Mong: Dallas Shakeup to 'Unleash Energy'

By: Mark Fitzgerald Thursday's massive reorganization of the Dallas Morning News newsroom was intended to "unleash a lot of energy in here" by moving editors into new and different areas, President and Editor Bob Mong said.

"I wanted to get some new blood in here," Mong said at the end of a long day explaining the changes to the newsroom and bureaus. "I wanted to get people who had been in their jobs for some time to be in different parts of the newsroom. And I wanted George here, a great journalist who I thought a lot of."

George is George Rodrigue, who will become a vice president and the paper's 18th managing editor, as of July 5. In a 22-year career with the Morning News (Click for QuikCap), Rodrigue has gone from city hall reporter to city editor, European bureau chief and Washington correspondent. He was also executive editor of Belo Corp.'s Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., and is currently vice president of the chain's Washington bureau.

That's a pretty typical career path for up-and-comers at Belo, which likes to move potential executives around its media properties and inside corporate headquarters. It's a track Mong said he wants to put the current managing editor, Stuart Wilk, on, as well.

"Me, [Morning News Publisher and CEO] Jim Moroney, Rodrigue, [Senior Vice President and Group Executive Donald F.] 'Skip' Cass, we've all been given opportunities outside of where we started," said Mong. "Stu has a tremendous amount of talent, and when you're in your ninth year as managing editor I think it's important to start thinking about some new things. Stu and I have talked about this. There's a good pattern for advance inside Belo, and that is to do a lot of different things, and this is a way to get Stu in the process."

Wilk's immediate assignment is to be part of a "future of the newspaper" committee that was formed last month. Mong described it as a research and study effort unprecedented for the paper, which will take a "greenfield, intellectual approach" to look at what the Morning News should be in the next five to seven years.

The reorganization also signals a heavy commitment to Spanish-language publishing. Gilbert Bailon was named publisher and editor of the News' seven-month-old Spanish-language daily Al D?a, and has been added to the Morning News' management committee. Right now, Bailon will concentrate on growing Al D?a, but Mong hinted other initiatives targeting Spanish readers may follow. "He is such a huge presence in this company, and it's saying something when we are putting someone of such a huge stature in (Al D?a)," Mong said.