Slate Appoints Editor-in-Chief to Lead Business Strategy
The media outlet consolidates its leadership to better align editorial product development with subscription growth.
Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Media
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Slate has appointed editor-in-chief Hillary Frey as CEO, tasking her with integrating the publication's newsroom and business operations to drive subscription revenue. Frey, who has led the outlet since 2022, replaces Dan Check in the role.
Why it matters
Following a first-half loss in 2026, the consolidation of leadership reflects an industry shift toward tighter alignment between editorial product development and revenue streams. Frey will focus on leveraging existing podcasting and newsletter assets to improve the financial performance of the 100-person organization.
Slate reported a loss in the first half of 2026, a decline compared to previous periods for the roughly 100-employee company. The media outlet currently manages 15 podcasts, all of which now include bonus episodes to incentivize subscriptions.
The players
Hillary Frey
The current CEO and editor-in-chief of Slate who has prioritized digital video expansion and podcasting.
Dan Check
The former CEO of Slate who was replaced by Hillary Frey.
Slate
A digital magazine and podcast network owned by Graham Holdings.
The details
Frey aims to stabilize operations by restructuring newsletter products and increasing investment in long-form feature writing and audio content. The new model seeks to boost subscription revenue by ensuring that editorial content creation is directly tied to business-side growth initiatives. This change follows the expansion of Slate's video unit across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok under Frey's editorial leadership.
Timeline
2022: Hillary Frey becomes Slate editor-in-chief.
- 2025-12-31
Slate employs just over 100 people.
- 2026-10-20
Hillary Frey is named CEO of Slate.
Market Landscape
This move follows a trend set by the appointment of Nick Thompson as CEO of The Atlantic in 2020, where editorial leadership was tasked with centralizing business operations. The strategy aims to bridge the gap between creative output and the financial performance requirements of modern digital publishers.
Operators should monitor how Slate's strategy of integrating newsroom and revenue teams impacts subscription conversion rates in the next fiscal year. This shift suggests that publishers are increasingly prioritizing direct content-to-revenue models over fragmented advertising growth.
The takeaway
Media operators should evaluate whether their current leadership structure incentivizes editorial teams to support subscription-based revenue goals. Tracking the performance of bonus audio content and newsletters serves as a key metric for gauging the success of this consolidated business model.
Further reading
For more on shifts in the publishing industry, see media.
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