Raju Narisetti quits News Corp; joins Gizmodo Media Group as CEO

Narisetti will formally join Gizmodo Media Group in late October and will be based at its headquarters in New York

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | September 23, 2016

Raju Narisetti

Univision Communications, Inc. (UCI) has announced that digital media executive and veteran editor Raju Narisetti has been named Chief Executive Officer for Gizmodo Media Group (GMG), a unit within the company's Fusion Media Group (FMG). As CEO, he will be responsible for managing all business and editorial operations for the Gizmodo Media Group, home to category-leading brands focused on technology (Gizmodo), car culture (Jalopnik), contemporary women's interests (Jezebel), sports (Deadspin), lifestyle (Lifehacker), and gaming (Kotaku).

Narisetti, who will be based at GMG headquarters in New York, will report to Isaac Lee, Chief News, Digital and Entertainment Officer of UCI, and Felipe Holguin, President and Chief Operating Officer of FMG. Heather Detrick, President of GMG, John Cook, Executive Editor, and Courtenay O'Connor, GMG Deputy General Counsel, will all report directly to Narisetti. He will formally join Gizmodo Media Group in late October.

“Raju is a rare combination, someone who comes with a very strong background in journalism, became a leader in digital media on three continents, and went on to develop new businesses for a global company,” said Lee. “His commitment to journalistic integrity, his entrepreneurial spirit and proven ability to adapt quickly in a fast-paced digital environment will help us strengthen and grow these newly acquired category-leading brands.”

In addition, “Raju will play an important role on Fusion Media Group's leadership team as we look to deepen the engagement of America's increasingly diverse television, digital, mobile and social audiences with our portfolio of brands that speak to their interests in a passionate, authentic manner,” added Holguin.

FMG now reaches more than a third of all Americans online each month with 96 million unique visitors, including its extended network. FMG's collection of digital-first brands serve young, diverse influencers with content that reflects their shared values and passions. In addition to the Gizmodo Media Group, FMG includes FUSION, The Root, Flama, Univision Digital, Univision Music, as well as Univision's interest in El Rey Network, The Onion, The A.V. Club and ClickHole. FMG also includes Story House, a content development and production unit.

“It is a privilege to be responsible for leading this unwaveringly energetic team of journalists and business staff,” said Narisetti. “As part of Univision, we will now be more ambitious in deepening, broadening and sensibly scaling the passionate digital communities that Gizmodo, Jezebel, Deadspin, Kotaku, Jalopnik and Lifehacker have attracted, by offering accurate, responsible, edgy and engaging journalism, as well as through relevant, related content and commerce.”

Narisetti is currently Senior Vice President, Strategy, of News Corp. Since 2013, he has been responsible for acquisitions and global expansion, while also helping guide and influence the digital growth of News Corp's existing companies in the news, information, publishing, social video and digital real-estate portfolio, which include The Wall Street Journal, The Times of London, Harper-Collins, Realtor.com and Storyful, among others.

Prior to that, Narisetti was Managing Editor of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. In this role, he headed editorial teams and content strategy for WSJ's Digital Network, which included WSJ.com, MarketWatch.com, WSJ video platforms, and WSJ/MarketWatch Radio Networks.

Earlier, Narisetti served as Managing Editor of The Washington Post (2009-2012) overseeing digital journalism and adjacent news products, as well as managing editing, design, photo, video, engagement and social media teams, as well as the Post's Style and other features sections. Narisetti spearheaded the Post's efforts to combine its separate print and digital newsrooms into an integrated operation. During that period, despite significant business headwinds, the Post achieved record digital audience growth, and won many top journalism awards, including seven Pulitzer Prizes.

Prior to joining the Post, Narisetti was Founder & Editor of India's Mint newspaper (www.livemint.com), now India's second-largest business newspaper, by circulation. Mint is critically acclaimed in India for its high ethical standards and its pioneering Journalism Code of Conduct.

Narisetti started his U.S. journalism career as a summer reporting intern for the WSJ in 1991, and in his first 13-year stint there, held multiple reporting and editing roles, culminating in being named Editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe, and Deputy Managing Editor for the global WSJ, with responsibility for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Narisetti was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2007, and is now a member of the WEF's Global Future Council on Information and Entertainment. He is a life member of South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA.org); and a Trustee of the International Institute of Education (IIE.org), which administers the Fulbright fellowships and operates the Scholar Rescue Fund.

Narisetti has a MA in Journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington; and a BA (Economics) and MBA from India. Born in Hyderabad, India, Narisetti began his journalism career as a Staff Writer at The Economic Times, Delhi.

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