Salt Lake Tribune hires new vice president for business innovation

A new member of The Salt Lake Tribune team plans on using her nonprofit management experience as she tries to turn around a for-profit business that has, for a long time now, been making no profit.

Tribune editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce said the paper’s new vice president for business innovation, Fraser Nelson, is “the perfect person to lead this effort.”

“We're thrilled to have Fraser join our team,” Napier-Pearce said. “Her focus will be looking at sustainable business models since no one has figured out a long-term solution for local journalism.”

Nelson is the former CEO of The Community Foundation of Utah and said her immediate focus in her new position will be expanding and enhancing The Salt Lake Tribune’s online presence.

“Way more people get their news on a cell phone than they do at their front door now, so we need to make sure that we’re developing business strategies that reflect the changing market,” Nelson said.

Nelson said she is excited to present the Tribune’s audience with changes focused on making news consumption more convenient and adaptable.

“Nothing is free, just like nonprofit services aren’t free,” Nelson said. “Certainly everyone deserves to be fed, but you don’t walk into a Chipotle and demand a burrito.”

Nelson said avid news consumption is something she and many others in the community rely on.

“One thing about nonprofits that is very, very similar to local news is that they’re community-led and community-driven and reflective of the needs and dreams of the community,” Nelson said. “I think there is a lot of synergy between a news organization and the civic endeavor that they undertake.”