Consumer Reports Announces New Senior Content Team

YONKERS, N.Y., May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Reports today announced four new appointments to help drive the organization's digital transformation and advance its nonprofit mission to make the marketplace fairer for consumers.

Following last month's appointment of Jason Fox, former head of global product for Reuters News Agency, as the new Vice President of Digital, Consumer Reports today named Wendy Bounds, who currently heads Consumer Reports' video division, as Executive Director, Content.

Bounds will oversee editorial strategy and content creation for all print and digital products. She joined Consumer Reports after serving at The Wall Street Journal in multiple content leadership and development roles across its digital and print platforms, most recently as managing editor and deputy for a global team of video producers, anchors and technical staff.

Erle Norton has been named Executive Editor, Digital, overseeing all of Consumer Reports' digital content, including its Consumerist blog.  Norton joined Consumer Reports earlier this year as deputy director of video, after a post at ABC News where he was Executive Producer, Digital.  At ABC Norton directed all digital editorial operations, including ABCNews.com, mobile apps and Apple TV.

Diane Salvatore, a magazine innovator with more than 20 years of publishing experience, has been promoted to Editor-in-Chief of Consumer Reports magazine. In her new role, Salvatore will reshape the editorial strategy and creative vision for Consumer Reports' flagship print product, create new opportunities for the magazine's integration with its digital properties, and continue to expand its coverage of the critical issues facing consumers today.

Salvatore joined Consumer Reports in 2013 as Senior Director of Content Strategy and Development. Prior to that she was the Editor-in-Chief at both Prevention and Ladies' Home Journal.  She succeeds Ellen Kampinsky, who is stepping down after a year at the helm of the magazine. Hired by a prior leadership team to steer the publication through a redesign, Kampinsky helped create a new architecture for the magazine as well as several new editorial features.

The organization's core print and digital offerings will be amplified through social media by a team under the leadership of Kevin Winterfield, who joined Consumer Reports last week as Director of Social Media from IBM, where he was responsible for developing the company's strategies, standards and processes for social content optimization, and for real-time monitoring and measurement analytics.

"We believe these changes will help us deliver what our readers need to know where and when they need it as they face an increasingly complex marketplace and a barrage of competing reviews. By focusing heavily on our digital content and products as well as strengthening our core magazine, we can address what our loyalists want more of and also grow a new and more diverse generation of Consumer Reports fans," said Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports.

As a result of its new digital strategy, Consumer Reports will shift away from smaller print publications, discontinuing ShopSmart magazine and its Money Adviser newsletter but expanding its reach with refreshed and new mobile and web products and services. ShopSmart has 324,000 subscribers and Money Adviser has 135,000.  By contrast, Consumer Reports magazine has 3.6 million subscribers.  There also are more than 3 million subscribers to Consumer Reports Online.

About Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is the world's largest and most trusted nonprofit consumer organization working to improve the lives of consumers by driving marketplace change. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has achieved substantial gains for consumers on health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other issues. The organization has advanced important policies to cut hospital-acquired infections, prohibit predatory lending practices and combat dangerous toxins in food. Consumer Reports tests and rates thousands of products and services in its 50-plus labs, state-of-the-art auto test center and consumer research center. Consumers Union, a division of Consumer Reports, works for pro-consumer laws and regulations in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace. With more than eight million subscribers to its flagship magazine, website and other publications, Consumer Reports accepts no advertising, payment or other support from the companies whose products it evaluates.

MAY 2015

© 2015 Consumer Reports.  The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for advertising or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports^® is an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves.  We accept no advertising and pay for all the products we test. We are not beholden to any commercial interest. Our income is derived from the sale of Consumer Reports^®, ConsumerReports.org^® and our other publications and information products, services, fees, and noncommercial contributions and grants. Our Ratings and reports are intended solely for the use of our readers. Neither the Ratings nor the reports may be used in advertising or for any other commercial purpose without our permission. Consumer Reports will take all steps open to it to prevent commercial use of its materials, its name, or the name of Consumer Reports^®.

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