• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, January 11, 2012

On the make since November, Wenner Media has finally decided on David Kang as a suitable chief digital officer. Replacing Michael Bloom -- out after just six months on the job --The Rolling Stones publisher made the appointment official on Wednesday.

Kang, who most recently served as Hearst Magazine’s creative director of content extensions, will have full P&L responsibility for all of Wenner’s digital businesses.

Expected to start on the 20th, Kang's reach will include Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Men’s Journal across the Web, mobile, tablet and other digital platforms -- including paid content, digital ad sales, social media and e-commerce. 

At Wenner, Kang said his mission would be to take “a brand-centric approach that develops editorial ideas into compelling new products and experiences.”

Despite talk from critics that Wenner Media has been overly cautious with regard to digital adoption, the company’s digital properties are showing gains. 

From 2010 to 2011, the average number of unique visitors throughout the year to Wenner Media’s three sites increased by 54%, the company reports, citing comScore data.

Based on the most recent single-month traffic in December 2011, Wenner’s Web sites -- UsMagazine.com, RollingStone.com and MensJournal.com -- saw a 55% increase of unique monthly visitors compared to December 2010. 

Currently, Wenner says its brands’ sites attract 13.2 million unique visitors each month, along with 4.8 million gross mobile monthly unique visitors.

For comparison, Wenner’s three titles draw more than 42 million readers each month in print.

At Hearst, Kang is credited with helping to develop and launch multiplatform, multibrand content franchises -- featuring digital apps, mobile sites, social media and e-books for brands including Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan. Kang also developed branded-entertainment marketing campaigns and helped create Hearst’s new online channel partnership with YouTube.

Prior to Hearst, Kang was SVP and general manager of Rodale.com, where he developed digital brand extensions for franchises including “Flat Belly Diet,” “Eat This, Not That!” and "The Biggest Loser Club.”