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Brod was announced to New Times staff as the new owner and publisher last Wednesday, April 7, and the office hasn’t stopped buzzing since. Ownership changes bring anxiety, yes, but they also bring energy and a renewed focus on the core values of any business, and The New Times is no different. But what is remarkable, and what ultimately convinced Brod that the alternative newsweekly would be a sound investment, is the collective 140-plus years of staff experience.
“The commitment to this publication by several members of the staff just speaks volumes to me about the quality of the paper,” Brod said. That longevity touches on photographer Michael Davis, with 27 years of service; managing editor Bill DeLapp’s 25 years; advertising consultant Lesli Mitchell and her 16 years; and editor-in-chief Molly English-Bowers, who has been affiliated with the paper for 20 years, half of those as a freelancer and half as a staff member.
“I’m excited to continue building this outstanding brand in the Syracuse media market,” Brod said, “and to continue The New Times’ reputation for community service and activism.” And that includes the many side projects that former owner Art Zimmer oversaw: the Syracuse Area Live Theater (SALT) Awards, Syracuse Area Live Theater Youth (SALTY) Awards, Cruizin’, Street Painting and many more.
Brod graduated from Union College in 1982 with an engineering degree and has worked at such local companies as C&S Operations, a Syracuse architecture and planning firm; Syracuse Supply, which provides equipment to the construction industry; and Pass & Seymour /legrand, manufacturer of electrical and electronic parts. He is married to Lisette Brod and they have four daughters, ranging in age from 11 to 18. The family lives in Cazenovia.
Actually, it’s interesting that Madison County plays a big part in the lives of Art Zimmer and Brod, to whom Zimmer sold the paper and the building at 1415 W. Genesee St., that houses it. Zimmer is proud to call Hamilton his hometown, just as Brod enjoys another village the next county over.
“I like the small-town atmosphere of Cazenovia,” Brod explains. “I like that we can live in a small town in Madison County and still have relatively easy access to work in Syracuse. It’s a 30-minute commute to work—I like to take Route 20 to Interstate 81—and along those hills of Route 20 all four seasons have a spectacular intensity of their own.”
And while Brod’s political persuasion leans more right than perhaps The New Times’ does, don’t expect many changes in that part of our operation. Art Zimmer was probably even more conservative than Brod, although he tended to keep that quiet, not wanting it to cloud readers’ vision of the paper. Brod isn’t concerned about that so much as he wants to make sure The New Times has room in its pages for politics of all types, since isn’t that the American way?
“I think the power’s in the debate,” he noted, “I believe that. My views are not necessarily those of everyone else out there. I respect the fact that my views are not held by everyone. But I intend to work hard not to have my views overshadow the ability of the paper to express different viewpoints. That all said, I want there to be balanced reporting, I don’t want reporters to take cheap shots.”
Q: What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A: I always have enjoyed business but have never been particularly focused on any one business. I always enjoyed the interaction with people and drawing the connection of the value a business delivers to its customers, and working to improve that.
I read a lot of business books. John Maxwell, my favorite author, is more focused on developing leadership skills; he believes they are more important than anything else in business. Developing the Leader Within You by Maxwell is the definitive business leadership book.
When I read for leisure, I read either books about business and leadership skills or relationship skills. I am reading a book now on life-coaching your teens, which I am discussing with a group of dads that meet every Saturday morning. The girls are always curious to know what I learned.
Q: Did you ever think that owning a newspaper was in the cards for you?
A: No, and that’s because I never thought I was a particularly good writer. I’m more of a direct, one-on-one person; I interact better directly than I do writing. As I learned about The New Times, I realized it’s much more than a newspaper; it is a part of the Central New York community. I don’t consider it a traditional newspaper the way most people think of newspapers. It’s a niche publication that has the ability to look forward and report on the issues facing our community.
Q: As you well know, traditional print media isn’t as strong as it once was. How will you address that, and what are your plans to bolster The New Times?
A: We’re still assessing things. We need to broaden our Web presence and link it with our print media; they need to be compatible. One of the things I’m looking forward to, is to get more involved with our customers, advertisers, readers. Art told me, “If you’re interested in getting involved, that will probably help the paper.” And that is something that is interesting to me; people have given me tons of suggestions already.
I definitely want to open an avenue of communication between readers, advertisers and myself. I don’t want to be isolated, but I also don’t have patience for someone who wants to lob a grenade. Central New Yorkers need to discuss and celebrate what we have in common and not get consumed with our differences. If they have a cause in Syracuse they want to see The New Times get behind they should contact me at publisher@ syracusenewtimes.com.
Q: Who were your heroes growing up?
A: My hero growing up was {Dallas Cowboys great} Roger Staubach. I considered going to the Naval Academy {where the quarterback played and graduated from} and when he got drafted by the Cowboys I watched him in his classy way go through challenges of competing. Many people said he was a better quarterback than who was playing then, but he was polite and respectful, waited his turn and when he got in the game, he let his play speak for him.
I got a chance to meet him purely by accident on an airplane, about 10 years ago. He is a successful businessman now. He is the consummate gentleman and I was so impressed with how he handled himself. It’s kind of nice that you get to meet someone you admire and they act the way you thought they would.
Q: Do you still have items on your to-do list unchecked?
A: I want to go to China. It’s the oldest civilization on earth and I admire and appreciate things that have lasted. I want to take my wife back to Switzerland where we went on our honeymoon, and not on a shoestring. There’s probably a million things I’d like to do, and I haven’t had the luxury of thinking about that for quite a while.
I really am looking forward to the positive impact The New Times can have on the Central New York community. I hope one of the things that people can say is that it has helped become a connector of people of like minds who are doing good things and The New Times can help them come together, get connected. And so far I have received nothing but encouraging e-mails from people who know Lisette and me. They have been incredibly warm and generous with their comments. I have gotten 75, 100 e-mails in the last few days, saying, “Congratulations, wow, I’m amazed, you’ll do phenomenally.” They have been short and encouraging.
Something about me that I want New Times readers to understand is that I’m extremely bullish about Central New York. I think it’s a great place to live. I’ve had a lot of opportunities to see this country and a good portion of the Western Hemisphere and I choose to live in Central New York. The challenges here are self-imposed challenges that we have a power to control. We have the ability to control that, we can change it. We don’t have to worry about things like earthquakes and mudslides, we don’t have to put up with dirty water and intense amounts of crime.
We have all the assets—educational institutions, arts institutions—right here in Syracuse, probably more than a city our size deserves. The quality of life here is better than any other part of the nation I’ve been to. There are recreational, outdoor activities, affordable housing, and a connectivity with the rest of the world through various transportation means.
