Lawrence S. Kramer ’72

Lawrence S. Kramer ’72, founder of MarketWatch and a 40-year media industry veteran, was named president and publisher of the nation’s second-largest newspaper, USA Today, in May 2012. He is a member of the Gannett Leadership Team.

Following a 20-year career as a distinguished, award winning reporter and editor, Kramer earned a reputation as the most influential individual in Internet journalism and a successful media entrepreneur. His early venture, DataSport, Inc., sold to Data Broadcasting Corp., was followed by MarketWatch, Inc., an Internet financial information company where he was chairman, CEO, and founder until its sale to Dow Jones in 2005. Kramer then moved to CBS as founding president of its Digital Media Division. He next joined Polaris Venture Partners in Boston as a senior adviser, working with portfolio companies and identifying new investment opportunities in digital media, advertising, and e-commerce.

Kramer is the author of C-Scape: Conquer the Forces Changing Business Today, a book about the digital transformation of media and commerce. He earned his bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and an MBA at Harvard in 1974.

For Syracuse University, he chairs the Newhouse Advisory Board, serves as a media consultant, and sponsors students in immersion trips to New York City, where he resides. He is an adjunct professor at the Newhouse School (media management), as well as the Whitman School of Management (entrepreneurship). For the Newhouse School, Kramer named the “War Room” in the Digital Convergence Suite in Newhouse 3. He also serves on the Board of Trustees Advancement and External Affairs Committee.