'Knoxville News Sentinel' Appoints President/Publisher

By: E&P Staff Patrick J. Birmingham has been appointed president and publisher of the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel.

The St. Louis, Mo., native, who was introduced to the staff on Wednesday, also will serve as a regional publisher for Scripps, with responsibilities for the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press and the Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail.

Birmingham, 51, had served as president and publisher of the Corpus Christi (Texas) Caller-Times since 2004, earning it ?newspaper of the year? honors from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors in the past four years. Birmingham himself was also named ?newspaper leader of the year? last year by the Texas Daily Newspapers Association.

A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Birmingham began his career at the Kansas City Star in advertising sales and management. Before joining Scripps, he served in advertising leadership roles with Gannett newspapers in Rochester, N.Y., and Cincinnati, Ohio. He joined Scripps in 1997 as advertising director at the Ventura County (Calif.) Star, and later became the paper's executive vice president and general manager.

In Corpus Christi, Birmingham serves as board chair for Christus Spohn Health Systems and for the United Way of the Coastal Bend. He is treasurer and president elect of the Texas Daily Newspapers Association.

Birmingham succeeds Bruce Hartmann, who was promoted last month to vice president of sales for the E.W. Scripps Co. newspaper division.