While the demise of printed newspapers has been predicted since the dawn of the web, MaineToday Media CEO/Publisher will share her vision of why the future for newspapers, particularly in Maine, finally appears bright. She’ll describe the evolving business model and importance of delivering quality journalism across all platforms.
Please join us in November for this unique view into today's newspaper industry.
Presented by:
Lisa DeSisto is the Chief Executive Officer of MaineToday Media, Maine’s largest media company, which publishes the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and The Coastal Journal. MaineToday Media also operates a distribution and printing facility in South Portland.
Since joining MaineToday Media in 2012, Ms. DeSisto has led a turnaround strategy for a company that was on the brink of bankruptcy. Hired by then-owner Donald Sussman, Ms. DeSisto assembled a strong management team and executed a strategy built around delivering quality journalism on all platforms. The technology infrastructure of the newspapers/websites was upgraded to enable website redesigns and implementation of a digital paywall.
Ms. DeSisto focused efforts on expanding the revenue base of the company with the creation of a robust events strategy, expansion of digital revenue products and a value-based circulation pricing initiative.
In June 2015, the company was sold to Reade Brower, a mid-coast Maine entrepreneur, and Ms. DeSisto led a smooth transition to the new ownership.
In December 2016, the company installed a new printing press at the printing facility in South Portland and will continue to print its newspapers and earn new revenue from commercial printing work.
In August 2017, Ms. DeSisto became CEO of the Sun Media Group based in Lewiston Maine which publishes the Lewiston Sun Journal, the Forecaster/Current newspapers, seven weekly newspapers and a variety of specialty magazines.
Before joining MTM in November 2012, worked in a variety of leadership positions at The Boston Globe. She served as Chief Advertising Officer for The Boston Globe and General Manager for Boston.com. She spent most of her career at The Boston Globe as the VP/General Manager of Boston.com directing the site’s development into the most visited local media website in New England. She joined Boston.com as marketing manager just two days after the site’s launch in 1995.
Before joining the Globe, she held marketing positions at The Boston Phoenix, Boston Magazine and WRKO Radio. She is a 1985 graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
In 2006, she was named Online Innovator of the Year by the Newspaper Association of America.
She is the President of the Maine Press Association and proudly serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and the Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare Foundation. She mentors a group of high school sophomores through the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute for Girls. Since moving to Maine in 2012 with her family, she has become a hobby farmer raising alpacas and goats.
