PEOPLE : Sulzberger Jr. Is Named Publisher of the N.Y. Times

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.--following in the footsteps of his father, uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather--was named publisher of the New York Times on Thursday and pledged to build upon “the history of excellence” of the nation’s newspaper of record.

The 40-year-old Sulzberger Jr. will continue to report to his father, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, 65, who remains chairman and chief executive of corporate parent the New York Times Co.

“I am confident Arthur will be an excellent publisher,” said the elder Sulzberger, who is known as Punch. “He has assumed increasing responsibility for all operations of the newspaper in his four years as deputy publisher, playing an instrumental role in preparing the Times to be a stronger newspaper in the future.”

Observers predicted that Sulzberger Jr.’s promotion portends subtle changes in emphasis--but not direction--for the Times. “His consuming passions have been about diversity in the newsroom and making the staff more part of the decision-making process,” one senior editor said.

The younger Sulzberger is also expected to continue beefing up local coverage. “But this is not an organization that makes sharp swerves, in any event,” the senior editor added.

Indeed, the Times emphasized that Punch Sulzberger--who has served 29 years as publisher--will continue to play a role at the paper. As chairman and CEO, “I will continue my day-to-day active participation in our affairs,” he said in a letter to staffers, adding: “I’ll see you in the cafeteria.”

Sulzberger Jr., whose promotion was expected, assumes control of a paper “facing very difficult economic straits in the New York region,” noted Kenneth T. Berents, media analyst at Alex. Brown & Sons in Baltimore.

The newspaper’s advertising volume, which peaked at 123 million lines in 1987, has fallen every year since--off 5% in 1988, 7% in 1989, 14% in 1990 and about 17% in 1991. Last year’s 80 million inches of ads was the lowest since 1979, and Times officials forecast another 8% decline in 1992.

Despite price hikes, the paper’s operating profit, excluding extraordinary items, has fallen sharply--to about $50 million last year from close to $200 million at its peak, estimated John S. Reidy, media analyst at Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co. in New York.

“The experience we have gained, in adversity, combined with the fortitude and ingenuity we have shown, will see us through whatever challenges lie ahead,” Sulzberger Jr. said in a letter to the newspaper’s staff. In an interview, he added that the Times would have to develop new sources of revenues.

Punch Sulzberger said his most satisfying moments as publisher included the winning of 31 Pulitzer prizes and the 1971 Supreme Court victory that allowed the paper to continue publishing the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War.

His biggest disappointment, he said, was that the Times “played a little too much catch-up ball” in reporting on the Watergate scandal.

Under the elder Sulzberger, the Times expanded from two to four daily sections on weekdays and pioneered the concept of an op-ed page.

His maternal grandfather, Adolph S. Ochs, rescued the Times from near bankruptcy in 1896. The family tradition makes the Times more of a “monarchy” than a “democracy” or “bureaucracy,” Executive Editor Max Frankel told staffers at a newsroom reception marking Sulzberger Jr.’s promotion.

Sulzberger Jr. joined the Times in 1978 and has worked in positions in news, advertising, production, planning and senior management. Earlier, he was a reporter for the Raleigh Times in North Carolilna and the Associated Press in London.