Des Moines Register
08-15-07
Register publisher to step down, start multimedia group
By BONNIE HARRIS
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER
A tearful Mary Stier said Tuesday that she will leave her job as president and
publisher of The Des Moines Register to chase a dream of starting a national
multimedia venture aimed at boomer women.
Stier, 50, will become chief executive officer for the Brilliance Group, which will
be based in Des Moines. Her resignation is effective Sept. 7.
"I believe - no, I know - there's a need for a media group that can serve
aspirational boomer women," Stier said. "After much soul-searching, I feel it's
time to follow my dream of serving these women nationwide. And I am so happy
that I can build this company in Des Moines."
Gannett Co., the parent company of the Register, has not named a replacement
for Stier.
The Register, Iowa's largest newspaper, has about 950 employees in central
Iowa. In her seven-year tenure at the Register, Stier oversaw the paper's
expansion online and the growth of its community-oriented coverage.
Readers likely won't notice immediate changes in coverage or content at the
Register, industry experts said. Publishers provide a vision for newspapers more
than hands-on direction of the newsroom, said Michael Bugeja, director of the
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State
University.
"That vision is sustained in the months after departure," he said. "When a new
publisher comes in and has time to understand the operation, that's when a
dramatic shift could occur."
Bill Monroe, executive director of the Iowa Newspaper Association, said he had
lunch last year with Stier, who mentioned how proud she was of the Register's
management team. "That team's still there," Monroe said. "It's not like the rug's
been pulled out from under them."
Stier said her departure was not based on the uncertainty of the newspaper
industry, which has experienced declining circulation, falling stock prices and
takeovers of long-independent publishing companies. Last week, Gannett
rebutted speculation that a change in control of the nation's largest newspaper
company was in the works. The company filed documents with the Securities and
Exchange Commission that included a new plan to accelerate payments to top
executives if the company is sold.
Stier said she was instead motivated by a strong feeling that the time was right to
further help women focus their energies and passions to achieve results.
Stier, who has been with Gannett for 25 years, has been a strong advocate for
women, having helped lure famous ones to Des Moines for the Register's Smart
Talk Women's Lecture Series.
In her speech for the lecture series in April, Stier invited women to go on a
personal journey of discovery. "Oftentimes women see that brilliance in others,
but they can't see it in themselves," she said. Stier said Tuesday that her Smart
Talk experience "confirmed the research I've been exposed to for a long time that
there's an opportunity here."
Stier declined to give specifics about the Brilliance Group, including how many
employees she will have and who her financial backers are. She said she plans
to finalize a business plan and work with strategic partners, with an official launch
projected for spring.
"I don't mean it to sound mysterious, but I want to be very clear at the time of
launch," Stier said.
Stier said the multimedia company would include coaching, consulting and public
speaking and would publish documentaries, books and other materials.
"I believe I'm not leaving the media industry," Stier said. "But I will tell you ... this
will take on an entirely unique shape from what I'm doing now."
Stier will have to find a niche and a unique point of view for her targeted
audience, said Brenda Saget Darling, publisher of More magazine in New York, a
successful Meredith Corp. publication that is aimed at affluent women over age
40.
Stier's challenge will be marketing and advertising products targeted to this
demographic, Saget Darling said. Women between the ages of 40 and 60 have a
greater amount of disposable income, but advertisers still insist on marketing
products to younger women, she said.
Boomer women, and aging Generation X women, want to be recognized and
their voices heard, she said.
"They don't want to be 20 and 30," Saget Darling said. "They are proud of their
achievements and they are saying, 'Don't treat me old.' "
Stier said she is most proud of the relationships the Register has built with the
community. She started the Iowa Star and Aurora awards, which honor central
Iowans who give back to the community. The paper's community and specialty
publications, including Juice, which targets young people, were introduced during
Stier's tenure.
"I am really proud of the newsroom's work as well," said Stier, noting reporter
Clark Kauffman being named as a finalist for a 2004 Pulitzer Prize. "I have
worked very hard to support our newsroom. I hope they will remember me
fondly."
Register business writers David Elbert, Patt Johnson and S.P. Dinnen
contributed to this article.