, a former radio innovator. Lee Abrams, Chief Innovation Officer for the Tribune Company (owner of the Orlando Sentinel) did an interview on the October 10th episode of On the Media:
"As the senior vice president and first ever chief innovation officer of the Tribune Company, Lee Abrams is spearheading some major changes in the newspaper business. This is Abrams' first foray into journalism and his leadership style is, well, different. Abrams discusses his infamous staff memos and his vision for the future of the newspaper business."Listen to the interview with Lee Abrams:
I thought the interview was great because (a) he's passionate, (b) he has IDEAS and (c) well, doesn't it make you happy that the company that owns the Orlando Sentinel even HAS a "Chief Innovation Officer?"
A Washington Post blog did feature on his move from XM Satellite radio to The Tribune Company in March 2008:
"Over the past couple of years, I've been fascinated with the concept of news and information as being the new rock and roll," Abrams said in an interview today. "There had always been music, but rock and roll took it to a whole new level, broke the rules, wrote a whole new playbook."Photo Credit
Abrams said he believes that the venerable news industry can undergo a similar revolution with creative leadership. Abrams has a long history as a radio innovator, but no experience in journalism.