Who

As president and CEO of the New York Times Co., Robinson heads up day-to-day corporate operations at the newspaper and serves as hatchet woman for publisher and chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr.

Backstory

Robinson started out her career as a kindergarten teacher, but she now oversees an even more unruly group: the editors and writers of the New York Times. In 1983, the Massachusetts native bade farewell to her teaching career and took a job at the New York Times Company, where she worked in sales at Golf Digest and Tennis, both of which were then under Times ownership. In 1992, she was named ad sales chief at the New York Times' women's magazine group (which has since been sold) and in 1996 she moved to the flagship paper, where she was soon promoted to president and general manager. Eight years later—after overseeing the introduction of color and championing a national expansion strategy—she was named CEO, replacing Russell T. Lewis. She now has oversight over the company's full portfolio of media properties, which include papers like the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the International Herald Tribune, a dozen regional papers, and some 35 internet properties including About.com.

Of note

Along with flagging subscriber numbers and a stock price in the doldrums, the biggest problem now facing Robinson and the Times is the same problem afflicting the entire newspaper industry: shrinking ad revenues, which continue to sink as advertisers migrate away from print and the once-lucrative classifieds business slowly succumbs to free sites like Craigslist. Robinson has implemented dramatic cost-reduction efforts, slashing hundreds of jobs in 2005 and 2006. In a bid to focus the company's attention on its newspaper and online assets, in 2007 she shed the company's interests in various TV and radio stations, selling its broadcast media group to Robert Bass's Oak Hill Capital for $575 million and its radio holdings (such as WQXR and WQEW) for $40 million. Other recent moves designed to generate revenue: Robinson spearheaded the July 2007 increase of the paper's cover price from $1 to $1.25, as well as the physical reduction of the size of the paper by 1.5 inches.

As if the company's financial statements weren't sufficiently alarming, Robinson and her boss, Pinch, now have to contend with a few hostile presences on the New York Times Co.'s board. After buying up close to twenty percent of the company's common stock, two hedge funds, Phil Falcone's Harbinger Capital and Scott Galloway's Firebrand Capital, convinced the Sulzberger family to admit two of their emissaries to its board. The cash flow-hungry outsiders are expected to pressure the company to part with assets (such as the company's new headquarters in Manhattan) as well as pursue internet acquisitions more aggressively.

Despite the myriad woes Robinson's now faced with, there have been a few encouraging developments: online ad revenues continue to grow (albeit not quickly enough to compensate for lost print revenue nor, alas, as quickly as in years past). The Times has also had luck nabbing high-end advertisers through its ever-expanding library of glossy supplements, including real estate-focused Key, sports-focused Play, and the T: Style magazines.

Keeping score

Robinson's compensation package totaled $4.1 million in 2007, down a bit from the previous year as a result of the company's declining revenue.

Campaign trail

Although she oversees the decidedly liberal Times, Robinson is a registered Republican.

Board game

Robinson is on the board of the Carnegie Corporation, alongside Norman Pearlstine and Helene Kaplan. She's also on the board of the Ad Council, alongside John Dooner, Cathie Black, Beth Comstock, Jon Nesvig, and Hamish McLennan.

Personal

Robinson is unmarried and lives on East 72nd Street.