Old Media Decides Digital Still Needs a 'Chief'

Michael Learmonth at Adage.com writes it's a good time to be a "chief digital officer," or at least play one inside a media organization. After a brief heyday mid-decade, the concept of the CDO seemed to be in decline as the job of distributing old media -- TV, magazines, radio -- in digital platforms reverted to the heads of those business themselves.

Hirschhorn

But judging from the number of recruiters seeking names to fill such a title, the position is making a comeback. Time Inc. recently opened a search for a chief digital officer -- its first -- after former Meredith exec Jack Griffin was named CEO in August. Gannett and Clear Channel are still trying to fill their chief digital officer roles after several months of searching. Wenner Media, which hired its first chief digital officer in 2008, is also said to be recruiting, according to two people who've been approached for the job.

The role of the chief digital officer has evolved significantly since the position first cropped up on corporate organization charts. The first mention of the role in Advertising Age was when Jason Hirschhorn was named chief digital officer of MTV Networks in 2005. Hirschhorn said he suggested the title during contract negotiations with MTV CEO Judy McGrath, who didn't want to make Mr. Hirshhorn president.

"I suggested 'chief digital officer,' and she said, 'I love it,'" he said. "It's what you get when you don't get 'president.'"

George Kliavkoff was named to the same position at NBC Universal the following year. But now both MTV and NBC, not to mention Time Warner, are doing without the role.

For a while, the job was a glorified consulting gig; it involved a lot of hand-holding as media attempted to adapt to interactive platforms. Or, as Quincy Smith, an investment banker who filled the role at CBS, used to joke, fixing the boss's BlackBerry.

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