How do editors build brands?

In life, you build your personal brand with everything you do. This is no different from helping the company you work for build their brand. Journalists are in a greater position to do this than many, because they produce the core product of their brands.

I'll echo Dan Blank's comment: You build your personal brand within your company by showing that you bring value. It doesn't guarantee job security, but it does help.

You can also be active to do your best to push your big, huge, media company employer to adapt and take advantage of the changing way we access media. That means making money off it, too.
Mike

Don't build a brand only so the higher-ups will notice you. Build a brand for your readers. And do exactly what you're doing right now: blogging and podcasting.

Both give you an excellent chance to communicate with readers, something that too few journalists have done.

I'm a former newspaper editor who left the business 12 years ago (after 22 years) and today I teach people how to get free publicity. I encourage them to get in front of journalists whose attention they want to catch by reading the journalist's blog and posting comments.

Journalists' blogs give readers a wonderful chance to find out how reporters and editors think and to learn more about the thought process that goes into the many decisions journalists make. Blogs also give journalists a chance to carry on conversations with readers--something most journalists don't get to do unless a readers calls to complain about something.

If we had more journalist bloggers, we'd need fewer newspaper and magazine consultants.

Excuse me, but the line... 'You build your personal brand within your company by showing that you bring value. It doesn't guarantee job security, but it does help...' is all very noble, but in these caring and sharing times, there is precious little evidence of Big Media Inc being in any way inclined to share the 'value' you bring to their brand with you.
Part of my reason for deciding to stand alone was when the possibility of doing podcasts off my 'brand' was raised.
'Fine, but what's in it for me?' was my admittedly slightly selfish response.
'Don't worry we'll look after you...' was the word from Big Media Inc - at the exact same moment in time that they were pushing a one in three redundancy process through the editorial floor to make sure that Big Media Inc's share price remained untroubled in these fast-changing times.
At which point I made the decision - rightly or wrongly - to look after my brand myself.
Giving 'value' is a two-way street; I didn't - and don't - see any value coming back.
Out there on my on, now I might...