Owen  Youngman

Knight Professor of Digital Media Strategy

Owen Youngman was appointed to the Knight Chair in Digital Media Strategy at Medill in January, 2009, after a 37-year career at the Chicago Tribune focused on new product development, innovation, and interactive media.  He created such Web sites as chicagotribune.com and metromix.com as the Tribune’s first director of interactive media (1995-99); directed the development and launch of RedEye, the Tribune’s successful daily for young urban commuters; and, in nine years as a vice president and senior vice president, oversaw strategy and development.

A user of online services since 1982, Youngman served on a 1992 task force that created parent Tribune Company’s first explicit technology strategy, focused on creating and storing information in media-independent formats. Later, after inaugurating the Chicago Tribune’s editorial efforts on America Online, in 1995 he received Tribune Co.’s Values Award for directing the year-long, cross-company project that led to Good Eating—a reinvention of the Chicago Tribune food section that was mirrored both on television and online, taking the then-radical approach of making its content available three days before appearance of the printed section.

 During a Tribune career that began in 1971 as a copy boy on the weekend night shift, Youngman held newsroom positions including deputy sports editor, associate metropolitan editor/suburban news, associate features editor, associate managing editor/financial news and managing editor/features.  His responsibilities on the business side from 1999 to 2008 included strategic marketing; community relations and the Tribune’s philanthropy; direction of the company’s developing businesses, including CLTV News, Hoy, Chicagoland Publishing Co., and RedEye; events; research; readership growth; and cross-company project management.

  A past member of the Newspaper Association of America’s New Media Federation board, in 2006 Youngman represented Tribune Co. on an industry-wide task force, “Newspaper Next,” convened by the American Press Institute with the goal of unearthing new business models for the industry.  In 2008, he envisioned and helped create a social media strategy that increased traffic to chicagotribune.com by 10% within three months. During that year he also oversaw the launches of two print/online efforts focused on user-generated content: the hyperlocal news and advertising service Triblocal, and TheMash, a collaboration with the Chicago Public Schools.

  Youngman’s blog, “The next miracle,” can be found at owenyoungman.com, the personal Web site he launched in 1994.

Teaching Philosophy

Office

MTC 2-121

Phone

847-467-6759

Email

o-youngman@northwestern.edu

Course Info

Youngman will begin teaching in the 2009 fall quarter

Research

Professional and Civic Organizations, Board Memberships 

American Society of Newspaper Editors

Newspaper Association of America

National Executive Board, EvangelicalCovenantChurch

Board of Trustees, North ParkUniversity

Board of Directors, SwedishCovenantHospital (chair, marketing and strategic planning committee)

Board of Directors, Legacy.com Inc.

Board of Directors, Solti  Foundation U.S. (board secretary) 

Awards / Professional Organizations

Inland Press Association Innovation Award, 1995

Tribune Co. Values Award, 1995

North Suburban Library System Partnership Award, 1996

Best Online Newspaper (chicago.tribune.com), both Newspaper Association of America “Edgie” and Editor & Publisher magazine “EPpy,” 1997

Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa, North ParkUniversity, 2005

Ashtabula (Ohio) High School Alumni Hall of Fame, 2005

Metropolitan Family Services Leading Voice award, 2007 

Publications / Presentations

“Through a Glass, Darkly” – Address to the first class of McCormick Tribune Foundation Scholars, April 7, 2006

“Bloggers’ dilemma: Speed vs. accuracy,” Chicago Tribune op-ed page, Nov. 5, 2004

“Reflections on Web measurement,” NAA Research journal, October 2002

“How Siskel became the Tribune’s film critic,” Chicago Tribune, Feb. 22, 1999

“Sticky hubs, traveling portals, and the end of pushiness,” Chicago Tribune, Aug. 16, 1998

“You won’t be alone: Technology and the Business Environment,” seminar, Oct. 14, 1994

[Most of these articles are available at owenyoungman.com]