NYT Times Co.'s top digital executive to retire

[November 08, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Martin Nisenholtz., a New York Times Co. executive who engineered the newspaper publisher's expansion on the Internet and mobile devices, is retiring at the end of the year.

Times Co. Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson announced Nisenholtz's retirement as senior vice president of digital operations in a memo to employees on Monday.

Nisenholtz, 56, was hired in 1995 to launch The Times Co.'s digital business.

Since Nisenholtz oversaw The New York Times' debut on the Web in 1996, the company has built a popular digital network that has become an increasingly important source of revenue. The Times Co.'s websites include About.com as well as The New York Times, The Boston Globe and 16 other newspapers. Combined, they attracted nearly 73 million U.S. visitors in September, according to the most recent data from the research firm comScore Inc.

Last year, the Times Co. got about 16 percent, or $387 million, of its revenue from its digital operations. But the growth in that business hasn't been enough to offset the steep decline on the print side.

With Nisenholtz in charge, the Times Co. began charging for unlimited access to The New York Times' website in March in an attempt to increase revenue. At the end of September, The Times had 324,000 digital subscribers, including 43,000 who signed up since July 1.

The Times Co. hasn't identified Nisenholtz's successor.

Nisenholtz "leaves a lasting legacy that will be felt for a very long time," Sulzberger and Robinson wrote in their Monday memo. "He developed a strong roster of executives and a deep bench of managers who are recognized leaders in our industry."

[Associated Press]

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