Brenda Speth Becomes Publisher of Napa Valley Register
NAPA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 6, 2005--Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE:LEE), announced today that Brenda Speth has been appointed publisher of the Napa Valley Register.
Speth, a 21-year veteran of Lee newspapers, has been publisher of the Corvallis Gazette Times in Oregon since 2001. She succeeds Mario van Dongen.
Mike Gulledge, Lee vice president for publishing, made the announcement today at staff meetings in Napa.
"Brenda has a terrific record of success with Lee Enterprises," he said. "She has incredible insight into our business, is extremely customer driven and brings a warm, effective leadership style. With her contributions, I'm looking forward to even greater achievements by this outstanding newspaper in this exceptionally fine market."
Mary Junck, chairman and chief executive officer of Lee, said: "Lee Enterprises was fortunate to welcome the Napa Valley Register into our newspaper family with our recent acquisition of Pulitzer Inc. We've been impressed by both the accomplishments of the newspaper staff and the opportunities for further growth. We look to Brenda and the management team to provide strong leadership in making the Napa Valley Register and its other products and services even more vital to the region."
Speth began her newspaper career in 1984 as a sales consultant at Madison Newspapers Inc., which publishes the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times, and which is 50 percent owned by Lee. She advanced to advertising manager there in 1991, and in 1995 became retail advertising manager and later advertising director at the Rapid City Journal in South Dakota. She was promoted to publisher in Corvallis in 2001.
Among community activities, she serves as the current chair of the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce and also has served on the boards of the Downtown Corvallis Association and Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation. She also is a member of the Corvallis Rotary Club.
She is a journalism graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she was advertising manager of The Badger Herald student newspaper. She and her husband, Tom, have three children, Barbara and Gunnar at home, and Sam, a 2005 graduate of Corvallis High School and now enlisted in the United States Air Force.
"The Napa Valley Register and surrounding weekly newspapers in St. Helena, Calistoga and American Canyon exhibit the commitment of this enterprise to providing local news to the entire Napa Valley," Speth said. "I'm looking forward to building upon that foundation on behalf of our readers and advertisers."
The Napa Valley Register is among 14 daily newspapers that Lee gained June 3 in its acquisition of Pulitzer Inc. With the acquisition, Lee owns 52 daily newspapers and a joint interest in six others. Lee also operates associated online services and more than 300 weekly newspapers, shoppers and classified and specialty publications. Lee is based in Davenport, Iowa, and its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. More information about Lee Enterprises is available at www.lee.net.
CONTACT: Lee Enterprises, Davenport
Dan Hayes, 563-383-2163
Dan.Hayes@Lee.net
SOURCE: Lee Enterprises