Future vs Lee Enterprises

Future's Jamie Samuel on AI Disruption, Attribution, and Agentic Buying

In an interview with Mark Challinor, Future's VP of Commercial Product and Go-to-Market, Jamie Samuel, discusses the challenges and opportunities publishers face as AI reshapes discovery, attribution, and media buying. Future prioritizes human-written content and leverages its editorial authority through products like Future Optic, which helps brands improve visibility in AI search. The company also invests in Aperture, a first-party data platform for predictive audience modeling, to move beyond last-click attribution. Samuel predicts that agentic media buying will transform negotiations, and that publishers must adapt by focusing on outcomes, brand differentiation, and consolidation. He emphasizes the need for publishers to disrupt themselves before AI does.

• Future's Jamie Samuel highlights the importance of human-written editorial content as a differentiator in the AI era.
• Future Optic, launched last year, has over 30 partnerships and more than 60 in the queue.
• Future uses its Aperture platform for first-party data and predictive modeling to identify high-intent audiences.

Future Expands Aperture’s AI-Powered Audience Intelligence Capabilities Globally

Future announces global expansion of Aperture's AI-powered audience intelligence capabilities, and signs the UK Government Cyber Pledge.

Future Signs the UK Government Cyber Pledge

Future has signed the UK Government Cyber Pledge, a commitment to enhance cybersecurity practices.

Lee Enterprises and USA TODAY Co. Realign Local Newspaper Portfolios

Complementary Transaction Supports Local Journalism in Arizona, Montana and South Dakota

8-K Financial Filing Analysis for Lee Enterprises (2026-09-09)

On September 2, 2026, the Audit and Risk Management Committee of Lee Enterprises approved the dismissal of BDO USA, P.C. as the company's independent registered public accounting firm, effective upon completion of the fiscal year 2026 audit and the filing of Form 10-K. The decision follows a competitive evaluation and rotation process. Concurrently, Grant Thornton LLP was appointed as the successor independent auditor for the fiscal year ending September 26, 2027.

• Dismissal of BDO USA, P.C. approved on September 2, 2026, effective upon completion of the fiscal year 2026 audit (fiscal year ending September 27, 2026).
• Appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as independent auditor approved for the fiscal year ending September 26, 2027.
• No disagreements on accounting principles or auditing scope occurred during fiscal years 2024 and 2025; a previously identified material weakness in revenue internal controls was fully remediated as of September 29, 2024.

8-K Financial Filing Analysis for Lee Enterprises (2026-09-30)

On September 24, 2026, Lee Enterprises appointed Gregory Hoffmann to its Board of Directors and to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, serving until the 2028 annual stockholders meeting. Gregory Hoffmann, Co-CEO of Hoffmann Family of Companies and CEO of Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, is the son of David Hoffmann, the Company's Chairman and majority stockholder. The appointment deepens governance alignment with the Hoffmann family following significant capital and commercial transactions earlier in 2026. These include a February 5, 2026 private placement in which David Hoffmann acquired 10,909,440 shares, and a May 14, 2026 five-year management agreement under which Lee Enterprises manages Hoffmann Media Group publications for a $135,000 quarterly base fee plus 20% variable EBITDA sharing on newly acquired assets.

• Gregory Hoffmann was appointed to the Board of Directors and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, effective September 24, 2026, with a term running through the 2028 annual meeting.
• Gregory Hoffmann is the son of David Hoffmann, Lee Enterprises' Chairman and majority owner, who acquired 10,909,440 shares via a private placement on February 5, 2026.
• Under a related-party five-year agreement dated May 14, 2026, Lee Enterprises manages Hoffmann Media Group properties for a fixed fee of $135,000 per quarter plus a 20% variable fee on post-effective acquired EBITDA.