Michael Boggs named new chair of Newspaper Publishers' Association amid Covid-19 challenges

NZME chief executive and new Newspaper Publishers' Association chairman Michael Boggs. Photo / File

Michael Boggs, chief executive of Herald publisher NZME, has been named the new chair of the Newspaper Publishers' Association.

Boggs takes the reins at a time when the NPA's members - NZME, Stuff, Otago Daily Times publisher Allied Press and various smaller publishers - are grappling with intense challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak, including a fall-off in advertising amid the lockdown and associated restructures and the initial level 4 prohibition on weeklies.

But he also highlights the key role NPA members are playing during the crisis.

"Newspapers and their websites remain a powerful force in New Zealand – never more so than in the current Covid-19 crisis as, every day, millions of New Zealanders are seeking out news and information they can trust alongside advertising published on NPA members' platforms," Boggs says.

In his role as NZME CEO, Boggs has recently reanimated the possibility of a merger with Stuff, with provisions to preserve papers in the regions, and to ensure editorial independence.

Boggs replaces Phil Eustace, chair since 2016.

"Phil has played a key role in leading the NPA through a time of great change in the media sector," said Boggs.

"He provided effective leadership to the association and drove its efforts to provide advertisers with a one-stop-shop solution for their marketing needs.

Boggs was appointed chief executive of NZME in March 2016 having been the company's CFO before that.

Previous appointments included senior leadership roles in the insurance, telecommunications and technology sectors.

The NPA represents publishers of all New Zealand daily and Sunday newspapers and their websites and mobile platforms. As well as co-ordinating publishers' interests in areas including government affairs, media freedom and advertising standards, the NPA also coordinates advertising bookings across all titles under the Newsworks brand.

Other activities include the Print Media Copyright Agency (PMCA) and the annual Voyager Media Awards.