Ms. Levien emphasized that The Times would continue to invest heavily in its journalism, adding that it was also in favor of adding digital games and other non-news content. Along with its main news offering, The Times has attracted subscribers with a crossword puzzle app and a cooking site.
“We have great ambitions for The New York Times and great ambitions for independent journalism in general,” he said.
The Times has performed better than many other news organizations since readers began showing a preference for getting their news on the screen, rather than printing it. Newspaper publishers, many now owned by hedge funds, have cut staff and resources in recent years. Approximately half of all journalistic jobs were eliminated from 2004 to 2019.
The Times Company has a healthy balance sheet, with around $ 687 million in cash on hand. Ms. Levien said she would not rule out acquisitions, adding that the market for additional subscribers was vast, potentially up to 100 million people, she said.
“The Times has a great opportunity to pursue him,” he said.
Levien, who was the chief revenue officer for Forbes Media before joining The Times, said she was skeptical at first when she approached her to join the newspaper seven years ago.
“I asked people for advice, and the feeling was that it was a great journalism company, but perhaps the best days of its business were behind it,” he said.
“But in the end,” he added, “I love the place and I love the mission.”
Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, he had no regular access to The Times, he said. When her parents, both native New Yorkers, occasionally brought the newspaper home, she found it different from the local newspaper she was used to reading.
