
Randy Picht
Executive and Administrative Core
Executive Director
Reynolds Journalism Institute
Columbia, Missouri
Contact
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Telephone: 573-882-4998
Account Details
Member ID: 590
Group Title: Editors
Join Date: June 10, 2015
Activity
Last Visit: December 2, 2020
Last Activity: December 2, 2020
Total Entries: 7
Technical
Timezone: UM6
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About Randy Picht
Randy Picht has served as executive director of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute since 2012. During his tenure, RJI has overhauled its fellowship program, created a capacity to invest in media startups, become an incubator for new journalism organizations and launched several new tools for reporters and editors.
Prior to joining RJI, Picht worked closely with newspapers and other media outlets during a nearly 29-year career at The Associated Press. He is a former business editor for AP and has spent about half of his career working on the journalism side of that not-for-profit news cooperative and half of his time on the business side.
While he was business editor, from 1997 to 2000, at the cooperative’s New York City headquarters, he directed coverage of the dot.com frenzy, huge mergers including Exxon and Mobil and the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached the 10,000-point mark.
Picht spent several years prior to that assignment as a traveling expert helping newspapers, big and small, redesign and improve their printed stock tables and use new software to significantly reduce the amount of time required to paginate that market information.
He played a number of key roles at AP including helping newsrooms use AP content to innovate and generate new revenue streams. As national product manager for newspapers, he created a regular showcase for the best new ideas in media called “Innovation in Action” that was shared throughout the industry. He also worked with editors to ensure that they regularly realized the most value from AP text and images.
While at AP, he received special training as an online sales specialist and also was assigned in the spring of 2011 to work on the AP’s licensing and tracking project, called the News Licensing Group, which was subsequently spun off as a separate company in July 2011 and renamed NewsRight.
In addition to his work as product manager, Picht managed a state government news startup the AP bought in 2002 called Capitolwire, and served as bureau chief in Kansas City and in Minneapolis.
He also held news positions in Albany, New York; Rochester, New York, and St. Louis and helped cover the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
Picht is a native of Deer Park, New York, and an alumnus of the Missouri School of Journalism. He’s married and has four children.
Randy Picht is the executive director of RJI. He worked closely with newspapers and other media outlets during his nearly 29-year career at The Associated Press.
Stories about Randy Picht
Year in review: How RJI continues to work with, and for, journalists
December 22, 2020RJI Fellows Class of 2020–2021
How an idea about local obits became a newsletter
December 21, 2020Challenge Accepted
Challenge Accepted! How to host a Zoom party for your audience
May 11, 2020RJI’s 2020–2021 fellows named
March 24, 2020RJI Fellow will host Better Gun Violence Reporting Summit Nov. 8
October 30, 2019Saving history from disappearing
October 23, 2019Adding full text search to Open States
September 11, 2019The Road to OTT
Join us for an OTT journey. All are welcome!
July 23, 2019Stacey Woelfel is RJI’s new drone director
July 10, 2019Backing local news, building trust, innovating solutions
April 2, 2019Learn a little, teach a little, everyone wins
January 23, 2019Our cornerstone: A salute to RJI fellows
Getting engaged. No diamond ring required
October 31, 2018RJI announces 2018-19 class of fellows
April 10, 2018Judd Slivka named new RJI director of aerial journalism
February 1, 2018RJI in the news
How these tiny Missouri newsrooms learned to be smarter about social media
January 31, 2018RJI in the news
These college students taught digital skills to journalists in rural Missouri
January 30, 2018Trusting News project receives $100,000 grant from Knight Foundation
September 25, 2017RJI Student Competition 2017–2018
This year’s RJI Student Competition not bound by topic or campus boundaries
September 5, 2017RJI in the news
The Maneater: Computer program analyzes presidential candidates’ rhetoric
November 4, 2016Four teams tap AI in 10th annual RJI Student Competition
October 25, 2016Nonresidential fellow jumpstarts his project with a visit to RJI
October 25, 2016RJI adds chief technology adviser
October 13, 2016Talk Story, Write Story
Missouri high schoolers in Talk Story, Write Story offered more than $700,000 in scholarships
May 1, 2016Art in the newspaper: Love, guns and kiwis
March 21, 2016News and ad industries eye sweeping realignment with users (Part 2)
February 18, 2016Reporting on Climate Adaptation
New guide gives reporters a leg up on climate adaptation story
November 23, 2015EJN, RJI launch media codes database to promote ethical communications
November 16, 2015Talk Story, Write Story
Community collaboration key to successful launch of Talk Story, Write Story in Missouri
November 13, 2015RJI in the news
RJI hosts panel on understanding millennials in politics
November 2, 2015Need for speed
Need for speed 2: Newspaper data diving, metrics and methodologies
October 21, 2015RJI announces its 2015-2016 class of fellows
May 5, 2015SoundStir takes top honors in 2015 RJI Student Competition
April 22, 2015Potter Listening Tour
Potter listening tour of community newspapers begins this month
April 6, 2015Where in the world is this news coming from?
February 24, 2015Newsy’s Jim Spencer recognized as Missouri Entrepreneur of the Year
September 5, 2014Mizzou Athletics, RJI Launch Game Day Application
August 18, 2014RJI announces 2014-2015 Reynolds Fellows
May 15, 2014Hack the Future of Journalism
RJI invites developers and journalists to ‘Hack the Future of Journalism’ in San Francisco
May 13, 2014RJI Tech Showcase 2014
Innovative donation platform wins 7th annual RJI Student Competition
April 29, 2014RJI Tech Showcase 2014
Innovative donation platform wins 7th annual RJI Student Competition
April 22, 2014Mobile First
Randy Picht: Closing thoughts
April 7, 2014Mobile First
Mobile-news leader partners with RJI to help industry navigate opportunities in migrating to mobile
January 13, 2014RJI in the news
MTC, Mizzou will gain from Newsy’s exit
December 16, 2013E.W. Scripps acquires Newsy for $35 million
December 11, 2013Five Years Past/Five Years Forward: Next Steps for Sustaining Journalism
The Five-Year Reset: The industry buzz, then and now
September 20, 2013FOIA Machine would break logjam for public records
July 18, 2013Finder’s keepers
April 20, 2013Key Executives Mega Conference 2013
When you come to the fork, take it!
February 19, 2013It’s a great day to be a journalist!
November 9, 2012Reynolds Foundation endowment for RJI
RJI receives $30.1 million endowment gift from Reynolds Foundation
November 8, 2012Reynolds Foundation endowment for RJI
Dean Mills’ remarks at announcement of $30.1 million gift from Reynolds Foundation
November 8, 2012Pivot Point: Next steps
July 24, 2012
Year in review: How RJI continues to work with, and for, journalists
December 22, 2020Newspaper adds a sunset to searching police public records
September 14, 2018An investment pays off for RJI — and the news industry
October 31, 2017How RJI, AP aim to bring academics, news industry together
February 19, 2015Finder’s keepers
April 20, 2013Key Executives Mega Conference 2013
When you come to the fork, take it!
February 19, 2013