SND/Update

Following yesterday’s announcement that Kevin Wendt is leaving the Mercury News to become editor of the Huntsville Times, in Huntsville, Ala., he answered a few questions about his decision:

You have forged a unique path. Remind us where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished.

Well, Saturday was my eight-year anniversary at the Mercury News, which was my first job out of college. I started as a news designer, one of the people recruited by Mansfield when he came to the Merc (I had interned for Matt at the Times of Northwest Indiana my senior year in college).

In my time at the Mercury News, I got to do a little of everything. I got on 1A fairly quickly, became News Design Director in late 2001, and gradually picked up responsibility for design of all sections (Except Features. David Frazier? Stephanie Grace Lim? I’d have been WAY out of my league!).

Anyway, I had always said to the managers at the paper that my aspirations were to be a managing editor or executive editor, and we worked to carve out a path that would get me the experience outside of design that I would need. The biggest jump was becoming an assistant business editor in 2005, heading our Internet and technology team. Early on, Knight Ridder was forced to put itself up for sale, and the editors added that story onto my plate, where I got to work with the fabulous duo of Pete Carey and Chris O’Brien. If you followed the Knight Ridder saga, you probably read one of their stories.

In late 2006, I became executive news editor, overseeing 1A and continuing the transition to a universal copy desk. I became and assistant managing editor a short time later, adding oversight of the sports department and design/graphics a bit later.

I can’t thank or say enough about the talented people who helped me here. Too often that gets lost in these things. The amazing people who work at the Mercury News make you better just by walking in the door.

And it’s not just those who get the attention or the awards. The most important lesson I learned when I just started managing the news desk didn’t come from anyone in management at the time. Here I am, this punk kid, screwing around with the schedule, thinking I’ve got all the answers. This person stopped me and just point-blank said (paraphrasing): “Dude, these are people’s lives. Not everyone wants to be here 14 hours a day like you. Do what you’ve got to do, but just remember that.” I’ve tried, although certainly not always successfully, I know.

Another quick example, just because I talk about it all the time, was when I just started on 1A. The editor at the time, David Yarnold, came by to look at the front page. “So, what’s special on this page today?” I thought I was fired. So, I always tried to do something special every day, which always felt to me like a good starting point. “What am I going to do that’s special today?” Hopefully something!

What’s the backstory? What appealed to you about the job and the organization in Huntsville?

Well, I won’t lie, an editor who I have tremendous respect for mentioned the opportunity in Huntsville. And had that person not steered me toward the job, frankly, it probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere. The Mercury News is where I’ve grown up as a professional, and I feel an incredible loyalty to it because of the opportunities I’ve been given and the work that we’ve done as a team. I don’t think anyone has ever left without saying “This was an incredibly hard decision…”

But once the ball got rolling, boy, I was just really impressed by the Huntsville area, and I was really enthused by some of the things I saw the paper doing and imagining the potential to grow in print and online.

Making this decision has taught me one thing as a manager, for sure: Knocking the place someone’s thinking of going is not an effective retention strategy! I actually sent an apology to a friend who left the Mercury News for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Cleveland? Why would you want to live in Cleveland? We’re in the Bay Area!” Well, he and his wife are having a tremendous time. And to those who haven’t been to Huntsville? Come for a visit. If I can recreate even half of the tour and hospitality I received on my visit, I think most people will understand the appeal.

But make no mistake, being editor of a paper is a definite goal of mine, and I’m going to be able to realize it in a place I think will be very successful. Are there challenges? No doubt. Huntsville may be a growing market, but it’s certainly not immune to the challenges we’re facing as an industry.

But I feel from talking to the leadership group in Huntsville, and folks within Advance Publications (Newhouse), that we’re going to approach these challenges in a steady, well-thought-out way that I really hope will allow us to grow in print and online.

You’ll be one of the country’s youngest and most visually savvy editors. How might those unique perspectives shape your approach?

Hmmm… Well, my initial reaction is to say that my age (30) allows me to not accept “Well, that’s how we’ve always done it” as an answer to any question. But frankly, I don’t want to accept that answer at any point in my career, even 30 years from now!

Certainly my initial years in journalism have been ones of dramatic change, especially being here in Silicon Valley, and maybe I’m a little more comfortable with that? Jeez, I don’t feel comfortable! But honestly, I’m not sure that comfort in an Internet world should be defined as an age thing. It’s really how you approach journalism today and information-gathering today.

As an example, I look at how Facebook and Twitter are changing my media consumption. Do I deeply care about the Detroit mayor saga? It’s amusing, sure, and as a journalist, I want to know what’s going on. But frankly, a large reason I’m interested is I want to be up on what’s interesting or important to my friends who live in Detroit or are from Detroit. I click on Free Press stories sent to me through Twitter because I know those are probably the biggest and best stories. The most bang for my buck.

So, that’s a long way of saying that we must find ways of reaching readers that we’ve never thought of, both in print and online (I keep that clause on a save string!). And age isn’t really a part of embracing that mindset, I think.

Visually, you just look at the sophistication of design and packaging these days (insert Apple reference here), and producing a product that feels authoritative — both in print and online! — is so important. And that’s not just design. Our stories must be clear and concise, and written with an authoritative voice. We must package our news in the most user-friendly way possible.

At our core, a great story, told well and presented wonderfully, will have an audience. I have to believe that if I’m going to make it the next 35 years to retirement!

This leap comes at a tumultuous time for the industry, any predictions?

Just one: We will figure this out. Journalism and newspapers are too important, and there are too many talented people still affiliated with both, for us not to create a sustainable business model that supports what we do.