- Exclusive
- Business
- Companies
- Media & marketing
Nine vows to keep investing in youth media, appoints new Pedestrian boss
By Calum Jaspan
Nine has appointed a new chief executive for its youth publishing division, Pedestrian Group, two weeks after it made as much as 40 per cent of its staff redundant, with its chief executive also departing.
Mason Rook joins Pedestrian from Guardian Australia, where he was commercial director of sales and operations, to lead a slimmed-down version of the group after it ended its licensing deals with major brands including Vice, Refinery29, Kotaku, and Gizmodo.
Nine has insisted it will continue to invest in youth-focused media after sunsetting the stable of brands.
His appointment marks a new phase for Pedestrian according to Nine’s chief digital officer Alex Parsons, who oversees the group and insists the company will continue to invest in youth-focused media after sunsetting the stable of brands.
“As the leading Australian youth publisher, in an era of misinformation and disinformation, it is important we continue to provide young Australians with stories written by quality young journos and from trusted sources, about issues that matter to them, in an accessible and engaging way,” Parsons said.
“Pedestrian does this like no other media outlet in this country.”
The third-party titles previously published by Nine as part of the Pedestrian Group will no longer publish in Australia, leaving a significant number of staff out of work.
Its focus now lies with online news brand Pedestrian and Pedestrian Television, launched in 2023 by the group, housed on Nine’s free streaming platform, 9Now.
Before joining Guardian Australia, Rook held sales and commercial roles at ARN Media, The Daily Mail, and Nine.
In 2015, Nine Entertainment took a majority stake in Pedestrian for $10 million. It bought the remaining 40 per cent of the company in 2018 for $39 million.
Staff from Nine’s newspapers, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review, held meetings on Monday to discuss the possibility of industrial action, which could include an indefinite strike. It would mark the first strike since 2017, before Fairfax Media merged with Nine.
The meetings are taking place as senior editors and management work on plans to make as many as 90 staff redundant in a cost-savings exercise, amid ongoing negotiations over a new employee bargaining agreement.
Staff from the mastheads also head to Paris this week to cover the Summer Olympic Games, which will be broadcast across the Nine Network.
Rook begins in his new role on July 29.
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.