Melinda Newman has been named West Coast Editor at Billboard, bringing more than 25 years of experience covering the music industry to the new position.
Newman, who will be based out of the Los Angeles office, has been a top entertainment and culture freelance writer for the past decade, contributing stories to Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Christian Science Monitor, Forbes, Parade, Entrepreneur and many other outlets. She was previously Billboard‘s West Coast Bureau Chief from 1998 to 2006.
In her new role, she will work closely with Billboard news director, Hannah Karp, in developing and breaking news and trend stories, as well as serve as Billboard’s West Coast liaison with the music community. She will also continue to cover the film and TV industry.
“I am thrilled to return to Billboard full time. Whether as a staffer or a freelancer, I have spent the vast majority of my career working with Billboard and now feels like the perfect time to come back home as both the music industry and Billboard are undergoing a resurgence.”
Newman returns to The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group at a point of substantial growth and potential, following last year’s acquisition of SpinMedia’s music media assets: Spin, Vibe and Stereogum. It is now the world’s largest music brand by digital traffic, social reach and audience share with 45 million readers a month, reaching one in every three U.S. millennials.