Samuel Metcalf has been named director of marketing technology with WEHCO Media’s digital division.
Metcalf will oversee the day-to-day operations of the subscriber marketing team, responsible for the continued development of growth and retention strategies of subscribers and the consumer revenue of the company’s newspapers.
WEHCO Media, Inc., a family-owned company based in Little Rock, Arkansas, owns the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as well as newspapers, magazines, cable television companies and digital marketing agencies in Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
"WEHCO’s newspapers are a pillar of their communities. It is a privilege to take this role on; to be asked to grow subscription audiences at a time when communities and families are almost desperate for informative, accurate and impactful news is an amazing and worthwhile endeavor — and it is not taken lightly," shared Metcalf.
"There’s nothing more important at WEHCO than growing subscriptions. Sam is a top talent in the industry with digital audience development technology, and brings a wealth of experience to WEHCO as we navigate the next generation of data-driven marketing in support of our subscriber growth goals," said Jay Horton, president of the Digital Division of WEHCO Media, Inc. "I’m excited to welcome Sam to our team and work with him on growing our relationships with subscribers across our communities."
Metcalf had spent his life and career in Wisconsin before moving to Austin, Texas, in 2019. There, he met his partner Evans and they recently welcomed twin identical girls into the world: Chloe and Alexandra, now 5 months old.
He has a decade’s experience in both local and national publishing. Beginning locally with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and later navigating up with the national presence of Gannett and the USA TODAY NETWORK. Most recently, Metcalf was senior manager of audience operations where he leveraged myriad data to create custom segmentation opportunities for marketing, editorial and sales, as well as external clients.
"The individuals, teams and talent I’ve been able to speak with thus far have been impressive, knowledgeable and hungry," Metcalf said. "I am thrilled to join their ranks. Not only is information vast and complex, but so too are the products and services designed to bring that information to the masses. We are excited to bring industry-leading technology and holistic strategy to all our efforts, aimed squarely at increasing WECHO’s audience and overall footprint."
