Post by bob quarteroni on Oct 29, 2011 9:37:40 GMT -5
I like to think that three years of spreading whatever ill will I could about him wherever I could lend a hand, however small, to the shitheel's demise....
Times Leader publisher resigns
By Borys Krawczeniuk and Erin Nissley (Staff Writers)Published: October 29, 2011
Richard L. Connor will resign as editor and publisher of The Times Leader and as head of a related local chain of newspapers and a Maine newspaper chain that shared resources with the Wilkes-Barre group, the companies that own the newspapers announced Friday.
The announcement of his resignations came hours apart and followed recent layoffs at both chains, which have shared resources since mid-2009. The number of pages in The Times Leader has shrunk considerably in recent months.
The Maine resignation was announced first, on Friday morning, by the chain, MaineToday Media, which said Connor would step down Dec. 31.
The Times Leader resignation was reported on the newspaper's website just before 6 p.m. and announced by the company that owns the newspaper, Impressions Media. It gave no date for Connor's resignation, but said company president Prashant Shitut will be interim chief executive officer.
"Connor will also provide transition services through Dec. 31," according to the statement.
Both announcements included the same explanation by Connor of why he is resigning.
"After five years of work with a schedule that has been around the clock, seven days a week, it's time for change for me personally, my family, and for the company," Connor said in the statements. "I remain an investor in the company and I believe in its future."
Efforts to reach Connor were unsuccessful.
Joseph Butkiewicz, The Times Leader's vice president/executive editor, declined to comment.
Besides The Times Leader, Impressions Media owns the weekly newspapers The Sunday Dispatch, Go Lackawanna, The Dallas Post, The Abington Journal and The Weekender, many websites and online platforms.
The statement said Connor would also step down as chief executive officer of Impressions.
Two weeks ago, Connor announced 38 workers at The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram faced layoffs and another 23 took voluntary buyouts. He blamed a decline in advertising revenue for the cuts, which were mostly in the news department.
In recent months, The Times Leader laid off several people including a graphic artist and an online employee.
In August, Connor closed El Mensajero, an 8-year-old Spanish language newspaper in Hazleton, that his local group bought four years ago.
W. Scott Lynett, a publisher of The Citizens' Voice and The Times-Tribune, said the amount of space allotted to news in The Times Leader had declined by about a quarter since the summer and the number of pages in Go Lackawanna had dropped from 56 to 40.
That usually happens when advertising declines or a newspaper is attempting to cut expenses.
The Maine chain owns The Portland Press/Maine Sunday Telegram, The Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine and the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, Maine. Connor is the company's chief executive officer.
In Maine, Dale A. Duncan, a longtime friend of Connor who once succeeded Connor as Times Leader publisher, also resigned.
Duncan told The Portland Press Herald, one of MaineToday's newspapers, he resigned because the "owners want new leadership."
"That's their prerogative," he said.
In a statement, Connor said the Maine chain recently reported its "first increase in paid circulation in almost five years."
"The Portland Press Herald was recognized as the Best Daily Newspaper in Maine by the Maine Press Association two weeks ago. Our websites and online products have been totally revamped, and a digital division was started two months ago. Our website traffic is now the highest in the state," he said.
In a news release referred to by the Portland newspaper, MaineToday board chairman Peter Brodsky thanked Connor for his service to the company and said the board will immediately look for a replacement.
"We will be recruiting leadership for these properties with strong ties to emerging media technologies that continue to shape the future of this industry. Rich Connor's long experience in the newspaper industry provided a critical start to the reshaping of these newspapers," Brodsky said. "Future management will build on that foundation. MaineToday Media looks forward to continuing its role as the leading source of news and quality journalism in Maine."
Efforts to reach Brodsky were unsuccessful.
Tom Bell, the president of the Portland Newspaper Guild, which represents employees at the papers, said workers were saddened to learn Connor is leaving.
"He helped us build a stronger connection with the community, and he improved the quality of the newspapers, steps that were needed to stabilize circulation," Bell said in a statement. "But that is not enough. We must build on that success and deliver news and services on platforms other than newspapers, and we now need a digital-savvy leader who can take us to the next level. The owners of the company are committed to providing that new leadership."
Besides Connor, the Wilkes-Barre and Maine chains share other key connections.
For one, HM Capital Partners LLC, a Dallas-Texas-based private equity firm, was a key financier of the deals that brought Connor into the leadership of both.
Mark Semer, a spokesman for HM Capital, said the firm would have no comment on the resignations or the future of the Wilkes-Barre newspaper. Asked if the newspaper would remain open, he had no comment.
Connor led the group that bought The Times Leader for $65 million in July 2006 from McClatchy Newspapers after winning a bidding war that included Times-Shamrock Communications, owner of The Scranton Times and The Citizens' Voice in Wilkes-Barre, The Times Leader's chief local competitors in daily newspapers.
His known investors besides HM Capital include brothers Charles and Harold Flack, Frank Henry and Charles Parente. Charles Flack died in May. Efforts to reach the others were not immediately successful.
The MaineToday deal was announced in June 2009 with no price disclosed.
Almost immediately after the Maine purchase, the two organizations began to share resources, even though they are separate corporate entities. The Maine newspapers paid a management fee to the Wilkes-Barre Publishing Co., The Times Leader's owner.
"It's a great shot in the arm for us," Connor told The Citizens' Voice in June 2009, shortly after the Maine purchase was announced.
