Buzzwire, Inc. today announced that Greg Osberg, former Newsweek president and worldwide publisher, has joined the company as chief executive officer. Leveraging nearly three decades of experience in the interactive media and publishing industry, Osberg will drive Buzzwire's strategy to capitalize on the explosive growth of the mobile Web. Andrew MacFarlane, founder and former CEO, will remain actively involved in the company in the role of chairman and chief product officer where he will continue to drive product strategy and delivery.
"In 2007, Buzzwire introduced consumers to a new and easy way to discover and interact with mobile content. Today, Buzzwire powers innovative services like Verizon's m.vcast and has created a network of offerings that provides users with mobile access to their favorite viral videos, streaming Internet radio stations, and more," said Bijan Sabet, general partner of Spark Capital and member of Buzzwire's board of directors. "Greg is coming on board to expand this success in the evolving mobile content marketplace. His experience driving integration, revenue, share of market and profitability for online properties makes him the ideal choice to lead the Buzzwire team into its next strategic phase. "
"In just over two years under Andrew's leadership, Buzzwire has achieved impressive market traction with consumers, carriers and content partners. Digital media have fundamentally changed the content publishing landscape and mobile is the next frontier," said Osberg. "This shift from traditional publishing to the Web has taught us a lot about adapting editorial and business strategies to accommodate new modes of consumer content consumption. I am eager to put this experience to work at Buzzwire in the mobile market. The company has built the ideal mobile platform and has the right carrier relationships to be at the forefront of this new evolution."
Osberg joins Buzzwire with extensive experience at some of the nation's top media companies, including Washington Post, Inc. and CNET, Inc. While at the Washington Post, he held several senior level positions rising to president and worldwide publisher of Newsweek and Newsweek.com. Osberg re-launched Newsweek.com and managed a new agreement with MSN and MSNBC.com. His strategy increased site traffic site an average of 35 percent annually, which has positioned Newsweek.com as one of the top three magazine sites, while ad revenue growth consistently outpaced industry averages. Before his post at Newsweek, Osberg served as president of Kaplan Professional for the Washington Post, Inc., where he managed the integration of eight professional education companies and launched Brassring.com, an Internet-based recruitment services company.
Prior to the Washington Post, Osberg was president (sales and marketing) of CNET, Inc. where he dramatically increased ad revenue, resulting in the organization's first year of profitability. He has also held senior advertising positions at US News & World Report and Chilton publishing. In 2006, he was awarded MIN's first Integrated Marketing Award and in 2005, he received Adweek's Executive Team (Publisher/Editor) of the Year award. He is a member of the CSU College of Business Global Leadership Council and Chairs the Dickinson College Parents Council. Osberg holds a B.S. degree in marketing from Colorado State University.
"Consumers are moving much of their online lives to mobile devices, and we believe new tools and services are needed to help them discover the mobile Internet and enrich their experiences on it. In fact, ABI Research reports that mobile Web users are expected to reach 530 million by 2013," said MacFarlane. "Now is the time for innovators to pull ahead, and Greg is the right person to lead our next phase. The upcoming year promises to be a big one for Buzzwire as our platform continues to expand with major content and carrier deals and an exciting new service that builds upon our ability to bring a unique approach to discovering and engaging with the mobile Internet."
About Buzzwire
Buzzwire's history of innovation in pioneering mobile Web and video services is marked by deals to power Verizon's m.vcast and viral video services for AT&T and Alltel. The company is headquartered in Denver and venture backed by Matrix Partners, Sequel Venture Partners and Spark Capital. For more information, go to www.buzzwire.com.