Hearst’s banner year, Bloomberg targets 500K subscribers, profiling a PR star: TBN Ticker for Feb. 17

TBN ends the week in high-flyin’ style as we bring to you highlights from a memo sent to staff by Hearst CEO and president Steven R. Swartz about the company’s string performance (and bonuses) in 2022. Read more as Bloomberg Media targets 500,000 subscribers and CNN premiers Season 6 of “Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.”

Hearst survives, thrives, flies… Hearst CEO and president Steven R. Swartz talks about how the company stood its ground in the face of industry and global headwinds. In a memo sent to staff, Swartz wrote, “We began last year with the pandemic still raging and soon were forced to confront the effects of the terrible war in Ukraine, soaring inflation and plunging financial markets. Thanks to all of your outstanding efforts and to our broad portfolio of great businesses and brands, we met the moment, fulfilled our mission and generated record results.” Hearst also made all its employees around the world with the company at least half of 2022 eligible for a bonus — and is paying them by month’s end. You can explore Hearst’s annual review in video form here.

Bloomberg kills it, too… Bloomberg Media CEO M. Scott Havens wrote a memo to staff stating, “Bloomberg Media’s 2022 revenue grew 16% year-over-year, driven by your incredible execution of an ambitious strategy during a challenging time for the global economy. As spending and growth slowed across much of the industry, we increased advertising revenue year-over-year for a 10th consecutive quarter and subscriptions revenue for a 20th straight quarter. Removing third-party advertising across Bloomberg digital platform was another decision made with our audience in mind. Global events performed well again in 2022, with highlights including the successful Qatar Economic Forum and the Bloomberg New Economy team’s best year ever. Thank you immensely to everyone for another incredible year in Media. We accomplished a great deal in 2022, and I’m excited to show the world what you’ll do in 2023.” Read more here.

CNN Audio premiers season 6 of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s show… CNN Audio launched Season 6 of Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Feb. 14. Gupta, an award-winning journalist and a chief medical correspondent at CNN said, ““I am so excited to launch this new season of Chasing Life because it’s my most personal one yet. As a dad, I’m always thinking about how to navigate screen time and its impact on my three teenage daughters’ brains. It is one of the most challenging parts of being a parent. It was important to me to bring them into the conversation and go on this magical journey of discovery together.” “Chasing Life” debuts new episodes every Tuesday and is available on CNN Audio or wherever you get your podcasts.

Reuters tweaks newsroom ops… Reuters editor in chief Alessandra Galloni wrote to staff, “We are pleased to announce some important changes in our Newsroom Operations team. These changes have a single goal: to better serve our journalists, our newsroom, and our journalism. Broadly, the members of the Operations team will fall into two groups. The first group will focus, as now, on each of our seven editorial regions. The second, smaller group will focus on challenges and issues we need to deal with at a global level. General managers will spend part of their time visiting newsrooms and working with colleagues and managers on the ground. We hope to connect with as many of you as possible to discuss what we do well but most importantly what we need to improve.” Read the full details here.

Qwoted 100 is back with Bob Spoerl… Dive into the world of PR as Talking Biz News editor and publisher Lou Carlozo interviews Bob Spoerl, co-owner of Bear Icebox Communications in Chicago. Spoerl has helped clients from startups to multi-billion dollar corporations land coverage with some prestigious outlets: the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, CNN Money and Fox Business, for starters. In the interview, Spoerl shares  how he approaches journalists, gets results and employs empathy in his work. Read the full interview here on Talking Biz News.

The Information’s IT reporting hire… Anissa Gardizy will join The Information’s reporting team in San Francisco to cover cloud providers. She comes from The Boston Globe, where she reported on tech businesses since 2020. She will begin on March 13. Gardizy graduated from Emerson College with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Sainato to cover the labor beat for The Guardian… Michael Sainato has joined The Guardian as a labor reporter. He had been contributing to the outlet since November 2014. Sainato is a graduate of Binghamton University.

Flesh-and-blood people “made redundant”?… There’s no shortage of inhuman corp speak these days at DC Thomson, owner of The Press and Journal, The Courier, the Evening Telegraph and The Sunday Post. It’s just revealed  that 300 members of staff will be “made redundant.” (Imagine hearing that if you’re the staffer let go.) The publisher will also close 26 titles including Living, Platinum, Evergreen, Shout, Animals & You and Animal Planet. Rebecca Miskin, chief executive of DC Thomson’s media business said, “We have today announced significant changes to our company, which involve the reshaping of our media portfolio and the simplification of the underlying structure. Unfortunately, we have also had to make difficult decisions concerning those brands and activities which sit outside these growth areas. We will be announcing the closure of some well-loved titles, as well as the cessation of some commercial activities. This will mean losing some valued colleagues, something we deeply regret.” Valued colleagues–that’s more like it. The full article can be read here.

