By Andrew L. Cherry
We are thrilled to let you know of another exciting positive change taking place at the Jewish Exponent. Following four years of outstanding stewardship under Steve Rosenberg, the Exponent has hired a new general manager, Eileen Pursley. Pursley, who assumed the position effective April 8, has an extensive background and experience in news media sales and advertising, including stints at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Metro and Gatehouse Media.
We look forward to Pursley using her skills and deep knowledge of the Philadelphia media market to continue to enhance the quality and profile of the Exponent. Pursley’s key initial goal will be to continue to propel the paper, which has experienced four years of continuous growth under Rosenberg’s direction. In his role as general manager — which was intended to be a short-term transition, but grew into a years-long tenure — Rosenberg guided the Exponent through a transformative rebrand and a total reconfiguration of its editorial content. We owe Rosenberg a major debt of gratitude for his efforts. He can now focus full time on serving as Jewish Federation’s chief marketing officer.
To reflect its role as a local paper for our region’s Jewish community, the Exponent has moved past its reliance on wire stories, turning instead to original local content from reporters who are fully enmeshed in the goings-on in our region. At the same time, a refreshed website and robust social media has ushered in a new generation of readers.
The changes that have been made over the last few years have not been easy. Importantly, we also know that many of our loyal readers were heavily invested in the process. But by bringing Pursley onboard, we can say with confidence that the process was a success. We’re seeing a record high reader engagement on our new digital platforms, and sales are robust. We have done the hard work to set a strong foundation, and Pursley certainly has the experience and talent to push the Jewish Exponent to new and creative heights.
Thank you for your continued readership and support of the Jewish Exponent.
Andrew L. Cherry is the chair of the Jewish Publishing Group of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
