Knight Ridder, Gannett Agree to Exchange Newspapers in Florida, Washington and Idaho
August 03 2005 - 5:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Knight Ridder
and Gannett today announced an exchange of assets involving four of
their newspapers and cash consideration. In the exchange, Knight
Ridder will receive from Gannett The (Boise) Idaho Statesman, and
two newspapers in the state of Washington, The (Olympia) Olympian,
and The Bellingham Herald. In return, Gannett will receive the
Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat and an undisclosed cash consideration.
The transaction is subject to regulatory review and will close once
that process is completed, probably the first week in September.
Knight Ridder Chairman and CEO Tony Ridder said, "As we continue to
review our portfolio of newspapers, other print products, Internet
sites and investments, we are constantly impressed by the
performance of our mid-sized and smaller newspapers -- especially
those in growth areas. This exchange gives us the opportunity to
add three newspapers in robust western markets. Each one performs
strongly; together, they will make a very solid addition to our
existing lineup. "Simultaneously, we feel keenly the loss of the
Tallahassee Democrat. Its journalistic tradition in the state
capital is deeply rooted; its people -- friends and colleagues for
many years -- are talented and dedicated. We thank them and wish
them well. We will miss them." Gannett President and CEO Craig
Dubow said: "Florida, where Gannett already has three TV stations,
three newspapers and distributes Clipper magazine, is a strong and
growing region for Gannett. The Tallahassee Democrat, in the
state's capital, is a key addition to the mix. We look forward to
bringing them on board. "In the West, the newspapers in Bellingham,
Olympia and Boise have been in the Gannett family since 1971 and it
will be very hard to say good-bye. But we are confident they are in
good hands, and will thrive as part of the Knight Ridder western
strategy." The Idaho Statesman has circulation of 64,815 daily,
85,552 Sunday; The Olympian 33,808 daily, 41,677 Sunday; and The
Bellingham Herald 23,928 daily, 30,230 Sunday. The Democrat
circulation is 51,095 daily, 66,828 Sunday. Knight Ridder said that
the Boise newspaper will report to Senior Vice President Hilary
Schneider. The two Washington state newspapers will report to Paula
Ellis, vice president/operations. At the same time, Knight Ridder
announced these executive changes at the papers: Mike Petrak,
Knight Ridder vice president/marketing, will become president and
publisher in Boise. John Winn Miller, senior vice
president/marketing in Tallahassee, will become president and
publisher in Olympia. And Glen Nardi, senior vice
president/operations at the San Jose Mercury News, will become
president and publisher in Bellingham. Tallahassee Democrat
President and Publisher Mike Pate will remain with Knight Ridder in
a consulting role through the end of the year, when he plans to
retire. Vice President/Editor Mizell Stewart will remain with
Knight Ridder in a role yet to be determined. Ridder said, "We are
extremely fortunate to have experienced executives ready to assume
leadership of these new Knight Ridder newspapers. Each of them has
been involved in companywide initiatives that have broadened their
expertise. Those experiences will benefit the new papers." Mike
Petrak, 47, has been in his current position since 2001. He served
as executive vice president and general manager at The Kansas City
Star from 1997 to 2001 and as vice president/marketing and
advertising 1994 to 1997. He was director of marketing for Consumer
Power Marketing from 1992 to 1994 and ad director for the (Madison)
Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times from 1988 to 1992.
Earlier, he worked in advertising and circulation at the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram and in the newsroom at the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
"Mike has led our increasingly successful efforts to expand Knight
Ridder's presence with national advertisers. He has built a strong
marketing staff at the corporate level -- one that maximizes both
print and online opportunities -- and this infrastructure will
serve us well going forward," said Schneider. "Mike understands the
needs of both our metro and city group newspapers, and how to
achieve growth in those markets. He has worked in the newsroom and
in circulation, and his years as general manager in Kansas City
prepared him well to lead the overall operations of a newspaper."
Petrak is chairman of Newspapers First, a co-founder of Newspaper
Value Symposium, a member of the board of CityXpress online
auctions company and a member of the Newspaper National Network
Sales Advisory Committee and the Newspaper Association of America
Postal Affairs Committee. He is a member of Colonial Presbyterian
Church in Overland Park, Kan. He was chairman of the board of
Kansas City Urban Young Life and a member of the board of the Great
Kansas City Sports Commission. He served on the marketing committee
of the Heart of America United Way. He earned an M.B.A. in
marketing from University of Iowa in 1982 and a bachelor's degree
in journalism there in 1980. He and his wife, Missy, have two
children, Hannah and Nicholas, both students at University of
Kansas. John Winn Miller, 52, has worked at the Democrat since
1999. He has been senior vice president of marketing, with
responsibility for advertising and circulation, since 2004. He
served as senior vice president/circulation, operations and human
resources from 2003 to 2004, as executive editor and senior vice
president/news and circulation from 2002 to 2003 and as executive
editor/senior vice president/news from 1999 to 2002. Knight Ridder
Vice President/Operations Paula Ellis said, "John has greatly
broadened his knowledge of newspaper operations in recent years as
he assumed responsibility for a variety of functional divisions of
the Democrat. His work on Knight Ridder's Operations Task Force
(focused on operating more efficiently) made his expertise
available to other mid-sized newspapers throughout the company. He
has been involved in his community, as well, and will be a strong
publisher in Olympia." Miller was executive editor and senior vice
president/news of the (State College, Pa.) Centre Daily Times from
1996 to 1999. At the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, he was city
editor 1992 to 1996, capitol bureau chief 1987 to 1992 and
reporter. He was Rome bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal in
1986, and worked for The Associated Press from 1979 to 1986 as a
reporter and copy editor in Louisville, Ky., New York and Rome. In
Lexington, he was part of a team that was a Pulitzer finalist for a
series that helped trigger education reform in Kentucky. He is on
the board of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and has served on
the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce's strategic plan committee. His
other interests include golf, cooking, karate (he's a second degree
black belt), and history books. He earned a bachelor of general
studies from the University of Kentucky in 1977. He is a 2004
graduate of the Northwestern University Advanced Executive Program.