Besides Connor serving as the top official at both, the chains shared several top executives. In addition, both share a correspondent who covers Washington, D.C.
Times Leader publisher resigns
By Borys Krawczeniuk and Erin Nissley (Staff Writers)Published: October 29, 2011
Richard L. Connor will resign as editor and publisher of The Times Leader and as head of a related local chain of newspapers and a Maine newspaper chain that shared resources with the Wilkes-Barre group, the companies that own the newspapers announced Friday.
The announcement of his resignations came hours apart and followed recent layoffs at both chains, which have shared resources since mid-2009. The number of pages in The Times Leader has shrunk considerably in recent months.
The Maine resignation was announced first, on Friday morning, by the chain, MaineToday Media, which said Connor would step down Dec. 31.
The Times Leader resignation was reported on the newspaper's website just before 6 p.m. and announced by the company that owns the newspaper, Impressions Media. It gave no date for Connor's resignation, but said company president Prashant Shitut will be interim chief executive officer.
"Connor will also provide transition services through Dec. 31," according to the statement.
Both announcements included the same explanation by Connor of why he is resigning.
"After five years of work with a schedule that has been around the clock, seven days a week, it's time for change for me personally, my family, and for the company," Connor said in the statements. "I remain an investor in the company and I believe in its future."
Efforts to reach Connor were unsuccessful.
Joseph Butkiewicz, The Times Leader's vice president/executive editor, declined to comment.
Besides The Times Leader, Impressions Media owns the weekly newspapers The Sunday Dispatch, Go Lackawanna, The Dallas Post, The Abington Journal and The Weekender, many websites and online platforms.
The statement said Connor would also step down as chief executive officer of Impressions.
Two weeks ago, Connor announced 38 workers at The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram faced layoffs and another 23 took voluntary buyouts. He blamed a decline in advertising revenue for the cuts, which were mostly in the news department.
In recent months, The Times Leader laid off several people including a graphic artist and an online employee.
In August, Connor closed El Mensajero, an 8-year-old Spanish language newspaper in Hazleton, that his local group bought four years ago.
W. Scott Lynett, a publisher of The Citizens' Voice and The Times-Tribune, said the amount of space allotted to news in The Times Leader had declined by about a quarter since the summer and the number of pages in Go Lackawanna had dropped from 56 to 40.
That usually happens when advertising declines or a newspaper is attempting to cut expenses.
The Maine chain owns The Portland Press/Maine Sunday Telegram, The Kennebec Journal in Augusta, Maine and the Morning Sentinel in Waterville, Maine. Connor is the company's chief executive officer.
In Maine, Dale A. Duncan, a longtime friend of Connor who once succeeded Connor as Times Leader publisher, also resigned.
Duncan told The Portland Press Herald, one of MaineToday's newspapers, he resigned because the "owners want new leadership."
"That's their prerogative," he said.
In a statement, Connor said the Maine chain recently reported its "first increase in paid circulation in almost five years."
"The Portland Press Herald was recognized as the Best Daily Newspaper in Maine by the Maine Press Association two weeks ago. Our websites and online products have been totally revamped, and a digital division was started two months ago. Our website traffic is now the highest in the state," he said.
In a news release referred to by the Portland newspaper, MaineToday board chairman Peter Brodsky thanked Connor for his service to the company and said the board will immediately look for a replacement.
"We will be recruiting leadership for these properties with strong ties to emerging media technologies that continue to shape the future of this industry. Rich Connor's long experience in the newspaper industry provided a critical start to the reshaping of these newspapers," Brodsky said. "Future management will build on that foundation. MaineToday Media looks forward to continuing its role as the leading source of news and quality journalism in Maine."
Efforts to reach Brodsky were unsuccessful.
Tom Bell, the president of the Portland Newspaper Guild, which represents employees at the papers, said workers were saddened to learn Connor is leaving.
"He helped us build a stronger connection with the community, and he improved the quality of the newspapers, steps that were needed to stabilize circulation," Bell said in a statement. "But that is not enough. We must build on that success and deliver news and services on platforms other than newspapers, and we now need a digital-savvy leader who can take us to the next level. The owners of the company are committed to providing that new leadership."
Besides Connor, the Wilkes-Barre and Maine chains share other key connections.
For one, HM Capital Partners LLC, a Dallas-Texas-based private equity firm, was a key financier of the deals that brought Connor into the leadership of both.
Mark Semer, a spokesman for HM Capital, said the firm would have no comment on the resignations or the future of the Wilkes-Barre newspaper. Asked if the newspaper would remain open, he had no comment.
Connor led the group that bought The Times Leader for $65 million in July 2006 from McClatchy Newspapers after winning a bidding war that included Times-Shamrock Communications, owner of The Scranton Times and The Citizens' Voice in Wilkes-Barre, The Times Leader's chief local competitors in daily newspapers.
His known investors besides HM Capital include brothers Charles and Harold Flack, Frank Henry and Charles Parente. Charles Flack died in May. Efforts to reach the others were not immediately successful.
The MaineToday deal was announced in June 2009 with no price disclosed.
Almost immediately after the Maine purchase, the two organizations began to share resources, even though they are separate corporate entities. The Maine newspapers paid a management fee to the Wilkes-Barre Publishing Co., The Times Leader's owner.
"It's a great shot in the arm for us," Connor told The Citizens' Voice in June 2009, shortly after the Maine purchase was announced.
Besides Connor serving as the top official at both, the chains shared several top executives. In addition, both share a correspondent who covers Washington, D.C.