Roger Neal, Former GM of Business Week Digital, Named Executive Director of NYC Media Lab


The Bloomberg administration, a monument to the value of good digital data, is looking to re-energize the New York media industry by building bridges between the worlds of publishing, technology and academia.

"It's a very broad goal, and the early steps for me are to identify the influencers on each side of that equation and bring them together," says Roger Neal, who was named executive director of the NYC Media Lab this week.

It's no secret that the transition from print to digital has taken a toll on the city's media industry, especially in terms of ad revenue. But Neal believes digital media will adapt and prosper with help from the city's burgeoning tech sector. "We've got to open this process to startups and venture capitalists and what they can bring to the table," says Neal.

The Lab has hosted two round-table discussion so far and has plans to begin building a data-driven system for looking at these issues. "A personal goal of mine is to get our hands on the hard numbers that show how this ecosystem is changing," says Neal.