Times of Ottawa in Illinois Names Publisher

By: Veteran newspaper industry executive John A. Newby has been named publisher of The Times of Ottawa.
Len R. Small, president of The Times, made the announcement to staff on Wednesday.

Newby, 48, has held several management posts within the Small Newspaper Group, which owns The Times and four other dailies, since joining it in 2003.

After serving as circulation director for The Dispatch and Rock Island Argus in the Quad Cities, he took on the added duties of the LaPorte Herald-Argus in LaPorte, Ind., in February 2007. He also was named associate publisher of Lake magazine, a regional magazine published in LaPorte, in July.

Newby previously served in the U.S. Air Force as a weather forecaster before moving on to newspapers in 1990 and serving in varied management roles with the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald. He also has spent time as circulation director in Council Bluffs, Iowa; Ogden, Utah; and Logan, Utah.

Small said Newby will be working closely with James Malley, 65, who has retired as general manager of The Times but will continue as a consultant for the newspaper and work for the Small Newspaper Group. He will help Newby learn about the area and meet members of the communities served by The Times.

The other four dailies in the Small Newspaper Group are The Daily Journal in Kankakee, The Dispatch in Moline, The Rock Island Argus and the Post-Bulletin in Rochester, Minn.