Barry Friedman Email & Phone Number

Lakeland, Florida, United States

In this semi-retirement role, I assist the executive director and editor of LkldNow in carrying out our nonprofit mission and sustaining the organization.

Lakeland, Florida Area

Content strategist, business manager, chief writer, social media engager. At a small start-up, you do a little of everything. Lkldnow.com is overseen by a nonprofit organization, Linking Community Now Inc., whose mission is to foster civic engagement and train young journalists.

• Coordinated newsroom digital activities and expanded digital engagement.
• Conceptualized and supervised the building of specialty websites covering entertainment, high school sports, college sports, politics, outdoors activities and parenting.
• Expanded social media use, video and multimedia storytelling, live event coverage, databases, data visualization, staff blogs and photo galleries.
• Guided development of company’s first iPad and iPhone apps.
• Appointed to company team selecting a print-and-digital content management system.

• Coordinated digital content and revenue activity during a period of heavy expansion.
• Implemented classified verticals for employment, autos and real estate; first video coverage; article comments; forums; events calendar, and email newsletters.
• Created PolkVoice.com, a citizen news site that fed a weekly print publication; daily lunchtime news podcast; Spanish-language website, and homepage customization.
• Consistently increased digital audience and revenue.

• Launched, maintained and guided development of theledger.com and related sites.
• Guided theledger.com from a single page on the Web to a network of sites generating several million page views per month and adding new revenue streams.
• Created The Ledger’s first e-commerce site, dining guide, community guide and comprehensive election site. Authored The Ledger’s first blogs: Polk News Watch and live hurricane coverage.
• Harnessed technology to create hyperlocal sites for cities and schools that required little upkeep.

Directed the features staff and the daily features section, weekend entertainment magazine, TV Book, food section and seniors magazine.

Directed the content and design of the A section (national/international) and B section (local/state) and supervised the editors responsible for those sections.

Directed hard news coverage throughout Polk County, supervising three assistant city editors and nearly 20 reporters.

• Taught Online Journalism in the Communications Department, August-December 2005
• Served as faculty advisor to the staff of the student newspaper, "The Southern," January-May 2006

• Supervised local reporting staff for an afternoon metropolitan newspaper.Other positions at The Tampa Times included:
• Assistant City Editor 1977-1978
• Reporter, focusing on government, politics, land use and environment, 1975-1977

Bachelor Of Science, Journalism

Bachelor’S Degree, Journalism

Activities and Societies: President, Society of Professional Journalists campus chapter; Florida Alligator and Independent Florida Alligator