Montreal Gazette Community Advisory Council Members Announced

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following the announcement of the Montreal Gazette Community Advisory Council last week, Postmedia today announced the founding members of the Council. The group of 11 leaders represent a cross-section of Montrealers who have two things in common – a belief in the importance of the Montreal Gazette to Montreal and Quebec and a shared interest in its future sustainability.

“We want to harness the support of the Gazette community interested in strengthening the institution. To date, preliminary consultations with members of the Council have resulted in an adjustment to our plan which will keep more journalists in the newsroom. Now the work really begins as we look to our supporters to help drive our business towards a stronger future,” said Andrew MacLeod, President & CEO, Postmedia. “I want to thank Anthony Housefather, M.P., an enthusiastic champion of the Gazette, who was instrumental in the formation of the Council.”

The goal of the Council is to connect partner and reader commitment, which has been expressed so passionately in the past weeks, to business results in the form of digital subscription and advertising revenue growth and, ultimately, reinvestment and long-term sustainability. “It has been wonderful to see outpouring of goodwill however, the city needs to understand we have to lift revenue,” said MacLeod. “The work of the Council will be to continue to deepen the connection of the Montreal Gazette with the city and help to ensure a sustainable and healthy future for journalism serving Montreal and Quebec.” The role of the Council will be to offer advice, support and strategies to help drive measurable business results for the Gazette. The Council will play no role in editorial direction or content.

Members of the Gazette Community Advisory Council

David Bensadoun, Chief Executive Officer ALDO Group
Tiffany Callender, CEO of The Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE)
Gurveen K Chadha, Business Operations Lead, Shopify
Joan Fraser, Former Canadian Senator and journalist
Jonathan Goldbloom, Partner at Avenue Strategic Communications
Tasha Lackman, Executive Director at Le Dépôt | The Depot Community Food Centre
Eric Maldoff, C.M., Ad. E. Partner, Lapointe Rosenstein Marchand Melançon
Andrew Molson, Chairman, AVENIR GLOBAL
Angelo Pacitto, Postmedia’s regional director of media sales for Montreal
Michael Prupas, Owner, Muse Entertainment
Bert Archer, Editor in Chief, Montreal Gazette, will act as Postmedia’s management representative on the Council. In this non-editorial role, Bert will run Council meetings and measure and report on outcomes.

While the new Gazette Community Advisory Council initiative is focused specifically on Montreal, we know communities across Canada share a deep desire to ensure sustainability of local journalism and we are exploring opportunities to establish additional councils in other cities.

About Postmedia Network Inc.

Postmedia Network Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (TSX:PNC.A, PNC.B), is a Canadian newsmedia company representing more than 130 brands across multiple print, online, and mobile platforms. Award-winning journalists and innovative product development teams bring engaging content to millions of people every week whenever and wherever they want it. This exceptional content, reach and scope offers advertisers and marketers compelling solutions to effectively reach target audiences Our expertise in home delivery and expanding distribution network powers Postmedia Parcel Services. For more information, visit: www.postmedia.com, www.postmediasolutions.com, and www.postmediaparcelservices.com.