Raycom Media to shift some production out of Montgomery

Raycom Media is shifting some of its digital production to Atlanta, taking 14 jobs out of downtown Montgomery.

The new digital content hub is set to launch in Atlanta on Jan. 1, said Susana Schuler, executive vice president for content and operations. Raycom, headquartered in Montgomery, has 4,800 employees across the country, she said. The Retirement Systems of Alabama is heavily invested in Raycom.

It owns and or provides services to 65 television stations and two radio stations located in 20 states, the company’s website reads. WSFA in Montgomery is a Raycom station.

“We decided to revolutionize our approach to centralized digital content in response to our audience’s changing habits of information consumption,” Schuler said. “Today’s news consumer seeks video and social media information much more actively than just text or still images. Six years ago when we launched the centralized digital hub, the audience was looking for text more than video.

“We have a team already based in Atlanta that produces digital content centered on lifestyle and local happenings with a very strong focus on video and social media. To satisfy the changing needs of our audience, we are combining that approach with our 24/7 news coverage approach.”

The digital hub was formed to provide international and national news coverage to the Raycom News Network, allowing the local stations to concentrate on local coverage. There are no plans to move Raycom’s corporate headquarters out of Montgomery, Schuler said. There are 137 employees based in Montgomery, she said.

Currently there are 14 people working in the digital hub, and Raycom has added 40 jobs to the headquarters in the past five years, Schuler said. Employees at the digital hub are “encouraged” to apply for the new positions in Atlanta, as well as openings within Raycom that they are qualified for, Schuler said.