Interview with ANN's CEO and Publisher Christopher Macdonald

Following the news of Kadokawa's acquisition of Anime News Network, many of our readers have asked questions about what this means for the site and its content going forward. ANN CEO and publisher Christopher Macdonald answers your biggest questions.

Many readers of ANN are worried about ANN losing editorial independence after the acquisition. What more do you have to say to address those worries?

Christopher Macdonald: The value of ANN is in its readership. Kadokawa recognizes that if ANN is turned into a corporate shill, our readers will see right through it and jump ship. ANN's value as a company and brand would go down the tubes if that happens. What interest would Kadokawa have in that?

I know that all of ANN's editors, contributors, and myself are dedicated to keeping ANN editorially independent. I have a reasonable amount of faith that Kadokawa and KWE feel the same way.

I understand, and expect our readers to be skeptical though. Our job is to prove to them that ANN remains editorially independent.

How will ANN make it clear going forward that any news, reviews, or editorial features written about Kadokawa, its subsidiaries, and its works are not biased or jeopardized in any way?

Various companies in the Bandai Namco group have been shareholders of ANN for many years. We've always put a disclosure at the bottom of any article about them or their products, and we will do the same with articles about Kadokawa companies and products.

Will there be any changes to ANN's content for its editorial or news coverage? Will ANN keep all its current columns?

The editorial direction of the site will remain unchanged. We're always making slight changes and adjustments to our content, and these will continue based on the same decision making process that existed before the acquisition.

What, if any, supervision does Kadokawa have in regards to ANN's published content?

A few policies like how we handle image copyrights have been put into place. Unfortunately we are being asked to abide by Japanese copyright norms. Other than this, neither Kadokawa, nor KWE, nor the business side of the new company have any input into what we write. As ANN's publisher, I am guaranteed full editorial independence, and all of the editors will report to me and only to me.

ANN's other non-article features are a big draw for many who visit the site. Will there be any changes to ANN's website outside of its news and editorial content (like forums or the encyclopedia)?

KWE will be investing significantly into development. We have a lot of plans.

What will happen to ANN's subscriber system? If the system is going away, will there be refunds to current subscribers?

We're going to finish the bloody beta and open it to everyone as soon as we can.

Will this investment mean less general ads showing up on the website, for those who do not run ad-blockers?

TBD. Optimally we'd like to have fewer, but higher paying ads. We're bringing in new advertising staff to increase our direct ad sales, and we're looking at other potential partnerships. The more direct ads that we can sell, the less we need to rely on network ads, and we can either decrease or completely remove those from the site.

Similarly, will companies other than those related to Kadokawa continue to have access to running ads, skins, and advertorials on ANN?

Absolutely.

What projects is ANN planning to streamline now that the deal is finalized?

The Encyclopedia, Subscriber Program, and some useability stuff.

What attracted you to Kadokawa's investment offer?

Aside from the obvious, my passion lies with the website, not managing the company. I'm looking forward to spending much more of my time working with ANN's editors and developers on improving the website. I hope they don't mind my meddling too much.

How does this deal benefit ANN's readership and staff?

KWE will be investing significantly into the website's development so there will be a better website. We've also agreed that for the first 3 years, no profit will be taken out of the company; that money will instead be reinvested in more development and more content.

Do you have a final message or statement for ANN's readers?

As I said in the notice I published, I'm personally looking forward to what we can achieve through this investment. I'm aware that many websites have been destroyed by corporate take-overs, so there's good reason for skepticism. But you only hear about the dumpster fires; tons of other websites continue to flourish years after their buyouts. All I hope for is that ANN's readers all stick around long enough for us to prove that we're on the right path.