After nearly two decades of working her way up the ladder at the Hartford Advocate and New Mass. Media, Advocate publisher Janet Reynolds will leave her position at end of the month as part of a company shakeup.
The Hartford Courant, which owns Advocate publishing company New Mass. Media, announced the move as a “restructuring” that included Reynolds’ resignation. But Courant executive Chris Morrill said her departure was decided by both Reynolds and the company.
“Mutually, we thought it was time,” he said, but said he couldn’t speak further about Reynolds’ decision. When reached by phone, Reynolds declined comment.
Within New Mass. Media’s four alternative weeklies, Reynolds was publisher of the Hartford alternative weekly as well as the Valley Advocate. She started at the Hartford Advocate as a listings editor in 1986, moved up to reporter and editor and became publisher in 2002. In March, she took the lead on the Courant’s launch of CT Slant, a glossy lifestyle magazine.
Josh Mamis, who is publisher of the company’s two other alternative weeklies — in New Haven and Fairfield County — will take over all four papers. He will divide his time primarily between Hartford and New Haven; two advertising executives in the Valley and Fairfield County weeklies, respectively, have been promoted to run day-to-day operations there as associate publishers.
In The Works
Mamis said he and Reynolds collaborated on the restructuring together when Reynolds decided to leave, a process that has been ongoing for the past two months. Putting one person in charge of all four weeklies will create a unified voice for all four publications under New Mass. Media, he said.
And because the changes promote personnel in-house, the restructuring shouldn’t create any shockwaves for the papers: “It should be seamless to readers, it should be seamless to the staff,” Mamis said.
Morrill said the company put one person in charge partly because it made sense financially to share resources. In New Mass. Media, economies of scale — sharing editorial content like cartoons, columns and stories, for example — have been a way to stretch dollars. A similar principle applies to the idea of a single publisher, although Morrill said New Mass. Media’s publications work to maintain their strong individual branding as well.
“If we have assets that we can use in multiple places successfully, then you should do that. But it’s not like you can do that with everything,” he said.
