(upbeat music) - We're now joined by our media colleague, Tom Hughes, who's CEO, Publisher, ROI-NJ, we'll put up the website so people can find out more about ROI-NJ, good to see you, Tom!

- Hey, good to see you, Steve, thanks so much, and thanks to Mary too, and the Lessons in Leadership crew for having me today!

- Yeah, Mary Gamba, my colleague, we're also gonna be airing this with our sister series One-on-One.

And here's what I wanna talk about.

First, describe what ROI is, and then I'm gonna ask you about media leadership in 2024, please.

- Yeah, yes, sure.

So, ROI is an acronym for Return on Information New Jersey.

Right?

So, quite simply, we're a media company that informs and connects businesses in New Jersey through digital and print platforms, as well as live and virtual events.

Seven years here, you hit the ground running, and we're enjoying covering the garden state business.

- Along those lines, Tom, and all seriousness about media leadership, I'm obsessed by what leadership really is, what it's not, how to get better at it, the mistakes we make as leaders.

But media leadership in 2024, how much of it is about constantly trying to find ways to be relevant to your audience outside of what we may have thought, I don't wanna answer my own question, even two or three years ago?

- Yeah.

So, leadership and innovation pretty much, right?

Well, look, you know what, it's always the responsibility of leadership to champion innovative systems, platforms, technologies, right?

To stay ahead of the competition, beat the competition, or just in line with the competition.

And also, better the quality of the final product for its readers, right?

So, I do this by recognizing applications of new technology simply.

What systems do we have?

How can we improve them?

And then, working through how those changes might play out in both implementation and the aftermath.

So, at the end of the day, we sort of look at and say, "Okay, we have our internal customers, right?

How has what we've done impacted our internal customers, our staff members, right?

Are those changes better, different?

How has that worked?"

And then, we also look at our external users.

Readers, advertisers, and the impact it has had on our audience.

Are the advertisers enjoying the new ad space, right?

That's on the new website.

Are our readers more engaging?

Are they spending more time on pages?

So, I mean, the innovation is always ongoing, but for us, we try to be very systematic on how we're doing that.

- Along those lines, Tom, in terms of information that people consume, and people consume information in so many different ways, our colleague, Neal Shapiro, the President and CEO of the WNET, the 13 Group, WNET Group, we talk about this all the time, that people are consuming information in a bifurcated fashion, meaning it's all over the place.

That being said, is print, from your point of view, is print dead?

- It's interesting that you say that, right?

Because we are print and digital, - That's why I'm asking- - Newsletters, right.

So, we still have a robust print distribution.

We are seeing that we have a growing audience on the digital end.

But the combination seems to work well for us.

Would I say that it's challenged?

Yes.

Because the way that our audience is receiving the news is different too.

They're looking more online, right?

- And the audience is changing.

Is it getting younger and is younger equal more digital?

- Well, it's interesting, right?

So, you bring up a very, very valid point, right?

The younger audience is a more digital audience, right?

And we're skewing, so our audience rested in the 45 to 58-year-old category.

The last two years we have taken a different approach with our digital platform.

And we're pulling in a 35-year-old audience.

So, within about 18 months, or post-COVID, we've made some changes.

So, the audience, our audience is our next generation that we actively go after.

And yes, actually, there's been some changes, a younger demographic coming in.

- Curious about this.

We have a series that, the graphic will come up right now, it's called "Democracy in Danger."

And it's looking at, it's not even political, to be really candid with you, Tom.

And we talked with your colleague, Tom Bergeron about this as well- - Yeah.

Yeah, and I've gotta tell you, everybody wants to talk to the guys on the editorial side.

Nobody wants to talk to the business guys, right?

And that's what it is!

- Hey!

Ready for this, Tom?

Some of us are on the editorial side and on the business side!

- I know, I see that.

So, you're that sought-after hybrid.

- Yeah, (Tom chuckling) well, the hybrid isn't so neat and clean because I gotta tell you, the separation of church and state, the editorial and the business, sometimes it's like, how do we keep the underwriter sponsors who think sometimes, hey, no content's not yours!

Your branding is up, (Tom's voice drowns) content not yours.

Do you just- - Absolutely.

- It's interesting, 'cause I was gonna go one place, you brought up something way more interesting than that.

How do you separate, when I say church and state, it's a longstanding way of describing the difference between the business side of a media organization, advertising, et cetera, sponsorship, and the editorial, which is pristine and purely journalistic.

Is there a cement wall in your view, Tom, between church and state?

- Well, it's interesting, in my view there is, but I do see that wall blurring.

So, we always said, everybody wants to talk to the editorial folks, right?

No one wants to talk to the business folks, because editorial folks are receiving information, and that information's going to be put on a digital page or a print page.

What I'm doing on the business side and my team, we're looking to put our hand in somebody's pocket to get the sponsorship, so we can continue doing the editorial piece.

- No money, no money?

No mission.

- Exactly!

There you go!

So, I do see some of the blurring, because we have our sponsors who want sponsored content, right?

So, we label that as sponsored content.

- By the way, PS, full disclosure, if you go on, we are sponsored content at ROI.

(Tom mumbling) It says sponsored content.

- Right.

- And explain to folks why that's different than straight editorial content.

- Well, because sure, editorial content is achieved through a editor's story from a contributing partner.

Sponsored content is written, could be in conjunction with the sponsor, the individual, and it is not freeform, free flowing from the editorial side.

So, we like to create that separation from regular edit to sponsored content, or we call it two partner content as well.

- But think about what Tom's saying.

Our biggest and most significant partners are in public broadcasting.

Our largest audience by far is in public broadcasting.

Again, to our friends at WNET, NJPBS, and to the south, WHYY, to a lesser extent, but we're still there as well.

But here's why I'm saying, I'm mentioning this.

There are folks who may not find us on public broadcasting, but may be consumers of ROI who see us there, and that's why my point here is a long-wind way of getting to, we don't have the luxury of saying "Only this platform, only that platform."

We have to be on multiple platforms to have the most number of people consuming what we do, please, Tom.

- Yes, sure!

So, and that brings up a good point, because we say ROI is New Jersey's business source, right?

Well, the reality of it is, yes, it's New Jersey, but we are in every state, and several countries in the world now, because our platform is yes- - Digital.

- It's print, right, but it's digital.

So, when you look at the statistics on that and the analytics, it's just amazes me where and who we are reaching, and where they are.

- Complex stuff and media leadership, media in 2024.

And again, the next time, we'll actually talk to your colleague, Tom Bergeron on the editorial side about our series "Democracy in Danger."

And I wanna thank our longtime media partner, Tom Hughes, CEO, and Publisher of ROI-NJ, their website has been up to find out more about them.

Tom, all the best.

Take care, my friend- - Thank you.

Thanks guys.

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