A file photo of Ken WhyteJerry Lai/The Associated Press
For the past six years Ken Whyte has been steadily moving up the ladder at Rogers Publishing Ltd. He has now been officially chosen to succeed Brian Segal as president of Rogers' print media division this fall.
Mr. Whyte will take on his new role on Sept. 1, when Mr. Segal retires after 17 years with the company.
He will be responsible for overseeing magazines and websites such as Maclean's, Chatelaine, Hello! Canada and L'Actualité. And he will spearhead the launch of Rogers' newest title, Sportsnet magazine, which will aim to lure advertisers seeking to target men and to build the brand of the existing Rogers-owned Sportsnet television and radio stations.
"His stellar content-savvy and business acumen make him the natural choice for this role, Rogers Media president Keith Pelley said in a statement on Thursday. "We will be counting on his leadership not only within Rogers Publishing, but as part of my senior team."
Mr. Whyte, 51, joined Rogers in 2005 as editor-in-chief and publisher of Maclean's, and saw newsstand sales of that title increase 50 per cent in his first year on the job. He remains in that role at Maclean's. In the fall of 2009, he was given additional responsibilities, overseeing all of the company's English-language consumer magazines. This year the French-language titles also came under his stewardship when he was appointed executive vice-president of Rogers consumer publishing.
"We have a portfolio of some of the most-loved media brands in the country run by some of the most talented people in the business," Mr. Whyte said in a statement. "It is a thrill to be part of Keith Pelley's team as he transforms Rogers Media. The pace of change under his leadership has been unbelievable. It's an exciting time to be here. "
Rogers Publishing has 55 consumer and business magazines and accounts for roughly 19 per cent of Rogers Media's total revenue of $1.5-billion in 2010.
Rogers' magazines have been in line with these trends. Titles such as Canadian Business, LOULOU, Maclean's and Chatelaine had very large gains in single-copy sales in the last half of 2010. But it struggled with circulation declines at Maclean's, the French-language Châtelaine, and Flare.