LOS ANGELES, July 27 — Leading data acquisition and analytics company Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) today announced that Steve Ridge has joined its recently formed Television News Group as Executive Vice President, bringing his decades of experience in television news to its leadership team. Ridge will helm the Group, reporting directly to SE/ASI President Bob Levin.
Ridge most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and head of local media at Magid, which he joined in 1983 to run its consulting service. Ridge started his career as a TV news reporter, holding various on-and-off air TV news positions including producer, anchor, and news director before being recruited by Magid.
Most recently engaged by NBC10 Boston, New England Cable News and WINK-TV in Ft. Myers, Florida, the SE/ASI Television News Group focuses on providing both national and local TV news divisions with research-based insights to help them effectively reach and retain their viewers. The Group relies on a variety of methodologies and tools to get results from research projects including market landscape and brand studies, talent and promo research, content dial-testing with focus groups, as well as digital/mobile usability studies.
“For more than a decade, Screen Engine/ASI has been the leader in both linear and digital content testing across a variety of established as well as emerging platforms,” commented Ridge. “Right now, too much news content is forced through the funnel of traditional linear local news habitual viewership consideration, and then scattered indiscriminately on every platform, yielding a total disconnect in a world now dominated by highly personal digital search and consumption. No one I have ever met, better
understands the changing dynamics of content conceptualization and creation, distribution, marketing, and monetization than SE/ASI leadership.”
“Steve has a lifetime of exceptional experience in every facet of news operations. When we started discussing both the status as well as the future of TV news, Steve and I jointly concluded that innovation and fresh thinking is definitely needed,” stated Kevin Goetz, CEO and founder of SE/ASI. “Combining Steve’s expertise with ours presents a potent collaboration of resources which can bring real value to news clients. I envision us revolutionizing news content monetization strategy.”
About Screen Engine/ASI
Screen Engine/ASI, headquartered in Century City, CA, is one of the top three data acquisition and analytics companies serving the international entertainment industry. SE/ASI conducts movie test screenings, creative advertising testing, in-theater exit polling, television program and promo testing, content lifecycle research, pre-release tracking of movie, TV & home entertainment titles, and a variety of digital entertainment research products through online, central site, and in-field intercept methods. SE/ASI is a full-service research and information agency and consultancy working with major Studios, television broadcasters, cable networks, streaming services, production companies and other leaders in digital entertainment to better identify and leverage opportunity and assess and manage risk.
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