PROVIDENCE – Providence Journal President and Publisher Janet Hasson announced Tuesday afternoon that she is retiring after overseeing operations at the newspaper for four years.
In a meeting in the offices at 75 Fountain St., the staff was immediately introduced to the person who will replace her. Peter Meyer is the publisher of the Cape Cod Times and chief of a division of newspapers in eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire owned by GateHouse Media, which also owns the Journal.
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The Journal reported that Meyer would continue to serve as the regional chief and would move his office to The Journal.
Since Hasson arrived at the Journal, circulation has fallen steadily. According to the annual reports of New Media Investment Group Inc., the Journal had a daily circulation of 85,323 in 2015. That number declined to 76,671 in the 2016 report, then to 55,344 in 2017 and 47,313 in 2018. The Journal’s circulation was about 38,000 in the first three months of 2019, according to a WPRI-TV report that cited Alliance for Audited Media data.
Hasson was appointed publisher of the Journal in March 2015, less than a year after the paper had been purchased by GateHouse from Dallas-based A.H. Belo Corp.
Meyer wasted no time in addressing The Boston Globe’s recent effort to step up news coverage in Rhode Island in order to gain online subscribers, although he didn’t mention the Globe by name.
The Providence Journal “would double down to protect our turf,” he was quoted as saying in The Journal story. “We’re not about to cede Providence coverage or Rhode Island coverage to anyone. I’m up for a good fight.”
“We have such a powerful and talented team here in New England, and I’m eager to evolve our products in exciting new ways to best serve readers and business customers,” Meyer said in another statement. “I am delighted to join the team in Providence and look forward to working with them to develop new audiences, engage the community and create additional revenue streams. I look forward to continuing Janet’s work in these areas and wish her safe travels as she embarks on this new phase of life.”
The Journal reported that Bernie Szachara, president of U.S. newspaper operations for GateHouse, accepted Hasson’s retirement with “a heavy heart,” but is pleased with Meyer’s appointment.
“This change will advance a long-term strategy to leverage the power of our New England brands to drive revenue growth and produce outstanding journalism for the communities we serve,” Szachara told The Journal.
It was not immediately clear whether Hasson’s departure was her choice. Hasson, 58, was choked up as she announced her retirement at a gathering in the second-floor offices.
She is scheduled to step down officially next Tuesday, but GateHouse said she would stay through May to ease the transition.
In addition to being president and publisher of the Journal, she had also served as the head of a GateHouse regional publishing group that included the Nantucket Media Group, the Newport Daily News and the Norwich Bulletin in Connecticut, according to the Journal.
She had led the Journal during a difficult period of circulation and ad-revenue declines and staff reductions.
In a sign of the times, the Journal, which once occupied every corner of its sprawling four-story brick headquarters on Fountain Street, moved its entire operations, aside from its printing presses, to a second-floor office in 2016.
The building was not part of the sale to GateHouse in 2014, and now the newspaper is one of a half dozen tenants at 75 Fountain St.
“It has been an honor to serve as the Journal publisher — my goal has always been to serve the readers and community by preserving journalism during this very difficult time in the industry,” Hasson said in a statement. “However, it’s time for me to pursue other opportunities and personal goals. It was a pleasure working with the Journal employees, and I am humbled by their daily dedication.”
