AJC’s Andrew Morse steps down 3 years into $150 million reinvention : NPR

Andrew Morse, who played a pivotal role in modernizing ABC, Bloomberg, and CNN, shifted his focus to Atlanta in January 2023. Armed with a $150 million plan, he set out to transform the city’s main newspaper.

Upon assuming leadership of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Morse aimed to boost digital subscriptions from 53,000 to 500,000 by 2026. He introduced a new strategy, complete with fresh content and vigor. The newspaper fully transitioned to digital at the end of the previous year, abandoning its print edition. This strategy has so far resulted in 101,000 digital subscribers.

While Morse admits the paper hasn’t yet met its ambitious target, he remains confident it will eventually achieve its “North Star.” However, he won’t be there to witness it. After three and a half years, Morse believes it’s time for a change.

“Our journey with the AJC has been remarkable… turning a storied newspaper into a contemporary media company,” Morse shared with NPR, describing his decision as bittersweet.

Morse cited family reasons for his departure: “I’ve lived in Atlanta for three years, but my family resides in New York, and the commute has been challenging. I had to make a tough personal decision.”

Paul Curran, a senior advertising executive from Cox Media, will succeed Morse. The transition will be finalized by June 29.

A closely watched experiment

Morse’s initiative has been under scrutiny as traditional newspapers face financial difficulties and extensive consolidation. Major corporations like Gannett, Lee Enterprises, Alden Global Capital, and Chatham Asset Management have expanded their portfolios while reducing costs across various publications.

Block Communications had announced the permanent closure of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 3, but the paper received a last-minute reprieve after being sold to a nonprofit institute responsible for the online Baltimore Banner. However, the local news guild claims new ownership has cut 40% of the newsroom, including many union organizers involved in a lengthy labor dispute.

Cox Enterprises, the parent company of the Journal-Constitution, reaffirms its dedication to delivering quality journalism to Atlanta and the South.

The Cox family, which has owned the Journal since 1939 and the Constitution since 1950, continues to control the company. The two papers merged in 2001. Cox sold its other newspapers but later reacquired the Dayton Daily News and two other Ohio publications. Alex Taylor, CEO and chairman of Cox Enterprises, is a descendant of Ohio Gov. James Cox, who founded the company in 1898.

The Journal-Constitution has been financially struggling for years. Prior to joining the AJC, Morse convinced the Cox family of the newspaper’s potential and the necessity of investing significantly to achieve sustainability. The Cox family has substantial resources, having profited from investments in cable television, broadband internet, car sales, and other ventures.

During his tenure at CNN, Morse, who spent considerable time in Atlanta, played a key role in the network’s digital strategy, including the short-lived CNN+, which was discontinued after new corporate ownership took over. Morse departed the network shortly afterward.

This year, CNN Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson launched a new digital platform based on insights from Morse’s digital strategy plans for the network.

Under Morse’s leadership, the Journal-Constitution expanded its focus beyond the metro area, establishing a presence in other Georgia cities where journalism had waned. It distributed printed copies in these areas to promote the AJC’s return.

Morse has been a passionate advocate for the newspaper and innovative journalism forms. The paper shifted from geographic beats to broader subject coverage and invested in newsletters, podcasts, and social media alongside traditional reporting. According to Morse, over half of the AJC’s 320 employees work in the newsroom. Their work has been recognized, earning the paper its first Peabody award for its social media video coverage of ICE operations in Georgia.

Shereta Williams, executive vice president of growth operations at Cox Enterprises, told NPR that the AJC was lagging in digital adoption before Morse’s arrival. “We were primarily still operating as a print newspaper when he got there,” Williams said.

“It’s the transformation of the team, how we operate, and reinvigorating the brand,” Williams said. “The entire organization understands what it means to be a digital-first operation. It is now focused on ‘How do we grow as fast as possible?’ And we are doing it across divisions.”

She says she doesn’t know how soon the paper will attain financial sustainability. “It’ll take us another few years, but we see it within sight,” she says. “We are on a path to growth. It was difficult to find a path to growth with print.”

The largest U.S. city without a major printed newspaper

Atlanta is now the largest metro region in the country without a major printed newspaper.

Over the course of last year, the paper planned a historic pivot. Then, on January 1, it dispensed with its print edition altogether, Atlanta is now the largest metro region in the country without a major printed newspaper. (The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., a larger paper, ceased publication of print editions in February 2025, along with sister papers in Jersey City and Trenton. Their owners, Advance Communications, maintain a sizable combined newsroom at NJ.com.)

“It was a big gamble for Cox,” says industry analyst Ken Doctor, who has recently set up digital news startups in Santa Cruz, Calif., and Eugene, Ore. “It points to the possibility of a significant failure. And understanding it is really important for them.”

That said, Doctor says he is not writing off the AJC’s chances, or even Morse’s approach.

“It could be that it’s a good strategy, but it’s going to take more time for it to work.”

On that, at least, Morse agrees.

“We set a very ambitious goal,” Morse says. “It’s still very achievable based on the size of this market and the pace of our growth. What’s changed is the timing.”

Morse says it took more effort than expected to build up the leadership team and analytical tools to turn goals into strategies and strategies into success.

He also points to social media platforms’ turning away from promoting news, and the explosive use of AI platforms to find information. Both have led to sharp drops in referrals to news websites. The phenomenon is called “Google Zero” — as in, Google is prompting close to zero users to click links to the original reporting.

“There’s a long way to go,” Morse says. “The verdict isn’t in. But we’ll get there.”