Two Indiana newspaper managers made this year’s Editor & Publisher 25 Under 35 list of young leaders.
The 2015 list features Joe Battistoni, director of digital advertising at The Times Media Co. of northwest Indiana, and Ryan Martin, 27, managing editor of The Elkhart Truth.
The list of honorees includes a senior systems architect, a video producer, a consumer experience director, and a digital marketing specialist, in addition to the traditional roles of reporters, editors, advertising directors, and circulation managers.
Editor & Publisher asked for nominations of people “who are young, bright and capable of tackling whatever the changing newspaper climate throws at them. People with business acumen to lead through trying times and vision to implement bold, new strategies to move their newspapers forward.”
Battistoni and Martin both said they were honored to be named to the list.
“The accomplishment really reflects the hard work of the team here in northwest Indiana, not just me,” Battistoni said. “From the publisher’s office on down to our retail sales team to our editorial department, we have rallied around digital and will continue to do so.”
Battistoni intends to grow The Times’ digital agency model and increase mobile traffic on nwi.com.
“We want to drive industry-leading results for our customers,” he said.
Martin said he is excited to continue working in service to his newspaper’s community and readership.
“I’m thankful to The Elkhart Truth family for all of their support,” he said. “It’s been an exciting time at The Truth as we work to enhance our journalism and grow our digital audiences.”
Challenges in the newspaper industry bring plenty of opportunities as well, Martin said.
Battistoni likes a recent sentiment offered by a Times advertising partner – “We are the best digital media company advertisers work with. We also just happen to produce a daily newspaper.”
“That is our mantra now and will continue to be for years to come,” Battistoni said.
