Robertson Barrett Named President of Digital Media for Hearst Newspapers

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - January 06, 2016) - Robertson (Rob) Barrett has been named president of digital media for Hearst Newspapers. Most recently, Barrett served as vice president of media strategy and operations at Yahoo where he managed content strategy and development across all Yahoo Media properties, including collaboration with Yahoo product divisions. The announcement was made by Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz and Hearst Newspapers President Mark Aldam, to whom Barrett will report.

In this new role, Barrett will have responsibility for all digital development and product innovation of the next wave of news, information and entertainment across Hearst Newspapers' local markets. Barrett is based at Hearst Tower in New York City and began in his new capacity on January 4.

"Over the past decade, Hearst Newspapers has been a leader in digital product development," Aldam said. "Rob's unique leadership and content orientation will ensure we remain out in front of digital innovation to meet evolving consumer expectations. During each of the past four years, Hearst Newspapers has grown earnings, largely the result of strong digital audience and revenue growth, up 23 percent and 14 percent, respectively in 2015. Under Rob's direction, we expect to accelerate investment in custom solutions and innovative consumer experiences to continue to grow our local media businesses."

Previously, Barrett served as vice president of Yahoo News and Yahoo Finance. He served as chief strategy officer of Idealab's Perfect Market, a Comcast-backed venture, from 2010 to 2011, and prior, he served as executive vice president of Tribune Interactive, where he ran online properties in 40 U.S. markets. Barrett also held the role of senior vice president for digital at The Los Angeles Times.

"Hearst has always been extraordinarily entrepreneurial, and no media company is better positioned to super-serve its local markets with digital media," Barrett said. "I look forward to working with the talented executives and staff across Hearst divisions on innovative, locally-focused experiences that become indispensable to consumers' daily lives."

Earlier in his career, Barrett helped launch ABCNews.com and Time.com and spent four years as a staff writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh. He holds a bachelor's in ancient Greek from Duke University and a master's in public policy from Harvard University.

About Hearst Newspapers

Hearst Newspapers is the operating group responsible for Hearst's newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories. With more than 4,000 employees across the nation, Hearst Newspapers publishes 15 dailies and 36 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News and Albany Times Union. It also operates digital marketing services and directories businesses under the LocalEdge brand.

About Hearst

Hearst is one of the nation's largest diversified media, information and services companies with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; majority ownership of global ratings agency Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; 30 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Albany Times Union, more than 300 magazines around the world including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Car and Driver; digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital and video companies such as BuzzFeed, VICE and AwesomenessTV. Follow us on Twitter @HearstCorp and subscribe to Hearstlink.

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