By: E&P Staff MediaNews Group has appointed Michael "Mac" Tully as president and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News and group vice president of the Bay Area News Group, a newly created position that includes responsibility for the Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Marin Independent Journal, and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Tully, who most recently served as publisher of The Kansas City Star, becomes the third publisher at the Mercury News since it was purchased by MediaNews in 2006.
He succeeds Jeff Kiel, who decided to step down. Kiel was named publisher last August. Previously he was the Mercury News' vice president of advertising. George Riggs gave up the post of CEO of MediaNews Group's California Newspaper Partnership in January.
Calls placed to Tully and MediaNews Group executives were not immediately returned.
Tully began his newspaper career in the Kansas City Star's advertising department. From there he went to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as the paper's vice president of advertising eventually rising to publisher and senior vice president of advertising at the Arlington Star-Telegram, an edition of the Ft. Worth daily. In 1999 he was named publisher of the Bradenton Herald in Florida.
Three years later, Tully was appointed to vice president of operations at Knight Ridder, which owned the Herald, Star-Telegram, and Star.
In 2005, Arthur Brisbane, then publisher of the Kansas City Star, was appointed Knight Ridder's senior vice president. Tully was tapped to fill Brisbane's position in Kansas City.
A full copy of the release follows.
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MediaNews Group Inc. (MediaNews) announced today that Michael (Mac) Tully has joined the company as Group Vice President of its Bay Area News Group and President and Publisher of the San Jose Mercury News.
This newly created position includes responsibility for the San Jose Mercury News as well as the company's Bay Area - East Bay newspapers including the Contra Costa Times, The Oakland Tribune, The Freemont Argus, The Hayward Daily Review, and The Tri Valley Herald as well as the San Mateo Times, The Santa Cruz Sentinel and the Marin Independent Journal. As publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, Tully replaces Jeff Kiel, who has decided to step down.
All of the above newspapers are a part of the California Newspaper Partnership which is majority owned by MediaNews, along with partners Gannett, Inc. and SF Holding Corp. (Stephens).
"Mac is ideally suited for his new position," said Steve Rossi, President and CEO of California Newspaper Partnership and COO of MediaNews Group, Inc. "He is a dynamic leader with proven ability to grow revenue streams. He has a track record of success in every recent position he has held in our industry".
Tully comes to his new position from the Kansas City Star where he has been publisher since 2005. Prior to that was a corporate Group Vice President with responsibility for 18 Knight Ridder newspapers. He was also previously publisher of the Bradenton Herald and prior to that, publisher of the Arlington Star Telegram.
"Mac's wealth of experience in managing both groups of newspapers as well as in publishing large market newspapers will prove invaluable to our company," said William Dean Singleton, CEO of MediaNews.
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