DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/
-- The Dallas Morning News has formed a new independent
business division to meet the operational, marketing and
promotional needs of event organizers and live-event producers in
categories ranging from education and information to entertainment
and sports.
Alison Draper has been appointed
General Manager of the new CrowdSource, reporting to the CMO of
The Dallas Morning News. Draper joins CrowdSource from
her most recent position as publisher of alternative newsweekly the
Chicago Reader, where she shepherded the sale of the paper
earlier this year. Draper's experience includes three years
with The Dallas Morning News from 2006-2009 as publisher of
Quick, the quick-read daily paper, and as senior director of
local advertising – Arts & Entertainment. She also
launched a previous internal events division at The Dallas
Morning News.
Breaking the mold of traditional events sponsorship models,
CrowdSource will create partnerships with event producers and
others to provide an array of business and operational services, as
well as branding and marketing that leverage the vast inventory and
audience relationships of the portfolio of products produced by
The Dallas Morning News.
"CrowdSource is an innovative approach that provides an onramp
for event producers to execute their concepts in the North Texas area and will have the support of
the marketing resources of The Dallas Morning News," said
Jim Moroney, CEO and Publisher of
The Dallas Morning News. "What sets CrowdSource
apart is its unique combination of attributes: the ability to
provide operational support, willingness to consider equity
participation and ability to connect with quality audiences who
consume news and information in multiple formats."
In addition to the Chicago Reader and Quick,
Draper's experience includes serving as vice president, chief sales
officer and group publisher of CL, Inc. She also served five years
as publisher of Dallas Observer, and 15 years in sales and
senior management positions at New Times Media.
"Alison is a proven leader in the field," said Moroney.
"She brings deep industry experience, a penchant for creative
solutions and great credibility based on a career of
achievements. We're delighted to have her back."
Draper said, "CrowdSource is a game-changer in our
industry. We have the ability to leverage the horsepower of
The Dallas Morning News' media organization, its audiences,
its advertisers and media inventory to grow events quickly and
strategically. CrowdSource will seek out targeted event
partnerships and consumer-driven event opportunities where the
relationships will extend beyond traditional media sponsorships and
take our financial and resource commitments to a level that creates
scale and enhanced experiences for attendees. We are looking
at best-in-class events throughout the Southwest and in other areas
of the country with an eye toward bringing them to Dallas."
Draper said CrowdSource will build on The Dallas Morning
News' history of successful ventures, including its annual Top
100 Places to Work event, presently in its fourth year; Copa Al
Dia, a youth soccer competition that just completed its fifth
annual tournament; and Mystiqal, a Dallas
Mardi Gras event that attracted record attendance for a
first-time event. It was the brainchild of Draper during her
earlier tenure with The News.
About The Dallas Morning News
Established in 1885, The Dallas Morning News
(dallasnews.com) is Texas' leading
newspaper and the flagship newspaper subsidiary of A. H. Belo
Corporation. It has received nine Pulitzer Prizes since 1986, as
well as numerous other industry awards recognizing the quality of
its investigative and feature journalism, design and
photojournalism. Its portfolio of print and digital products
reaches an average daily audience of more than 1.1 million people
and includes online news and information sites; iPhone, Android and
iPad apps; Al Dia (www.aldiatx.com), the leading
Spanish-language daily in North
Texas; neighborsgo (neighborsgo.com), a
consumer-generated community news outlet; and Briefing, the
free, home-delivered quick-read.
To advertisers, the portfolio of products is represented by
DMNmedia (www.DMNmedia.com), the marketing solutions group of
The Dallas Morning News, Inc.
About A. H. Belo Corporation
A. H. Belo Corporation (NYSE: AHC), headquartered in
Dallas, Texas, is a distinguished
newspaper publishing and local news and information company that
owns and operates four daily newspapers and related websites.
A. H. Belo publishes The Dallas
Morning News, Texas' leading
newspaper and winner of nine Pulitzer Prizes; The Providence
Journal, the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in
the United States and winner of
four Pulitzer Prizes; The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA), serving the Inland Southern
California region and winner of one Pulitzer Prize; and the
Denton Record-Chronicle. The Company publishes niche
publications targeting specific audiences, and its investments
and/or partnerships include Classified Ventures, owner of Cars.com,
and the Yahoo! Newspaper Consortium. A. H. Belo also owns and operates commercial
printing, distribution and direct mail service businesses.
Additional information is available at www.ahbelo.com or by
contacting Ali Engle, Vice
President/CFO, at 214-977-2248.
SOURCE The Dallas Morning News