Spotlight on the I-SCMA Secretary-Treasurer, Dan Christ from Advance Local Media
Tell us a little about your current position, how long you have been in the business, and the positions you have held.
I lead a team for Advance Local Media’s digital consumer revenue team focused on customer research. We gather insights from readers and subscribers to help the team drive digital subscription volumes, revenue, and readership.
I’ve been in the business since I took a sports writing job with The Gettysburg Times in 1988. Since joining The Patriot-News in 1989, I’ve been a district sales manager, zone manager, home delivery manager, assistant circulation director, audience engagement director, marketer, and circulation director. After 2015 when we centralized services, I led the retention and print revenue teams and worked on marketing.
The opportunity to learn and grow to align with the organization’s changing needs has been a blessing.
What do you enjoy most about your current position?
I love asking questions which enable my team to insert the voice of the customer into discussions about how to meet our business needs. Working with two great teammates is a close second.
What do you find to be the most challenging in this business?
In 1950, 124% of U.S. households took a daily newspaper according to data from Editor & Publisher and the U.S. Census Bureau. That means there were more daily newspapers going into American homes than there were homes.
For an industry which had that dominant a market position to be where it is now is one of the greatest tragedies to befall democracy as we used to know it.
Along similar lines, the lack of trust in the media is the single most challenging factor we face today.
Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/394817/media-confidence-ratings-record-lows.aspx
What is your go-to activity when you are not working?
My go-to activity is usually activity. On any given day, I could be on the road bike, on a hiking trail, or spending time with friends. When relaxing, I’m passionate about collecting and enjoying quality Scotch whisky and bourbon, reading, watching and talking baseball, and watching classic movies.
What is something about you that others might be surprised to learn?
I’ve never watched “Field of Dreams” and never will because the book on which it is based, “Shoeless Joe” by W.P. Kinsella, is a masterpiece of American literature.
Thank you, Dan for sharing your story with us!
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