Deep cuts at BDG… BDG, which houses brands such as Elite Daily and Bustle, will axe its workforce by 8 percent and shutter the recently relaunched news and gossip website Gawker. In an email to employees, chief executive Bryan Goldberg wrote, “The most noticeable change you will see today is that BD will be suspending operations of Gawker. We are proud of the site that [editor-in-chief Leah Finnegan] and her team built. Gawker published a lot of brilliant pieces in these nearly two years. But in this new reality, we have to prioritize our better monetized sites. It’s a business decision, and one that, reluctantly, must be made.” Read more here at CNN.

News home Alabama… Nonprofit news outlet States Newsroom has “launched the Alabama Reflector to provide free, high-quality, non-partisan reporting on the crucial issues affecting the Yellowhammer State,” reports Editor & Publisher. As part of the new endeavor, Brian Lyman will lead the Reflector’s newsroom as editor. In addition, Ralph Chapoco joins as a senior reporter and Alander Rocha and Jemma Stephenson join as reporters. The full details can be read here.

Yahoo Finance makes an exec promotion… Yahoo Finance has tapped Brian Sozzi to serve as executive editor. He has been an editor at large and anchor for Yahoo Finance Live. He also hosts executive interviews for Yahoo Finance’s “All Markets Summit” conference and “Yahoo Finance Presents” digital series. “In short, I would say it’s an honor to be chosen for this position,” Sozzi wrote on LinkedIn. “The road to get here the past 20 years has been winding, grueling, amazing, fun and non-stop.” Sozzi was previously the executive editor of TheStreet.com. He began his career on Wall Street as a sell-side stock analyst covering retailers, banks and numerous other sectors.

Superstar exec hire at WSJ… Jamieson Lesko will join The Wall Street Journal as executive producer of International, based in London, where she will oversee teams there and in Singapore. She has decades of international reporting experience and news production leadership with NBC News, MSNBC and CNN. “She teaches graduate level journalism courses at Harvard, focusing on Foreign Correspondence, News Reporting and Writing, in addition to serving as a Master’s Capstone Advisor,” Amanda Wills, head of WSJ video wrote. “Jamieson is joining the video team at a time of growth and ambitious journalistic goals, and her leadership will only help us get there faster. Please join me in welcoming her to The Wall Street Journal.”

CNBC’s Salinas talks her job… “As deputy editor for our site’s Business and Company News team, I spend all day swimming in stories about transportation, media, entertainment, retail and restaurants. My typical day starts before the stock markets open, reading in on news and editing and publishing some quick hit pieces to jump start the day for the team,” Sara Salinas said. “Even the best-scheduled days can get derailed by a breaking news story, but I chip away at edits on longer feature stories as I’m able and wrap up my day sometime after the markets close when it feels like we’re safely beyond the 4 p.m. hour news dump.: Read her full interview with UNC-Chapel Hill journalism professor Andy Bechtel here.

NY Mag veteran departs for his alma mater… Joe DeLessio, senior social media editor at New York Magazine, will leave after 18 years. “I’m leaving @NYMag next week to become the director of communications and engagement at my alma mater, @RegisHighSchool,” DeLessio tweeted. DeLessio joined the magazine as an intern. He has held various posts, including online producer, online assistant editor, online sports editor and social media editor. DeLessio has a B.A. from Fordham University.

Gohlke joins LA Times op-ed team… Josh Gohlke has joined the Los Angeles Times as a deputy Op-Ed editor. Recently, he was an opinion editor at the Sacramento Bee and McClatchy’s other California publications. He also held editorial posts at the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer and he Bergen Record in New Jersey. Gohlke has a bachelor’s degree in English and communications from Stanford.

Sky News’ Brady lands a new gig… Healy Communications has appointed Enda Brady to the post of consultant specializing in media training. “As the world of business evolves, leaders need to be able to successfully communicate to the public or media more than ever,” Brady said. “Having seen countless examples during my career I’ve developed an innate sense of what works and what doesn’t, and I’m enjoying guiding people on that journey.” Brady worked at Sky News from September 2005 to March 2022 as a correspondent. He also reported for ITV Central, ITV Meridian, Yorkshire Evening Post and Press Association. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire.

Mariam Ahmed is Talking Biz News’ content correspondent. For tips on the Friday TBN Ticker, email her at mariam@talkingbiznews.com or connect with her on LinkedIn.