By: Thomas M. Donovan, a newspaper executive with a background in advertising, has been named president and publisher of the Asbury Park Press. The appointment was announced Wednesday by Sue Clark-Johnson, president of Gannett Co. Inc.'s Newspaper Division.
Donovan succeeds Robert T. Collins, 64, who had led the Neptune-based newspaper since Gannett bought it in October 1997. He will serve as chairman of the Press until his retirement in March.
Donovan, 43, has been president and publisher of The Journal News in Westchester County, N.Y., since May 2005. He will be replaced there by Mike Fisch, now publisher and president of The Honolulu Advertiser.
Donovan, who was named Gannett's publisher of the year for 2006, also will serve as a vice president of Gannett's East Newspaper Group. In that capacity, he will oversee operations of its seven daily newspapers in New Jersey.
"I'm very excited to be in New Jersey, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all the New Jersey newspapers, especially (the Press), obviously," Donovan said.
A native of Lewes, Del., Donovan graduated from the University of Delaware in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in human resources. He then worked for two Gannett newspapers before leaving in 1995 for a job at The Indianapolis Star, which Gannett later bought. He rejoined Gannett in 1999 as vice president/advertising of The Journal News.
Donovan and his wife, Susan, have two children.
Fisch, who has held his post in Honolulu since 1998, is to join The Journal News next week. Before going to Hawaii he had spent six years as president and chief executive at The Bakersfield Californian, a family owned daily newspaper in Bakersfield, Calif.
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