Cox reorganizes media properties

Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises said Wednesday it is placing its newspaper, television and radio groups together under one unit called Cox Media Group.

The new division will contain 17 daily and 26 nondaily newspaper publications, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as 15 TV stations, 86 radio stations and digital media services. Cox Radio will remain a publicly traded company. Sandy Schwartz, who has worked for Cox for 23 years, will be the president. Schwartz is also the president of Cox Auto Trader.

The three media units will remain separate, the company said. Placing them under one organization “creates efficiencies that allow us to strengthen Cox for the future,” Jimmy Hayes, president and chief operating officer of Cox Enterprises, said in a statement.

The move also allows the company to bring together “our wide array of digital resources that ultimately will lead to enhanced online and mobile experiences for all our audiences,” Schwartz said.