by Sonya K. Fry

The story of Steve Shepard’s career is the story of the news industry. Five decades ago he joined BusinessWeek as a reporter and then rose to the top editorial post as editor-in-chief for more than 20 years. After his departure, he saw the magazine collapse, another victim of the digital age. He rode journalism’s ups and downs and now has written a memoir titled Deadlines and Disruptions: My Turbulent Path From Print to Digital, a story of upheaval, transition, and the future of news.

Journalism has gone through a radical change in delivery systems, advertising dollars and social media. As Founding Dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Shepard has had to think about all these changes in order to prepare students for a journalism education in the digital age.

Shepard said, “I have come to believe that digital technology will enrich journalism, creating an interactive, multimedia form of storytelling that can invite community participation. … The real problem is not journalism, the defining issue is financial: the traditional business model that sustained journalism based on a lucrative stream of advertising and circulation revenue is eroding and it is not at all clear what will take its place.”

In 2003 Alexis Gelber, President of the OPC, gave Shepard the President’s Award at the annual dinner. The certificate read: “In recognition of his distinguished career in journalism and his exceptional stewardship of BusinessWeek…long before globalization became a buzzword, he understood the importance of international business coverage.”

Shepard, a native New Yorker, or as he likes to say “a working-class kid from the Bronx,” studied at City University of New York as an undergraduate and he now has returned to his roots as dean of the new journalism school at CUNY. Shepard has been an OPC member since 1989.

Publisher’s Weekly has picked the book as one of its Top Ten Business Books for the fall.

The OPC Book Night with Steve Shepard will take place on Monday, October 15 at Club Quarters, 40 West 45 Street. Reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by Shepard’s talk at 6:30 p.m. Books will be available for purchase and signing. RSVP by calling the OPC at 212-626-9220 or e-mail.