A regional publisher’s digital chief is set to join a rival company as its new content supremo.
Matt Kelly, pictured left, has been appointed to the role of chief content officer at Archant, having served as Local World’s digital director since last May.
During Matt’s time with Local World, the company reinvented late final editions on its daily titles by publishing them in mobile and tablet format.
Matt will begin his new role on 16 November, with Bob Crawley, who has held the role of Archant interim chief content officer since January 2015, becoming director of content, reporting to Matt.
Matt began his career as a reporter and sub-editor on the Formby Times and Liverpool Echo before taking on a number of senior roles at the Daily Mirror and its parent company Trinity Mirror.
He later worked for Sol361, a global news design and strategy agency based in Barcelona.
Archant chief executive Jeff Henry said “Matt has a rare combination of local and national editorial experience and has been a key player in the digital transformation of publishing for many years, bringing together real credibility in both the print business and the digital world.
“He has the gravitas and know-how to build the content vision at the heart of our business model; engaging our customers with inspiring content wherever they may be, on paper and on screen.
“This appointment demonstrates our commitment to continuous innovation, whilst creating best-in-class content, and I have no doubt that Matt will be a real asset to the team.”
Matt added: “Archant has a fantastic heritage, an impressive portfolio of powerful local brands and the vision and ambition to be the best local media owner in the UK.
“They have demonstrated genuine commitment to investing in the future and I’m excited to join Jeff and the great content team at Archant.”
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Exciting and inspiring in equal measure.
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“He has the gravitas and know-how to build the content vision at the heart of our business model”
So he might (whatever the above statement actually means), but will he stick around long enough to exhibit that gravitas? He didn’t exactly serve his time at Local World, did he?
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Or, to summarise, ‘man who used to work for Trinity Mirror leaves company about to be taken over by Trinity Mirror’.
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….all of that AND Mustard tv, you lucky man!
Another sign that Archant is moving its entire operation onto digital platforms and away from print publications so no surprises there then, worrying times if you’re anything to do with print these days
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A much needed expansion to the tier of executive management at HQ because, of course, all our newspapers and websites failed to function while a ten-month search was conducted to fill this post, didn’t they?
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Where does one buy a ticket to step aboard the SS I’m All Right Jack? If you’re not familiar with this vessel it’s the lifeboat steaming around the higher echelons of UK media companies where regardless of performance, failure of strategies, imposing rounds of job cuts on staff, trashing titles or just plain getting it wrong, a member of the motley crew can still expect to hop on and off into senior roles at any of the ports of call?
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Game of Thrones.
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So, the man who brought the world Quirker joins the company based in the home of Alan Partridge. “Ten Monkeys Who Look Like Tennis Players” anyone?
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To paraphrase Kelvin Mackenzie, I’m going to call this one Number 4 because they don’t stick around long enough to give them a name.
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exciting !
Did anyone mention he gets to be responsible for the content of Mustard tv too as well as the ground breaking and exciting Archant investigations unit – really, you spoil me!
I see there’s more sideways moves for other editors in the food chain as a result of this move too, revolving door time?
Shuffle the pack Jeff , it’s easier than pruning the tree
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excellent news! Just what we need here, more managers!
Phew now we will be safe and on the road to recovery in no time
Archants policy of managers managing managers then having meetings to discuss how the management of the managers is being managed is just what’s needed to haul us out of the mire we’ve got ourselves into
Ps
Don’t mention he will be responsible for the content of Mustard tv, I doubt he’s ever seen it ( like majority of people in the county thank heavens ) and we can skip over that if it comes up in conversation
Pps
Is the director of partnership relationship management manager still around ? Hope so,we need more pompously titled managers to brighten our days amidst all the gloom of ailing papers and loss inducing telly stations
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Sage: Exactly.
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He looks a bit worried in the snap. Maybe the excitement had simmered down.
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Clickbait here we come!
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Eyes down clickety click
I would have thought Archant had wasted enough money in the last year on white elephants to the tune of £657,000 already without investing more £££££ on a position we’ve done very well without up til now so increasing the number of Chiefs in the company isn’t helping the problem, if anything it’s adding to it
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A digital Messiah! We’re saved. Hurrah!
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Good lord… There are some bitter folk at Archant. Maybe they should rename the company Angostura.
This sounds like a decent hire. My only question is what on earth is he doing in Norwich!