Miller and his wife, Margo, an artist and former English
instructor, have a 19-year-old daughter, Allison. Glen Nardi, 54,
has been in his current job since 2004. He served as vice
president/operations for The (Columbia, S.C.) State from 1995 to
2004 and production director from 1988 to 1995. Prior to that, he
was production director for Philadelphia Newspapers from 1984 to
1987, production manager for The Miami Herald from 1981 to 1984 and
pre-press manager there from 1980 to 1981. He was an officer in the
U.S. Navy from 1973 to 1980. Knight Ridder's Schneider said, "Glen,
a 2004 Knight Ridder Excellence Awards winner for operational
excellence, has been a leader throughout the company for many
years. He has worked at large and mid-size newspapers and
understands well how to reach top-level performance. He has led
companywide initiatives to drive operational excellence and best
practices. His quiet demeanor and low- profile approach to
consensus building win friends and support wherever he goes." Nardi
earned a master's degree in personnel management from George
Washington University in 1979 and a bachelor's of science degree in
management from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1973. He served on the
board of directors of Junior Achievement both in California and
South Carolina, the Better Business Bureau of South Carolina and
Crimestoppers. He and his wife, Holly, have seven children. Pate,
59, has spent his entire career with Knight Ridder, beginning in
1969. He has been president and publisher of the Democrat since
1997. He was president and publisher of The (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Sun News from 1986 to 1997 and executive vice president and general
manager from 1978 to 1986. He served as director/sales and
marketing, as advertising director at The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun
Herald, and earlier as assistant retail manager of The Miami Herald
and retail manager of the Democrat. Tony Ridder said, "Mike has
been a strong leader for Knight Ridder in two markets. The
Democrat's business performance has been among the best in the
company. Moreover, it has been one of just a few newspapers in the
country to have shown year-over-year circulation growth for the
last three years. Surveys show readership growth and increased
reader satisfaction, as well. Mike is able to attain these results
because he is a 'people person' with solid knowledge of all aspects
of newspaper operations. I look forward to the contributions he
will continue to make to Knight Ridder." Pate is chairman of the
board for the Community Foundation of North Florida, a trustee of
the Florida State University Foundation, a member of the Board of
Visitors of the Florida A&M University School of Journalism and
Graphic Communication. He is a member of the executive committee of
Seven Days of Opening Nights Arts Festival, the board of directors
of the Economic Development Council and of the board of directors
of the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce. He is chair of the
Knight Foundation Community Advisory Committee. He earned a
bachelor's degree in business administration from Florida State
University in 1968. He and his wife, Judy, have a son, Brian, and
two granddaughters. Stewart, 40, editor of the Democrat since 2003,
had served as managing editor from 2000 to 2003. He held several
editing positions at the Akron Beacon Journal from 1994 to 2000;
before that, he held a variety of reporting and editing positions
at the Dayton Daily News. He is chair of the board of governors of
Leadership Tallahassee and serves on the board of Young Actors
Theatre and the First Amendment Foundation. He is a member of the
National Association of Black Journalists and the American Society
of Newspaper Editors. Stewart earned a bachelor's degree in
journalism from Bowling Green State University in 1991. He is
married to Valerie Morgan-Stewart. Gannett announced these
executive changes: Tallahassee: Patrick Dorsey, director/finance
and group controller for Florida Today, was named president and
publisher of the Tallahassee Democrat. Leslie Hurst, president and
publisher of The Idaho Statesman, was named president and publisher
of The Lansing (Mich.) State Journal. Michael G. Kane, president
and publisher in Lansing, was named president and publisher of the
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle. Christine Chin, president
and publisher of The Bellingham Herald, will join the staff of The
(Phoenix) Arizona Republic. Bob Ritter, president and publisher of
The Olympian, will remain with Gannett in a position to be
announced later. Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest
newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company
publishes 32 daily newspapers in 29 U.S. markets, with a readership
of 8.5 million daily and 11.0 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also
has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies
and two newsprint companies. The company's Internet operation,
Knight Ridder Digital, develops and manages the company's online
properties. It is the founder and operator of Real Cities
(http://www.realcities.com/), the largest national network of city
and regional Web sites in more than 110 U.S. markets. Knight Ridder
and Knight Ridder Digital are headquartered in San Jose, Calif.
(NR) DATASOURCE: Knight Ridder CONTACT: Polk Laffoon, Vice
President/Corporate Relations, +1-408-938-7838, or , or Lee Ann
Schlatter, Director/Corporate Communications, +1-408-938-7839 or ,
both of Knight Ridder Web site: http://www.knightridder.com/
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