By: Joe Strupp Less than a year on the job, the publisher of The Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal is leaving to take an "unsolicited business opportunity,'' the paper reported Thursday, paving the way for the daily's first-ever woman publisher.
Edward Moss, who became publisher in August 2006, soon after the Beacon Journal was purchased by Black Press Ltd., announced his departure Thursday to accept an undisclosed new job. Andrea Mathewson, the paper's vice president of production and a 29-year veteran, was named publisher immediately.
"A few minutes ago I met with the senior managers at our company and informed them that I have made a very difficult decision to leave the Beacon Journal,'' Moss wrote in an e-mail to the staff, adding that the new job was something "I simply could not turn down.'' But Moss did not disclose where he was going next, the paper said.
Alton Brown, head of advertising, was named executive vice president and general manager, responsible for "driving all advertising sales and marketing for the paper," the paper reported
The new publisher appointment comes just weeks after longtime newsroom veteran Bruce Winges became editor and vice president of the paper. Winges, who has been at the Beacon Journal 25 years, succeeded Mizell Stewart III, who was named editor of the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press.
"I am excited to come into this position and build off the great progress that we have made this year in positioning the company for long-term success,'' Mathewson said in a statement. "Our focus will be to continue our emphasis on more local news as well as strong ties to the communities we serve.''
In Moss' 10-month stint at the paper, he had made drastic cuts, reducing the workforce from 734 to 600 employees, including cutting the newsroom by 25%, the paper reported.
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