Syracuse Media Group President Tim Kennedy to oversee MassLive Media

Randy Siegel, President of Advance Local, announced today that Allison Werder will step down as President of MassLive Media at the end of February and will be replaced by Tim Kennedy, who will now oversee MassLive Media in addition to his current responsibilities as President of Syracuse Media Group.

"There are a lot of talented people in the MassLive Media organization and I look forward to working with them to accelerate the strong digital audience and revenue growth both companies have enjoyed in New York and Massachusetts," said Kennedy.  "Our goal is to do good journalism and build an even larger digital footprint by leveraging our collective strengths in the communities we serve," he added.

According to Kennedy, MassLive.com and Syracuse.com are two of the fastest growing properties in the entire Advance Local enterprise. "The ability to learn from each other and work together will create more opportunities for growth and innovation," he added.

Kennedy was appointed President of the Syracuse Media Group in 2012 where he has led the transformation of The Post Standard newspaper and syracuse.cominto a digitally focused and thriving media company.  In the past four years, the Syracuse-based operation has doubled its audience and digital revenue and created NYup.com - the fastest growing website about Upstate New York.

Prior to Syracuse, Kennedy lived in Pennsylvania where he led the startup of a website for the media company Rodale and he worked as the CEO of The Morning Call newspaper.

"Allison has made extensive contributions to MassLive's success," said Siegel. "Under her watch MassLive has grown to over 4 million unique visitors* and expanded its readership beyond Western Massachusetts into Central and Eastern Mass. We are grateful for everything she has accomplished."

"We've built an amazing team and brand at MassLive over the past few years. I'm proud of the growth we have achieved and quality of coverage and services we've provided for our readers and advertising partners," said Werder. "This opportunity to continue to expand this success across New York and New England is a testament to our successes and a great opportunity for continued growth at MassLive."

"My friend Allison is a terrific talent and already has made significant impact during her time here, not only at MassLive but in the community," said George Arwady, publisher and CEO of The Republican.

MassLive's relationship with The Republican will not be affected by the move and the newspaper will remain a stand-alone entity.

Werder chairs the Homefield Advantage committee of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts, where she led the marketing effort to launch a new brand strategy for the region. Among numerous other community boards, Werder serves with Valley Venture Mentors and River Valley Investors, which work with and fund start-ups, and as a trustee of Western New England University.

*Burt analytics, January 2017, 4,198,134 unique visitors to MassLive.com