Member News

Todd Neal and Ken Whitfield have been named vice presidents in the Houston Chronicle's advertising division. Neal is vice president in classified advertising and Whitfield is vice president in display advertising.

Congrats to Kim Young-Taylor

Please join me in congratulating NAMME member Kim Young-Taylor! Kudos also to McClatchy Company for recognizing bright talent and paving the way for her continued success with the company.

The Eastern Wake News Display Advertising Staff began reporting to Young-Taylor in August 2005 and she assumed the title of Advertising Director for Eastern Wake News while maintaining her duties as Advertising Director for The Herald and Group Advertising Manager for The News & Observer.

Young-Taylor has been the Ad Director of The Herald for slightly over a year and assumed her role as Group Advertising Manager for The News & Observer in February of this year.

Kudos to NAMME Members

Kudos to NAMME Members LaNard Stradford and David Knight

LaNard Stradford has been promoted to Packaging Manager at The Indianapolis Star. Previously, he was the Quality and Output Manager at The Indianapolis Star.

David Knight, Director of Online Automotive and Real Estate Sales will be leaving Knight Ridder Digital to join The St. Petersburg Times as the paper’s Business Development Manager.

Steve Edwards Joins the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Steve Edwards has been named Director, Retail Sales & Partnerships for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Prior to joining AJC, Edwards was the manager, single copy at the Arizona Republic. He had been with the Arizona Republic since 1985 and had held a number of key management positions.

Edwards is currently a board member of NAMME and has served on the Arizona board of NABJ and the circulation board of directors of the American Press Institute.

In Memory of David Pego

David Pego, a 1998 McCormick Fellow, passed away last week.

David Pego was part of the inaugural class of the McCormick Tribune Fellowship and his commitment to the fellowship continued beyond the year he was a fellow. He continued to contribute and share his insights with the fellowship community and with the media industry.

Through his teaching, he helped shape the next generation of leaders into the journalism field. In my many conversations with him, he spoke with pride about the students and faculty at South Dakota State University. He knew it was a tremendous opportunity for him to give back and make a difference to the journalism craft he so loved.

Memorial services are June 20th in Michigan, where his tribe is based and where his parents are buried.

David Pego will be missed -- his laughter, his humor and his spirit. Our thoughts are with his family. (Photo credit: Jennifer Hicks Pego)

Kudos to Members

Congratulations and kudos to these NAMME members.

Gisselle Acevedo-Franco was recently named President & General Manager of Hoy Publications. She was vice president of public affairs at the Los Nageles Times.

Cynthia Augustine has joined Time Warner as Senior Vice President, Talent Management. She was previously the president of the broadcast group and senior vice president for corporate human resources at The New York Times Co.

Astrid Garcia is now the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Labor, Operations and Legal for Philadelphia Newspapers. She was the San Jose Mercury Times' vice president of human resources, labor and operations.

Mark Russell was named Managing Editor of the Orlando Sentinel. He was assistant managing editor, metro for The Plain Dealer.

Jeff Wolfe has been promoted to General Sales Manager at 16 WAPT-TV in Jackson, Miss. He had been the station's national sales manager.

Sandra Long Receive Knight Ridder Excellence Award

Sandra Long, deputy managing editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, was honored recently with the Knight Ridder Operational Excellence Award.

At The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sandra Long balances the journalistic interests of the newspaper with its business needs. She represents the newsroom in daily interactions with circulation, production and advertising, while also directing the copy desk, news desk, new research, administration and finance. She works closely with advertising to ensure enough news space for special coverage, like the Smarty Jones Triple Crown bid, while alerting them to possible business opportunities.

Several years ago, she created an interdepartmental group that meets weekly to plan for upcoming events. When the newspaper launched its community sections, “Where We Live,” Long helped ensure that they were zoned for maximum reader and advertiser benefit and delivered to the right homes. She also kept an eye on what competitors were doing in response.

The Excellence jury said, “In a highly complex newspaper organization, she has set new standards for cooperation between the newsroom and other parts of the business.”

Seattle Times Company Promotes Mei-Mei Chan

Mei-Mei Chan, Vice President of Circulation and Customer Marketing, has been promoted to Vice President of Advertising.

Chan has done a remarkable job in transforming the Circulation department since she joined The Seattle Times in 1997. Circulation has become an industry leader in service quality, sales and marketing, and overall efficiency and professionalism. In March of this year, Chan took on oversight for Advertising Marketing, and Budgeting, Planning and Systems, as well as responsibility for developing the company’s Customer Relationship Management strategy.

Young-Taylor Joins The Smithfield Herald

Kim Young-Taylor has joined The Smithfield Herald as advertising manager. She comes to Johnston County from South Carolina, where she was publisher of two weekly newspapers, the Yorkville Enquirer and Clover Herald.

"I am excited to be a part of the growing communities in Johnston County," Young Taylor said.

"Giving the citizens of Smithfield and surrounding communities various advertising-buying options is my primary objective," she added. "I look forward to becoming a part of the business communities."

Eddie Thorndyke, the Herald's publisher, welcomed Young-Taylor on board. "We are delighted that Kim has come to work with us at the Herald," he said. "She has broad knowledge and experience in community newspapers and a solid record of success in her prior jobs."

Young-Taylor has been with McClatchy, the Smithfield Herald's parent company, since 1990. She began her career with The Herald in Rock Hill, S.C. She started as an advertising assistant in classified advertising and was promoted to outside sales within six months.

In 1995, Young-Taylor was named Employee of the Year, and in 1998, she was named general manager of the Yorkville Enquirer and Clover Herald. She was named publisher in 2002. The two papers have a combined circulation of 6,200 and were redesigned earlier this year.

