• by May 26, 2006

It's time to report some comings and goings at MediaPost. We are sad to see Mark Naples step down after more than three years as a Spin Board columnist. Mark wants to spin off in some new directions, and if you're like me, you'll miss his opinions, his inimitable sense of wit and his keen insider knowledge. The good news is that we're bringing some new blood onto the Spin Board, including Dave Morgan, CEO of Tacoda, and one of the most knowledgeable people in the online world, who will be taking Mark's old slot starting today. I'm also pleased to announce that Amy Auerbach, vice president-group account director at MPG's Media Contacts, has agreed to join the Spin rotation, albeit on a monthly basis. Some other new faces will be popping up in the weeks to come.

Mark's departure is actually the second big shift on the Spin Board in recent weeks. Nielsen BuzzMetric's Max Kalehoff has taken over Shelly Palmer's slot, and Shelly has moved over to our new Video Insider column, where he plans to provide a fresh serving of video-related controversy each week.

In other changes at MediaPost, veteran media industry editor Cable Neuhaus has stepped down as editor of MediaDailyNews' Section II to become an editorial director at NewsMax Media. The good news is that another veteran industry journalist, Marketwatch's Bill Spain, has taken his place. Bill covers Madison Avenue, the distilled spirits and the tobacco industries for Marketwatch and before that was a reporter with Advertising Age.

One last departure and then on to a really happy reunion. Today also is Gavin O'Malley's last day as a reporter for Online Media Daily. On Monday, Gavin joins Advertising Age as a reporter covering the interactive media beat. We'll miss Gavin, but it's a good opportunity for him.

Finally, more on the good news front. Gabe Samuels, one of the smartest guys I know in the advertising business, has joined MediaPost as chief research officer, with responsibility for overseeing and breathing new life into our Center for Media Research. Gabe, who most recently was a senior vice president at the Advertising Research Foundation, and is a former media director at J. Walter Thompson, and media research chief at some of Madison Avenue's biggest shops, is heading a team that is redesigning the center, including a new, soon-to-be-re-launched website that we hope will become the first stop for advertisers, agencies and media research practitioners embarking on some serious thinking.

We're planning some other big changes, including some new expansions that I hope to report back to you about shortly.

Joe Mandese, Editor, MediaPost