A busy morning from the New York Times Company:
IHT-NYT: Effective Jan. 1, 2007, the IHT and NYT sales forces will be combined globally giving the New York Times Media Group “one face to market” and regional offices in Europe and Asia. Jean-Christophe Demarta, the IHT ad director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, becomes International Advertising Director for the group, working with Claire LaRosa, executive director for international advertising in New York. Release.
Futurist On Board: The NYT has been advertising for a futurist (including here) and finally has one: Michael Rogers, who has had a long and varied career in new media, adds to the list a one-year appointment to NYTCO as futurist-in-residence to the list—ie R&D consultant with a fancy name and a fixed tenure. This is part of the Times’ recent emphasis on R&D, including the hiring of Michael Zimbalist as VP. The rather vague goal:  help “to continuously deliver the innovative information products and services our readers expect from the Times Company.”
Airport Store: Joing CNBC and other media outlets with branded airport presence, the Times has teamed with The Paradies Shops for a New York Times Bookstore in the Delta terminal at LaGuardia. The new store carries Times merchandise but perhaps most important to current NYT strategy it’s set up as an online news kiosk for travelers with   computer terminals where the customers can log on to NYTimes.com and a plasma screen television showing excerpts from current news and features from the Times. Release.