Under her direction, the papers have won more than 100 S.C. Press Association awards, including a General Excellence award in 1999 and a Paul League advertising award in 1999. Young-Taylor is a native of Spartanburg, S.C. She has a bachelor's degree in mass communications and a master's degree in counseling and development, both from Winthrop University. Also, Young-Taylor is a graduate of the Northwestern University Advance Executive Program, an in-depth national training program for media industry professionals.

Young-Taylor replaces Tammy Cook, who resigned to be at home with her young children.

"We will miss Tammy but certainly wish her well in her desire to spend more time with her family and young children," Thorndyke said. "She has done a good job for us and our advertisers."

Akron Publisher Elected to Knight Board of Trustees

MIAMI - Akron Beacon Journal Publisher James N. Crutchfield has been elected to the board of trustees of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Crutchfield, 56, will begin his term on the board in September. He replaces former Grand Forks Herald publisher Michael Maidenberg, who vacated his board seat in April to become Knight Foundation's vice president and chief program officer.

"Jim Crutchfield is a thoughtful, sensible, committed leader, not only in Northeast Ohio but in the field of journalism," said W. Gerald Austen, M.D., chairman of Knight Foundation's board of trustees. "He will add much to our foundation's mission, and we're delighted to have him join us."

Crutchfield is familiar with the foundation's work, having served as the chair of Knight's Akron Community Advisory Committee. He is active in local affairs, serving on a number of boards including the United Way of Summit County, Akron Community Foundation and Greater Akron Chamber. He chairs the 2004 fundraising campaign of the United Way of Summit County. He also serves on the boards of the Ohio Newspaper Association and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Crutchfield is a native of McKeesport, Pa. He has a bachelor's degree in communication from Duquesne University. He started his career in journalism in 1968 as a reporter for The Pittsburgh Press and has held numerous positions in newsroom management, including deputy managing editor for news at the Detroit Free Press and senior vice president and executive editor for the Press-Telegram in Long Beach, Calif.

"I'm honored to join the Knight Foundation board," Crutchfield said. "I share Knight Foundation's values, and I look forward to offering my perspective in the discussions about how to carry forward the legacy of Jack and Jim Knight."

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities.

Matthews Promoted to Assistant Director of Employee Development

Keith Mathews has been promoted to Assistant Director of Employee Development at The Providence Journal. His primary responsibilities will be to provide career pathing, coaching & development, and leadership training to supervisors and managers across departments, company wide. Although this position is designed to be local, the position & role will be expanded to include Belo media properties nationwide.

Previously, Mathews was the Circulation Marketing Manager at The Providence Journal.

Lloyd Named Executive Editor of Montgomery Advertiser

Wanda Lloyd, executive director of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, was named executive editor of the Montgomery Advertiser and will assume her new position on June 1st. Lloyd says she is excited to work at the paper, "where she can touch and feel and smell and hear from the reader."

A former managing editor at The Greenville News and senior editor at USA Today, Lloyd began her newspaper career after college with an internship at the Providence Evening Bulletin. After stints at The Miami Herald and The Atlanta Journal, she joined The Washington Post in 1975, where she held several positions including copy editor, assistant news editor, production editor and then deputy Washington editor of the Times-Post News Service.

Lloyd joined USA Today in 1986 as a deputy managing editor/Cover Stories. She later became the paper's senior editor/Days and Administration. She joined The Greenville News as its managing editor in 1996.

"I think attracting an editor of Wanda's caliber is a real coup for the Montgomery Advertiser," said publisher Scott M. Brown. "Wanda is held in high regard throughout the newspaper industry. She brings us years of experience at highly respected papers and two years as Pulitzer Prize juror."

Source: Montgomery Advertiser

Knight Ridder Digital Promotes David Knight

David Knight is Knight Ridder Digital's new sales director for Classified Ventures' businesses. Knight has accepted the position of director of sales for automotive and real estate. In his new role, he will oversee and drive sales across automotive, real estate and rentals. He will work with the Classic Ventures' partners to create new sales opportunities.

Working closely with KRD's online sales managers, Knight will coordinate and help manage the sales training and programs for KRD sales representations across the 29 Knight Ridder markets.

A 20-year Knight Ridder veteran, Knight brings a wealth of sales and management experience to the KRD Classified groups. While at The Philadelphia Inquirer, he managed a variety of advertising groups, including running the Inquirer's real estate sales team, overseeing an annual budget of $20 million. He also drove several key strategic initiatives, including the creation of niche publications and the creation of new advertising channels.

Prior to being named to his current role, Knight was in charge of online sales and revenue for 9 of Knight Ridder's markets.

Philly native Michael Days Named No. 2 Editor

Daily News Editor Zack Stalberg announced yesterday that Michael Days will be the paper's new managing editor.

Days, who's been the Daily News' deputy managing editor for the last six years, is an immensely popular figure in the newsroom. When Stalberg announced his appointment at a newsroom meeting yesterday, the staff broke out in cheers and toasted Days with champagne provided by a reporter.

Days' credentials for the paper's No. 2 job are impeccable: He grew up in the neighborhood near Temple University and graduated from Roman Catholic High School.

And, of course, he loves the Daily News.

When Stalberg sent an e-mail to Days yesterday telling him his promotion would be announced at a 3 p.m. newsroom meeting, Days wrote back, "I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL MY LIFE FOR THIS JOB."

Days, 50, replaces Ellen Foley, who's leaving the paper to become the top editor at the Wisconsin State Journal, a daily in Madison

Source: Philadelphia Daily News