I’m sure he’ll be very relieved that the business is already full of people who know it all … Ho ho
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So Director of content beats chief content officer?
Or the other way round ?
At one time you could tell by someone’s title who was over who in the business structure but not now.
There are so many layers to the managerial structure there these days with managers and assistant directors of this that And the other that makes you wonder just who does the actual work there ?
Has anyone at Archant Simply listed all the managerial job titles these days and both seen how many managers there are on the company and just how ridiculous their family tree must look?
Talk about managers managing managers , I’ll bet there’s no regional press group with more levels of manager than Archant and now they’ve added yet another one ….but still kept on the bloke who was doing his job previously ….but given him another job title
Confused? I am
You imagine how difficult it must be for those working there
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This guy apparently “…. reinvented late final editions on its daily titles by publishing them in mobile and tablet format” And….
“…..been a key player in the digital transformation of publishing ”
That folks, tells you all you need to know about the direction archant is taking its print products.
No print costs, fewer overheads, less staff needed ,less workspace needed, no need for traditional print journalists all adds up to big big cost reductions and a gradual running down of the printed paper side of the business.ill give it 3 years max before all the company’s news sources are on line
The editors and staff there now are only managing decline, there’s no forward plans or investment in the withering daily papers or series of dying weekly papers it’s all about alternate media : digital,electronic and broadcast media but having made a pigs ear of broadcast with Mustard tv and a costly one at that it makes you wonder how effective their alternate media strategy is.
Removing all of the daily paper title branding from the front of the head office building was the first clear indicator of the plans to distance the business from traditional newspaper / print products and everything that’s followed has been aligned to turning the business into a print free publisher.
Having been a business analyst for many years these pointers indicate just one thing
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Poached? Mr Kelly describes his managemenr style and business survival to that of the honey badger. That description should set the scene nicely for what’s coming to the journalists and photographers at Archant.
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Don’t think anyone’s claiming to ‘ know it all ‘ @jrofnorwich
Think it’s more a case of knowing what ISNT working from the inside and not giving the benefit of wisdom from outside the once mighty portals of Rome as it’s known by non Norwich based staff
Until the real issues are tackled head on and progressive action is taken to resolve them the business will continue to be like a dog chasing its tail, going round and round not getting anywhere.
Certainly another level of manager isn’t the kind of forward thinking move that most of us here can applaud
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The buying in of a manager presumably on a substantial salary from a rival company is not what’s needed at Archant now or in the future.
Another non newsprint diner at the top table when there’s already a back log of ‘managers’ all looking for something to do sounds like the actions of a company set firm on migrating their print products to digital versions or to do away with them altogether.
Skirt the issues as long as you like Mssrs Bax and Henry but until you tackle the real issues without ignoring them by concentrating on pre determined plans around digital content then the spiral of decline will continue downwards.
I am sure the shareholders will also be concerned about this latest appointment and its impact on both overheads ( another high salary) and the effect it’s likely to have on bottom line revenues
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Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire
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Blinking blimey,another “chief”?
There seems to be a lot of people coming INTO Archant these days but no one going OUT? At this rate theyll only have a 1;1 ratio of chiefs to indians which will never do,but i see theyre advertising for more managers on the HTFP/Linkedin jobs pages so worry ye not!
I would imagine its standing room only at Prospect House with corridors full of people queuing up to be given a job title with the words,manager,assistant,executive or chief in their titles, talk about quantity over quality.
Shuffle the pack,as someone said,it doesnt cut over heads but it does eliminate the need to make decisions
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Obviously a few sensitive soils out there if the deleted comments on this string are anything to go by.
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Chief content officer
Acting content officer
Content director
Director of content
Who actually does the real work there? I’m totally confused and these confusing chains of command and managers reporting in to other managers could be a big part of the problem three – lack of direction and mixed messages maybe?
So many job titles, so little progress other than backwards
More Chiefs than Indians
They do like moving their editors sideways at archant don’t they?
Dear oh Deary me
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What deleted comments, click baited? I can’t see any. And what are sensitive soils?
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@click baited
As roger said how can you see deleted comments?
What is this guy taking about ??
Axe to grind maybe?
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Thank goodness ‘interim chief content officer’ Bob’s being kept on and will be reporting to ‘director of content’ Matt.
Archant needs both of them……
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