The wall gets thinner and thinner

My master's thesis explored the topic of the wall between news content and advertising, and how newspaper executives were adjusting their communication in the changing media landscape to address each other and business needs appropriately.

This morning I came across this New York Times article that discusses how Time-owned publications will be having the newsroom staff report into business departments, a big change in how journalism operates.

Time Inc. will abandon the traditional separation between its newsroom and business sides, a move that has caused angst among its journalists. Now, the newsroom staffs at Time Inc.’s magazines will report to the business executives. Such a structure, once verboten at journalistic institutions, is seen as necessary to create revenue opportunities and stem the tide of declining subscription and advertising sales.

As a safe spin on the strategy, Time Inc. is making its former editor-in-chief Norman Pearlstine the "chief content officer" to oversee the change. Should be interesting!