The Leaf-Chronicle's executive editor has been given the additional responsibilities of overall general manager, filling a position that's been vacant eight months -- and further blurring the ethical lines separating the business and editorial sides of a Gannett newspaper.
Richard Stevens, 56, the paper's top editor since 1999, replaces Andrew Oppmann, who left the paper's top executive job in late October for a position at a local university. The Tennessee paper disclosed the change in a story today.
Stevens had also been acting GM since Oppmann's departure. The GM position increasingly is replacing those of higher-paying publisher's positions. GMs basically do the same work, but for less money.
What's particularly worrisome about Stevens' appointment is that he will be responsible, according to the story, for "news, advertising and all day-to-day operations of the Leaf-Chronicle, its websites and other products under the banner of the Leaf Media Group. He will lead the company's Operating Committee and the newspaper's Editorial Board."
Money-saving move
Traditionally, newsrooms are overseen by an editor who is not directly responsible for business operations, most especially advertising sales. That separation is meant to guard against advertisers having undue influence over news coverage. (Indeed, in the most traditional arrangements, the top news executive has nothing to do with editorials. A separate editorial page editor reports to the publisher.)
The new arrangement at the Leaf-Chronicle appears to be driven at least partly if not wholly by money: Where there were two positions -- an executive editor and a publisher -- there is now one.
Stevens came to the paper as executive editor in 1999 after working as assistant managing editor of The Tennessean in Nashville. He has been a reporter, editor and newspaper manager since 1980, today's story says.
Carol Hudler, president of the regional South Group of newspapers, and publisher of the Tennessean, announced the appointment. "Clarksville is a dynamic community and the Leaf-Chronicle deserves to have a leader as locally invested as Richard,'' she is quoted in the story as saying. "Richard has shown he can manage the business and lead the staff, and I look forward to the Leaf-Chronicle's future successes."
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Stevens had also been acting GM since Oppmann's departure. The GM position increasingly is replacing those of higher-paying publisher's positions. GMs basically do the same work, but for less money.
What's particularly worrisome about Stevens' appointment is that he will be responsible, according to the story, for "news, advertising and all day-to-day operations of the Leaf-Chronicle, its websites and other products under the banner of the Leaf Media Group. He will lead the company's Operating Committee and the newspaper's Editorial Board."
Money-saving move
Traditionally, newsrooms are overseen by an editor who is not directly responsible for business operations, most especially advertising sales. That separation is meant to guard against advertisers having undue influence over news coverage. (Indeed, in the most traditional arrangements, the top news executive has nothing to do with editorials. A separate editorial page editor reports to the publisher.)
The new arrangement at the Leaf-Chronicle appears to be driven at least partly if not wholly by money: Where there were two positions -- an executive editor and a publisher -- there is now one.
Stevens came to the paper as executive editor in 1999 after working as assistant managing editor of The Tennessean in Nashville. He has been a reporter, editor and newspaper manager since 1980, today's story says.
Carol Hudler, president of the regional South Group of newspapers, and publisher of the Tennessean, announced the appointment. "Clarksville is a dynamic community and the Leaf-Chronicle deserves to have a leader as locally invested as Richard,'' she is quoted in the story as saying. "Richard has shown he can manage the business and lead the staff, and I look forward to the Leaf-Chronicle's future successes."
Andrew was e.e. in Appleton before he went south. Better to have an ex-journo in the top spot than some sales monkey or bean counter - at least the journalist knows what ethical lines they're crossing.
ReplyDeleteIt's Oppmann not Oppman. Andrew was publisher in Clarksville and Murfreesboro. Perhaps soon they will end the interim limbo of Michelle Russell at The DNJ and name her GM as well?
ReplyDeleteToo bad that it doesn't matter what kind of leadership structure they have in place at the L-C. Clarksville has been a boom town since the military buildup that began with the Gulf War. Yet the L-C remains an indefensible, awful newspaper. Lot of corruption and backroom deals there, but you wouldn't know it by reading the L-C. Takes a couple of minutes to get through it. Most stories aren't worth reading. It doesn't take a journalistically trained eye to realize what a joke it is.
