New publisher for ‘New York Times’
Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. hands reins to son.
The publisher of The New York Times is handing off the reins of the venerable news giant to his son after guiding the company through the rise of the Internet.
Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., 66, will relinquish the post at the end of the year after a quarter-century in the role. He will be succeeded by A.G. Sulzberger, continuing the family dynasty that has controlled the newspaper for generations.
“Over his career, and in particular during this past year as deputy publisher, A.G. has displayed superb leadership skills,” Robert Denham, presiding director of The Times Company’s board, said in a statement. “He asks smart questions, he challenges, he exercises excellent judgment and he makes things happen. His reputation as a fine journalist and digital strategist is well-earned. As publisher, Arthur has positioned The Times for future success and the board is confident that A.G. is the right person to succeed him.”
At 37, A.G. Sulzberger’s rise was meteoric but not unexpected. He was appointed as deputy publisher of The Times in 2016, setting in motion a plan of succession that many industry observers viewed as inevitable. He is the sixth member of the Ochs-Sulzberger family to lead the organization since the late 1800s.
The senior Sulzberger guided The Times through a period of tremendous upheaval for journalism, which is grappling with the decline of print advertising revenue.
He joined The Times in 1978 as a correspondent in the Washington bureau and served in many other roles before becoming assistant publisher in
1987 and then publisher in 1992. Four years later, The Times launched its website under his guidance.
While The Times has made job cuts in recent years to shave off some of its print-focused operations, including a recent round of reductions to its copy editing staff, the company is now surging with a boost from paid online subscriptions.
During Sulzberger’s reign, The Times also enjoyed an impressive streak of journalism successes. The paper won
60 Pulitzer Prizes during his tenure, doubling the size of its trophy case.
In 2014, the younger Sulzberger led an internal project that culminated in a report with a host of recommendations on how to make the company more digitally savvy.
A.G. Sulzberger’s career began with stints as a reporter for The Providence Journal and The Oregonian, after which he joined The Times in 2009. He eventually became a national correspondent, leading the paper’s Kansas City bureau, before ascending into the publishing ranks.