Donald E. Newhouse dead: Newspaper publisher was 96

NEW YORK – Donald E. Newhouse, chairman of one of the largest family-controlled publishing companies in the country and former executive chairman of the Associated Press, died Tuesday. His family said he was 96 and died at his home in New Jersey.

During his career, Newhouse served as president of the Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., and as president of Advance Publications’ newspaper group, where he helped lead the internet age.

“You enjoyed his company. He filled you with energy and humor when you were feeling skeptical and weak,” said Anna Wintour, global editor-in-chief of Vogue and chief content officer at Conde Nast.

“He was scrupulous about not meddling in the editorial business, but if you turned to him for advice, he always gave sensible advice,” Newhouse said in an obituary published by his family Tuesday night.

Newhouse, who lives in New York, spent nearly 50 years with his late father, Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr. He spent his time managing the 35 newspapers of Advance Publications, the media business started in 1922 by . His older brother, S.I. Newhouse Jr. he was president of the company and ran Conde Nast magazines. He passed away in 2017.

Louis D. Boccardi, AP’s retired president and chief executive, said Newhouse was an outstanding president for the cooperative.

“His voice was never the loudest voice in the room, but it was often the wisest voice,” Boccardi said. Newhouse was instinctively a loner, but Boccardi said behind that was a generous man who was at home anywhere and curious about everything.

“He may have come across as self-effacing and deferential, but in Don’s capable hands, these were qualities that made him an extremely strong and effective leader,” Boccardi said. “You don’t often see the adjective ‘hot’ applied to an industry giant, but this was true for him.”

A man who doesn’t chase the spotlight

Newhouse, born in 1929, was known for staying away from the public eye. A reporter once asked him to list the greatest opportunities he had in his career. Answer: “I invite your questions.”

The usually reserved Newhouse attracted attention when he assumed the presidency of the Assn. He served as chairman of the board of directors of America from 1993 to 1994 and then of AP from 1997 to 2002. Before becoming president, he served on the AP board of directors for nine years.

“He was a smart and shrewd businessman, but also a thoughtful and kind man. It was always a pleasure to be in his presence,” said Doug Clifton, editor of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, one of Newhouse’s newspapers, from 1999 to 2007.

Newhouse attended Syracuse University but did not graduate and went into the family newspaper business instead. He visited his newspapers regularly but left the final authority to publish them to his publishers.

“Each of our newspapers operates independently, with powerful publishers who set policies for their own organizations and have the authority and responsibility to implement the policies they set,” he said when taking over the chairmanship of the newspaper association in 1993.

Newhouse was known for spending money to ensure newspapers published the best stories. Jim Willse, editor of the Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., from 1995 to 2010, said he would give us “all the resources we need to make the Ledger truly special.” Willse said Newhouse loved newspapers and journalists.

“He especially liked it when we had a story about a politician caught with his hand in the cookie jar or a spicy feature about the bad behavior of stuffed shirts,” Willse said.

Newhouse’s philosophy of spending money to produce quality news and his hands-off approach to his editors led to many successes, including multiple Pulitzer prizes.

Many of these newspapers were able to thrive and remain profitable because they dominated their markets; but Newhouse said he is very aware of what he calls the “dramatically changing media landscape” and how people are getting their news.

“The 15th-century revolution was epitomized by the printing of the Gutenberg Bible, ours is Ted Turner’s cable news network and web-based news sites – real-time news from anywhere to anywhere,” he said in 2004 at the reopening of a communications school named after his father at Syracuse University.

Three years later, he told one of his newspapers, the Post-Standard of Syracuse, N.Y., that newspapers could survive by “producing relevant, interesting, accurate and entertaining content for newspapers and the Internet.”

He endured financial difficulties

However, the newspapers ultimately suffered financial difficulties.

Advance was known throughout the industry as a commitment that non-union workers would have jobs regardless of economic downturns or technological advances. In 2009, the company announced that the pledge would be withdrawn.

The company also moved away from the daily publication of many newspapers. In 2012, Post-Standard; Times-Picayune in New Orleans; Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and the Birmingham News, Mobile Press Register and Huntsville Times, all in Alabama, will cease daily publication and offer print editions only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. These changes were accompanied by hundreds of layoffs.

“His conservative approach left both the newspapers and their staff unprepared for the realities of the Internet,” said Thomas Maier, who wrote a 1994 biography of the family.

Newhouse’s eldest son, Steven, led the company’s growth on the Internet and mobile devices. Steven Newhouse is currently co-chairman of Advance Publications.

“My father spent his life in the newspaper business and devoted himself to it, built it and lived through many good years. When things got more challenging, he was first in line to find solutions that would continue the franchise of local journalism,” he said.

Newhouse is also survived by another son, Michael, daughter Katherine Mele, and grandchildren. His wife Susan died in 2015.

Mayerowitz writes for the Associated Press.