CINCINNATI, Oct. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) today announced that Bill Barker has been named regional publisher and chief revenue officer of the Naples Daily News, effective Nov. 11.
Barker's move to Naples keeps him in Florida, where he has spent nearly a decade in leadership roles overseeing newspaper publications and media operations in the Tampa Bay area. Most recently, he served as president and publisher of the Tampa Media Group Inc., a holding company created in 2012 with publishing assets formerly owned by Media General. The private company operates The Tampa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Tribune, TBO.com and 16 other newspapers and digital products.
"Bill is a passionate leader who throughout his career has focused on building relationships with readers, advertisers and the community as a whole," said Tim Stautberg, senior vice president of Scripps newspapers. "He joins a strong team at the Naples Daily News that is committed to serving the community with engaging content and products and services that connect advertisers with current and prospective customers."
Barker arrived in Tampa in 2004 as vice president of operations and circulation for Media General's south region. His position was unique in that he was responsible for digital and broadcast television operations in addition to newspaper publishing.
In the 1990s, he worked his way up through the operational ranks at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and was named director of operations in 1996. During his tenure in Richmond, he was part of the team that oversaw the construction and launch of three new facilities as well as an organizational restructuring.
He has completed the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg School of Management and The Media Management Center at Northwestern University and earned a B.S. in Management and Marketing from Union University. He has served on numerous local boards, including the YMCA, American Heart Association and United Way.
Barker's professional accomplishments have earned him two high-profile awards: In 2009, Editor and Publisher recognized him as its Operations Senior Executive of the Year. In 2002, Presstime included Barker in its list of "20 under 40."
Barker succeeds Dave Neill, who resigned in August to become publisher of the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times and a regional president for Gannett's U.S. Community Publishing Group.
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (www.scripps.com) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, print and digital media brands. It owns 19 local television stations, daily newspapers in 13 markets across the United States, and an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses. Scripps also produces television programming, runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the long-time steward of one of the nation's most successful educational programs, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1879, Scripps is focused on the stories of tomorrow.
SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company