Channel 4 News poaches Telegraph’s top content strategist for digital editor role
Channel 4 News has snared the Telegraph Media Group’s head of planning Jon Laurence to help shape its content agenda as its digital editor.
Laurence is to lead the programme’s online team’s efforts to tackle issues that appeal to 16 to 34-year-olds through traditional and emerging digital channels. He replaces Anna Dobbie who left to join the BBC’s NewsBeat show earlier this year.
The broadcasting veteran joins after nearly 15 months at the Telegraph where he was first in charge of commissioning original video for its website. Prior to this, he spent three years at Sky News in a variety of roles including a producer and a programme planner.
The appointment aims to accelerate Channel 4's investments in digital innovation around programming, advertising and data in an attempt to mould a more attractive proposition for advertisers.
Ben de Pear, Channel 4 News editor, said: “Jon is an innovative and creative journalist with an instinctive understanding of delivering distinctive and hard hitting stories in the digital space. He adds a strong background in broadcast and print media to our formidable Channel 4 News online team who are not afraid to tell stories in a bold and different way.”
To date, the broadcaster has launched new ad formats, equipped brands with better targeting capability and launched an online marketplace to sell programmatic ads around its online content.