Gannett Makes Executive Appointments
McLEAN, VA – Gannett made a series of publisher/president appointments today:
* Robert T. Collins, senior group president of the Atlantic Group and president and publisher of the Asbury Park Press, will become chairman of the Asbury Park newspaper. He has announced plans to retire in March, 2008.
* W. Curtis Riddle will assume responsibility for the Atlantic Group, which includes the Gannett community newspapers in New Jersey and New England. He is president and publisher of The News Journal in Wilmington, DE, and senior group president of the East Newspaper Group, which includes community newspaper operations in Delaware, Maryland, New York and Ohio.
* Thomas M. Donovan, president and publisher of The Journal News in Westchester County, NY, will become president and publisher of the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey. He also will be a vice president of the East Group, with responsibility for operations in New Jersey.
* Michael J. Fisch, president and publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser, will become president and publisher in Westchester.
* Lee P. Webber, president and publisher of the Pacific Daily News in Hagatna, Guam, will become president and publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser.
* Rindraty C. Limtiaco, executive editor of the Pacific Daily News, will become president and publisher of the newspaper.
* Laura L. Hollingsworth, general manager of The Des Moines Register, will become president and publisher of the newspaper on Sept. 7. She succeeds Mary Stier, who announced her resignation earlier this month to launch a national multimedia venture targeting women.
“To have a team as experienced and talented as this is one of the advantages of Gannett.
Each one brings a depth and a range of skills to their jobs, which will benefit not only their new staffs and newspapers, but also the company as a whole,” said Sue Clark-Johnson, president of Gannett’s Newspaper Division.
“I am pleased that Tom Donovan, with an excellent record in his first two years as publisher of our Westchester operations is joining Bob Collins, one of our most seasoned veterans with a 47-year record of significant contribution at every level of our company.
“Mike Fisch has served the Honolulu community with great skill and commitment during his nine-year tenure and I am delighted he is bringing his expertise to Westchester. The work he has done – coupled with Lee Webber’s solid knowledge of the issues in the Pacific, the military, as well as his strong record of community service – will make for a smooth transition at The Honolulu Advertiser.”
“The promotions of Laura and Rindraty are testimony to our commitment to develop people and to succession planning, with two highly respected professionals moving quickly up the ladder to top executive positions,” Clark-Johnson said.
Biographies
Robert T. Collins began his journalism career as a copy boy in Cherry Hill, NJ, in 1960. He has worked at Gannett newspapers in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, becoming president and publisher of the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill in 1993. He was named a group president and president and publisher of the Asbury Park Press in 1998 and became a senior group president of the Atlantic Group in 2005.
Thomas M. Donovan joined The News Journal in Wilmington as a classified sales representative in 1987 and became manager of classified advertising at the paper in 1990. He has worked in advertising at Gannett papers in Illinois, Indianapolis and New York, where he joined the staff of The Journal News as vice president of Advertising in 1999. He became executive vice president of Advertising and Circulation in January, 2005 and president and publisher later that year.
Michael J. Fisch has been president and publisher of The Honolulu Advertiser since July, 1998. Before that, he was president and CEO of the Californian in Bakersfield. He also has worked in circulation, production and/or advertising at the Hartford (CT) Courant; the Madison (WI) Newspapers; the Post-Bulletin in Rochester, MN; and The Independent in Marshall, MN.
Laura L. Hollingsworth has been general manager of The Des Moines Register since 2005 and before that was vice president of Advertising at the newspaper. She also was director of advertising at the Lansing (MI) State Journal and manager of Retail Advertising at the Rockford (IL) Register Star and the Olympian in Olympia, WA, where she began her career as an account executive in 1989.
Rindraty C. Limtiaco began her career as a reporter at the Pacific Daily News in Guam in 1991. She has held a number of editing positions at the newspaper, including city editor; editor-in-chief; business editor; features editor; and manager editor. She became executive editor at the newspaper in 2003.
W. Curtis Riddle has been president and publisher of The News Journal in Wilmington, and a senior group president, since 1994. Before that, he was a regional president and president and publisher of the Lansing (MI) State Journal; a regional vice president and president and publisher of the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN; and special assistant to the publisher at The Cincinnati Enquirer. He also
has been managing editor of the Enquirer; a deputy managing editor and founder at USA TODAY; and a reporter at the Baltimore Sun and The Courier Journal in Louisville, KY.
Lee P. Webber began is career at the Pacific Daily News in Guam in 1970 as the manager of Circulation Sales. He also was director of Circulation and director of Marketing at the newspaper before becoming president and publisher in 1983.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles, including 18 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
Media inquiries, contact:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
(703) 854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com