When she accepted the job as business manager for the Jewish Bulletin in 1984, Nora Contini agreed to stay for a year. Maybe two.
That turned into more than 29 years at the Bulletin and then j. — including 25 years as the associate publisher and the past 19 months as publisher. Now, Contini says, the time has come to move on. She has announced she will retire from the newspaper once a new publisher comes aboard.
“I’m in my 30th year,” said Contini, who lives in San Rafael with her husband. “I feel it’s time to leave. Life is short and it’s time for a new chapter.”
Reaching some 50,000 readers through its weekly print edition, website, e-newsletter and social media, j. has been publishing since 1895. With Contini’s announcement, the paper is seeking a new publisher to oversee j.’s advertising, production, circulation, promotion, finances and administration. Contini said she will stay on through a transition period.
Contini, 64, attributed her longevity at the paper to the constant changes she has seen in the newspaper business over the years.
“Every few years there’s something new,” she said. “There was computerization, then desktop publishing and the Internet, and the paper has continued to adapt. We’ve had a print publication for 116 years, and we’ve also been online the past 17 years, including an e-newsletter, as well as having an active Twitter and Facebook presence. I’m sure the future holds more changes.”
Contini said she is proud that she has been able to sustain j. even as the newspaper industry has undergone tumultuous changes in the digital age. — dan pine