ReplyDelete7:36 You must be ignorant to make such a comment. Individuals with a skill set of managing and running a business can come from many disciplines. Some with marketing, accounting or journalism backgrounds. So get off your high horse and take control of your career instead of whining. Sincerely a bean counter.
ReplyDelete10:09 Thank you for pointing to the correct spelling on Oppmann. And you raise a good question about leadership of The Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro.
ReplyDeleteJim is ignorant, and he makes those types of comments all the time, 10:53.
ReplyDelete11:50 I do not agree with Jim and his antics at the shareholders meeting. I think he presented himself poorly. However, he has taken control of his career and is working on a path that others are afraid to and with that I respect him. He is working on holding GMC accountable and maybe someday we will see a change.
ReplyDeleteHe hasn't taken control of his career, and you will never see a change. Not now. People could have stood up for their jobs and careers years ago, and they chose to live on their knees. Nothing will change.
ReplyDeleteObviously, the bean counter at the top of this enterprise, and the sales monkey before her, has taken the company to new levels.
ReplyDeleteI'm sooooo sorry 10:53. Now go fix the order entry system so it doesn't look like a piece of shit from 1984 and our stock price will go through the roof.
Sincerely, a revenue creator.
12:40 I think you too should get off your high horse as well. From experience, the sales staff I worked with are one dimensional and couldn't even keep track of who they sold or what they sold and someone from finance would remind them to schedule ads. Even providing them with assistants did help you prima donnas. By the way, IT is the department that would be primarily responsible for the architecture of the order system. My bet is that when your site migrates to G3 your delusional perception of your skills will not translate to new sales. That is unless it falls on your lap. In that case you are just an order entry clerk.
ReplyDeleteMy oh my, did some of you posters here eat gravel today for breakfast?
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ReplyDeleteWasn't it pretty common in the old days -- say, pre-WWII or even shortly after -- for owners of newspapers to be both editor and publisher? I haven't researched it, so don't start flaming me -- but it seems to me that when papers were locally owned, the combo editor/publisher was pretty common.
ReplyDeleteI'd be willing to bet that the division of responsibilities really picked up when chain ownership became more common. Somebody who's well versed in newspaper history might be able to confirm or deny this.
Pretty troubling this appointment.
ReplyDelete5:05 That makes sense. I certainly know of pretty good and feisty (but small) newspapers that are owned, edited and reported by the same person. Certainly not unusual in small towns where they might have one or two full-time reporters, a lot of volunteer columns on outdoors or gardening, and the owner-editor drives the paper to another town for printing, and then pitches in on deliveries. As long as everyone is fully aware of the journalism conflicts entailed and scrupulously follows them, then I can say I have seen it work.
ReplyDeleteI hear Craig Hatcher's name was thrown around.
ReplyDeleteThe ethical lines separating the business and editorial sides were blurred long ago by Gene Washer, the publisher who was there forever before Oppmann. This is nothing new at The Leaf-Chronicle.
ReplyDeleteGoing to general manager sted separate publisher and EE is becoming increasingly common, and not just in Gannett.
ReplyDeleteThe L-C is just another example of how a greedy corporation like Gannett can buy a small-town paper, strip away its value down to the bare minimum and do it with impunity. The protests of concerned citizens are to no avail, and petty politicians love Gannett's lack of press scrutiny. The L-C has NEVER been a good paper. Even the advertising sucks.
ReplyDeleteThey neglected to mention that they eliminated the Ad Directors position at LC and moved it under The Tennessean.
ReplyDeleteIt has been 7 months since the layoff of the Ad Director in Clarksville and went under the direction of Nashville and revenues have not improved. In fact, less than one month after the Ad Director left, The Leaf-Chronicle lost a huge partnership with the March of Dimes, Best of Clarksville event and underperformed on an annual publication that was a partnership with the local chamber. These were solid publications and partnerships. I am sure these two losses added up to more than the Ad Directors salary. Was it really cost savings?
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