I am terribly saddened at word of the death of Donald Newhouse, the last great gentleman of the newspaper business.
Soft-spoken, unassuming, humble, kind, and generous, Don Newhouse was at the same time a publisher of vast experience, universal respect, and great strength. I had the great privilege of working for him via his sons, Steven and Michael, at various tasks in the newspaper, magazine, cable, and book arms of the media empire he built with his brother, Si. I entered at a moment of volcanic change in our industry, starting in 1994, just as the commercial browser was introduced and the company decided to forego Prodigy, AOL, et al for this new world wide web.
One clear memory of mine is sitting at a table in Don’s unpretentious Newark office in the Star-Ledger with the family members who oversaw the newspapers, each of them traveling to a different paper and city each month. Thus they were called “The Travelers.” That day, one of the many new competitors to newspapers for their long-lucrative classified business, Monster.com, had reported declining earnings. Don would brook no gloating. He pounded the table to get attention and announced sternly, “People! It’s not coming back.” While others in the industry maintained false hopes, Don was clear-eyed and strategic about the future. He bravely invested in that future.
Under Donald, Steve, and Michael, Advance cut its own path. While others in the industry made online an afterthought next to their legacy newspapers, Advance set up separate companies so their digital entities could explore and exploit every advantage of the internet — experimenting with new models for content and business. We established new brands, including NJ.com and Cleveland.com (URLs the company had the foresight to grab). We were the most interactive of any newspaper-related sites; it was Steve who taught me the value of conversation and connection — more than content — online. Don once told a friend of mine, “Jeff learned everything he knew from Steve.” True that.
It is hard to imagine that there was a time when no one could be sure whether this online/internet thing would last. Just as newspapers, magazines, and books jockeyed for advantage in the early industrialization of American media at the turn of the prior century, so in its digitization at the turn of this century, it was not clear whether print or digital would emerge triumphant. But there came a time when the victor was clear. After I left Advance in 2005 to help start a new journalism school at CUNY, I was brought back to work on a daring project in Ann Arbor.
Another memorable day was spent in a large conference room at Condé Nast’s Times Square headquarters as executives presented the owners with various scenarios for the future of print: what happens if circulation falls by X percent or advertising by Y. It was there and then that Donald and his family and managers decided to take the brave step of making Ann Arbor their first digital-first market, turning the company’s outlet in town into a fully online entity with a newspaper as an ancillary product. Eventually, most every newspaper company would follow Advance’s lead. It was a wrenching decision. I recall witnessing the courage and poignance of that moment. Here was the beloved newspaper company Donald and Si and their generation had inherited from their father and founder, Sam: a precious family heirloom. They loved their newspapers, their histories, and everything they stood for. But as I said, Don was a strong and strategic executive who knew he had to preserve the company and the journalism, not necessarily the presses.
Don was not just a dedicated publisher but also, of course, a doting husband to his beloved Sue, who died in 2015, father to Steve and Michael, and grandfather as well. Other media dynasties have failed to pass down their companies and knowledge to following generations. Not the Newhouses. I watched with enduring admiration as Steve and Michael continued every day to respect and learn from their father, carrying on not just the business but the values and experience that made them and their company stand apart. I am forever grateful for every lesson I learned in turn.
