Tag Archives: Rafat Ali

Founder Rafat Ali quits paidContent and Content Next

Founder of ContentNext, the publisher of digital media news site paidContent.org, Rafat Ali has announced he will leave the company in early July.

ContentNext, which also publishes paidContent:UK, mocoNews,net and contentSutra.com, was bought by Guardian News & Media in July 2008. The deal marked the next step in GNM’s US expansion plans, the group said at the time. But in a farewell post on paidContent.org, Ali hints at the difficulties of moving from start-up to big media ownership:

The last two years under Guardian have been illuminating, to say the least. Being part of a big company brings its own level of complexities; during a huge financial crisis, it makes for a roller-coaster ride. The high of the sale dissipated quickly, and pulling back and hunkering down isn’t fun, much less entrepreneurial. To Guardian’s credit, amidst the mothership’s own perfect storm, they stood by us, and we have survived, though much smaller.

I am leaving the company while the editorial is still at the peak of its reputation, even though we are half the team we used to be. It really is a miracle. And the edit leadership under our ME Ernie Sander and my longtime partner-in-crime and co-editor Staci D Kramer gets the full credit for it, as do our scrappy group of talented journalists. The business side is a rebuild-in-process that I hope Guardian continues to support in kind and spirit.

The sites will continue under managing editor Ernie Sander.

Full post at this link…

Daily Finance speculates paidContent.org’s future at GNM

AOL site DailyFinance.com cites unnamed ‘industry sources’ who suggest that Guardian News & Media (losing £100,000 per day) may be forced to sell assets to raise cash.

Could ContentNext, publisher of PaidContent.org, sold for a reported $30 million (or more) to GNM last year, be among them?

Rafat Ali, publisher of paidContent.org, says it would news to him. Guardian America CEO Caroline Little says she is unaware of any plans. A GNM spokesperson denies it.

But that doesn’t stop Daily Finance’s speculation. WebMediaBrands, formerly JupiterMedia would be a potential bidder if GNM were to sell, it reports.

Full story at this link…

Rafat Ali: More job losses and major product closures for media industry in 2009

For those that haven’t seen it, here’s Bloomberg’s interview with ContentNext/paidContent founder Rafat Ali, in which he forecasts more job cuts in January and February for the media industry and major product closures by publishers and broadcasters. Ali also predicts the end of one UK or US national newspaper in the next few months.

ContentNext begins UK expansion with paidContent recruitment

Publishing firm ContentNext, which was recently acquired by Guardian Media Group, is recruiting for its UK digital media news site paidContent.

According to a post on the site by publisher and editor Rafat Ali, paidContent UK is looking for a London-based reporter to work on the site and across its international platforms – paidContent.org, mocoNews.net and contentSutra.com.