CHRIS JENNEWEIN

 

chrisj@jennewein.org

Office (858) 755-2671

Cell (858) 431-9491

2170 Pinar Place

Del Mar, CA 92014

 

 

 

SENIOR EXECUTIVE / INTERNET MEDIA

 

Senior executive with 19 years experience in online and Internet product development and operations, and 12 years in newspaper management, editing and reporting. Visionary leader with a record of rapid, successful innovation in products and technology. Effective manager who brings out the highest productivity in a staff. Excellent writer, communicator and public speaker.

 

 

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

 

General Management

·        Transformed SignOnSanDiego.com, a regional newspaper Web site, into the No. 1 news site in its market. Tripled readership and advertising revenue, changing the 65-employee operation from a money-loser to a profitable, $18 million division of The San Diego Union-Tribune. SignOn was one of the five best-read newspaper sites in 2007.

·        Led project to build local/regional portal sites in 30 markets. Managed technology integration, relations with field offices, product design and site production. The Real Cities II network went from corporate approval to full deployment in nine months in 1999.

·        Conceived and led 14-month crash program in 1995-97 to launch Web publishing operations at all 32 newspapers operated by Knight Ridder, then the nation’s second largest publisher.

·        Managed start-up project to create the nation's first online and Internet newspaper at the San Jose Mercury News in 1992-94. Hired staff, selected vendors and championed project within the company, to the press and to the newspaper industry. Project reached breakeven in three years.

·        Led 50-person R&D business for Cox Newspapers. This unit developed and market-tested early new media applications, including audiotext, videotext, operator services and fax publications.

 

Product Development

·        Launched two, 24-hour Internet radio stations in San Diego. AmplifySD.com with local music programming and all-talk SignOnRadio.com reach a combined monthly audience of over 60,000.

·        Created first complete online newspaper, Mercury Center, at the San Jose Mercury News. Personally designed prototypes for both America Online and the Web.

·        Developed first consumer agent/alert service on America Online and the Internet. NewsHound used real-time search technology to send news articles to 5,000 customers via email.

·        Designed Access Atlanta, an early videotext newspaper, for The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. This online service offered news, classified ads and searchable archives along with such features as email, chat and bulletin boards.

·        Conceived and in two months produced a commemorative hardcover book on the Atlanta Braves for The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. Established telephone sales and fulfillment system that sold 30,000 copies and generated $1 million in revenue.

 

Operations

·        Directed daily operations for the Real Cities network of 60 local Web sites serving 4.5 million unique users. Set up centralized hosting, established performance measurement, built internal networks, organized support processes and managed real estate and facilities.

·        Negotiated 10-year, $9 million lease for the national headquarters of a new Internet company, KnightRidder.com, and leased other real estate for offices in eight cities. Moved 300 employees to nine new offices in four months without disruption.

·        Built high-volume Web publishing infrastructure for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s leading newspaper, and managed support and service between San Jose and Tokyo.

 

Technology

·        Created 25-person software development organization for Knight Ridder. Established industry-standard practices such as version control, weekly code builds and configuration management.

·        Led development of a distributed Web publishing platform based on centralized hosting and inexpensive UNIX staging servers. This platform was installed at 29 Knight Ridder newspapers.

 

Communications

·        Active in the San Diego business community. Board member of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, Regional Economic Development Corporation and other organizations.

·        Frequent speaker and panelist at newspaper industry and new media conferences.

·        Presented Knight Ridder’s new media strategy to stock market analysts at industry-sector forums and private meetings in New York and in the Bay Area.

 

Awards

·        Received first EPpy award (1999) for individual achievement by Editor & Publisher magazine.

·        Elected New Media Pioneer (1997) by the Newspaper Association of America.

·        Profiled in the book Crusaders, Scoundrels, Journalists: The Newseum's Most Intriguing Newspeople, (Times Books, 2000).

 

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

 

Copley Newspapers

 

2001-2008

   The San Diego Union-Tribune

Vice President of Internet Operations

2006-2008

   The San Diego Union-Tribune

Director of Internet Operations

2001-2006

Knight Ridder

 

1992-2001

   KnightRidder.com

Vice President/Operations

1999-2001

 

   Knight Ridder New Media

VP/Technology & Operations

1996-99

   Knight Ridder New Media Center

Director

1995-96

   San Jose Mercury News

General Manager/Mercury Center

1992-95

Cox Newspapers

 

1979-1992

   Voice Information Services

Vice President & General Manager

1990-92

   The Atlanta Journal & Constitution

Director of Information Services

Asst. Managing Editor/Administration

Asst. Managing Editor/Features

Asst. Managing Editor/Business

1988-92

1986-89

1985-86

1983-85

   The Atlanta Constitution

Assistant Business Editor

Assistant National Editor

1980-83

1979-80

Scripps Howard

 

1976-1978

  The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal

Reporter

1976-78

Media General

 

1970-1975

   Tampa Tribune

Intern Reporter

Copy Boy

1973-75

1970-72

 

 

EDUCATION

 

London School of Economics and Political Science, London, England

M.Sc., 1979

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

B.A, M.A., 1976

 

 

PERSONAL

 

Married with twin 16-year-old daughters. Interests include building robots and musical instruments; reading history; travel; and experimenting with personal computers and networks.