Posted by Bud on March 25, 2010 at 11:42:50:
J. Tom Shaw, the 36-year-old son of Shaw Newspapers Chief Executive Tom Shaw, on Thursday was named publisher of the Kane County Chronicle in St. Charles.
The younger Shaw succeeds Don Bricker, who remains publisher of the Daily Chronicle in DeKalb and senior vice president of operations for Shaw Suburban Media of Greater Chicago.
Before this promotion to publisher of the Kane County paper, Shaw was vice president of market development for Shaw Suburban Media. He has directed the group's marketing activities and led its niche product division over the past year, as well as led a number of digital initiatives, the company said.
Shaw joined Shaw Suburban Media in 2006, serving the media company his family launched in 1851 in a variety of executive roles. These included advertising director and general manager of Grayslake's Lake County Journal, Interactive vice president and Advertising vice president.
“With each assignment, Tom has demonstrated an ability to critically assess a given situation and to implement new strategies to move the company forward,” John Rung, Shaw Suburban Media's chief operating officer, said in a statement. “In Tom's new role, he will look to leverage the Chronicle's improved financial performance to take market share from our many competitors in the Tri-Cities and Kaneland."
Under Bricker, the Kane County Chronicle 13 months ago responded to the changing revenue, advertising and consumer patterns affecting the entire newspaper industry by switching to a tabloid-size format, no longer publishing on Sundays and Mondays (despite maintaining continuous Web presence) and focusing coverage more tightly on its home market of St. Charles and nearby communities.
Editor & Publisher last month reported that Shaw Suburban Media also will be reducing costs by outsourcing printing to Paddock Publications, publisher of the Daily Herald. The Kane County Chronicle, Daily Chronicle, Lake County Journal, Northwest Herald and other Shaw newspapers will roll off presses at Paddock's production facility in Schaumburg by the middle of next month, according to the trade publication.
Shaw and the SSM team will "continue our mission to make the Chronicle the clear market leader,” Rung said in the company's announcement Thursday.
The Kane County paper's Tuesday-through-Friday paid circulation for the six months ending in September averaged 11,241, according to publisher's report filed with the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Its Saturday weekend edition averaged 10,085 copies for the same period.