Arnold Garson, the top executive at the Argus Leader since 1996, has been named the new president and publisher of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. Garson replaces Denise Ivey, leaving the company as a result of the Friday Afternoon Massacre. A native of Lincoln, Neb., Garson has a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master's degree from the UCLA, the Courier-Journal says in a new story.
In Sioux Falls, top Editor Randell Beck replaces Garson as publisher, Gannett says.
Garson was named Gannett’s 24th Manager of the Year in April, an award for "management skills, leadership, innovation and business ability,'' Gannett said in a press release.
You know the drill, Sioux Falls: What can you tell Louisville about their new publisher? Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green sidebar, upper right.
Earlier: Praying about their next publisher in Louisville
[Image: today's Courier-Journal, Newseum]
You know... it's sad... I have to find out from Jim and his blog site who our new publisher is... I see that the photo taken on the link is in our Newsroom. I'm guessing just goes to show that the rest of the building is not entitled to know or is not even thought of... Couldn't an announcement been made to everyone in our cafeteria? WOW!!!
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'll learn of my layoff from this site also... Jim can you send me an email when you find out...
Did Gannett wait to name him as publisher before announcing buyouts/layoffs at the C-J? In fact, are there impending layoffs/buyouts at the C-J? Christmas is less than five months away, you know.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a cafeteria at Louisville; it's a room with vending machines. Remember the Gannett assurance that the packaged food will be just as good as what was served on the line.
ReplyDeleteTo the first commenter: If you had looked at your own paper's web site you would have seen it had the news first, not Jim's blog.
ReplyDeletenobody reads our website.....
ReplyDeleteAh, right, the Web site.
ReplyDeleteMust have missed the memo where that became the official replacement of actual human interaction.
You know where our desks are? Stop by and tell us. Done correctly, it should take 90 seconds.
Whine, whine. At least the new publisher may realize where the newsroom is.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think there was anything that would pry Arnie Garson out of Sioux Falls, which was in fairly close proximity to his family's "cabin" on Lake Okoboji, in Iowa.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed working for Arnie. He's hard but he's fair. If you make a mistake, it is wise to be the one who tells him about it. You might still get laced down, but not as bad as if he finds out you messed up through other channels.
He's a fearless publisher of the old school, even occasionally writing an editorial from start to finish when he gets fired up.
He's up front when hard decisions must be made and carried out. Honest about what's happening and why.
The C-J is lucky to get him.
I'd love to work for him again.
No word from Sioux Falls but he started as a reporter in 1965. Seems that would put him at retirement age or very close to it. Why this chose?
ReplyDeleteYes, layoffs were announced this afternoon for some in the Finance Department.
ReplyDeleteIf you guys don't want him, we'll take Arnie. Or Randall, for that matter.
ReplyDeleteMore layoffs in Louisville wonder if any managers got the ax? As a former employee there management was terrible. From ad services to IT no one was happy. Some of it was Gannett but some was just plain bad management. I don't think i have seen a worse bunch especially when it came to people skills. Glad i got out.
ReplyDeleteManagement is liberally sprinkled with people who have aberrant personalities -- some are good at what they do, but their people skills are atrocious. The structure's also as top-down as the Kremlin under Stalin, and CYA is the name of the game for middle management.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the new publisher could do something about this?
Wonder if he gets a Caddy as nice as Mister Ed's. Used to love being told there was no budget for reporter travel, yet he got a weekly detail.
ReplyDeleteGarson and Beck are both top-flight newsmen, and they've built a solid staff of news people aroudn them in the argus leader newsroom. Louisville is getting a great publisher, and argus leader publisher comes from a 100 percent news background which will benefit the argus leader tremendously i think. The argus leader just created a projects team when other papers are scaling back in that dept., which is a credit to the A.L.'s committment to news.that's my take on this.
ReplyDelete