Gannett Names Publishers in Cincinnati, Boise, Huntington and Great Falls
MCLEAN, VA – Four executive appointments were announced today in the Newspaper Division of Gannett Co., Inc.
Margaret E. Buchanan was named president and publisher of The Cincinnati Enquirer. She previously was president and publisher of The Idaho Statesman at Boise.
Leslie J. Hurst succeeds Buchanan in Boise. She previously was president and publisher of The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, W.Va.
Elizabeth (Pat) Thompson Frantz succeeds Hurst in Huntington. She previously was president and publisher of the Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune.
James V. Strauss succeeds Frantz in Great Falls. He previously was executive editor of the Tribune.
“Each of these promotions involves an experienced executive who has clearly demonstrated she or he is prepared to deal with the opportunities and challenges of their new, increased responsibilities,” said Gary L. Watson, president of the Newspaper Division.
Buchanan began her newspaper career at The Enquirer in 1986. She later served in marketing and advertising management roles at the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star before becoming president and publisher of the Star-Gazette in Elmira, NY in 1996. She moved to Boise in 1999, where she also served as a vice president in the Pacific Newspaper Group.
Buchanan is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA in finance. Before joining The Enquirer, Buchanan was employed at Cincinnati Bell and the Cincinnati office of IBM. She and her husband, Greg, have two sons. She succeeds Harry Whipple, who retired.
Hurst joined Gannett in 1987 as the marketing services director at The Times in Shreveport, La. She served in similar positions at the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal and The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla. In 1996, she was named president and publisher of the Hattiesburg (Miss.) American. She relocated to Huntington in 2000.
Hurst is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She is married to John Severson.
Frantz began her Gannett career at the Niagara Gazette in 1979. She also served as advertising director of The Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal and the Star-Gazette at Elmira, N.Y. She was named president and publisher of the Public Opinion in Chambersburg, Pa., in 1986. In 1989, she returned to Elmira as president and publisher. She joined the Great Falls Tribune in 1996. She holds a bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree from the University of Buffalo (N.Y.).
Under Strauss’ leadership, the Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2000. He joined the Tribune as executive editor in 1995. He previously held newsroom positions at the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel and the Billings (Mont.) Gazette.
Strauss received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and economics from the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. He holds a master’s degree in business from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife, Dee Marie, have five children.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that publishes 100 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns in excess of 400 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 more than 300 titles, including 17 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 22 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.
For more information, contact:
Vice President of Corporate Communications
Gannett Co., Inc.
(703) 854-6049 (office)
(571) 437-2157 (mobile)
tjconnel@gannett.com