Aaron J. Kotarek appointed GM of The Spokesman-Review

The Spokesman-Review's persistent focus on local news at scale gives it a huge advantage as it transitions toward more digital delivery and services. I’m looking forward to joining the Spokesman team.”

Aaron J. Kotarek, newly-appointed GM of The Spokesman-Review

Aaron J. Kotarek will join The Spokesman-Review as general manager on Nov. 22, Publisher William “Stacey” Cowles has announced.

Kotarek currently serves as senior vice president for audience and operations at Oahu Publications Inc. (OPI) best known for publishing The Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the sixth largest circulation newspaper in the United States. In addition to audience development and operations, his role has included leading the development of non-traditional revenues in webcasting, merchant services, digital engagement and advertising as well as oversight of editors at OPI’s three neighbor island newspapers.

“We are very excited to have Aaron join us at this critical point in newspaper history,” Cowles said. “Aaron’s expertise and out-of-the box thinking is a perfect fit for our mission to build a sustainable print and digital model for our community’s newspaper.”

Kotarek is widely known in the newspaper industry as a collaborative and insightful leader and for attracting new audiences. Under his leadership, The Star-Advertiser has been recognized for having the largest generation X/Y/Z reach for a newspaper of its size. Innovations he conceived or executed include an in-store network of 250 video billboards, a cash discount plan that virtually eliminated credit card fees and an automated avatar-based news webcast that summarizes the day’s paper and serves as a platform for video advertising.

“The Spokesman-Review's persistent focus on local news at scale gives it a huge advantage as it transitions toward more digital delivery and services,” said Kotarek. “I’m looking forward to joining the Spokesman team.”

Prior to arriving in Honolulu, Kotarek was vice president of audience development at McClatchy’s Herald-Leader Media operation based in Lexington, Kentucky. Kotarek has also held various executive leadership positions within several large media chains including Thomson, A.H. Belo, Cox Enterprises, Morris Communications, the Omaha World-Herald Company, and the Dow Jones Local Media Group.

He has served on multiple industry boards including the North American board of the International News Marketing Association. He served as an instructor/mentor for America's Newspapers' Executive Development Program in 2022 and 2023. Kotarek is a native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he lettered in basketball four years and captained the team. He and his wife Jacquelyn are foodies and travelers in their spare time.