Veteran publisher will oversee all Lee operations; succeeded in St.
Louis by Ray Farris
DAVENPORT, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 2, 2013--
Kevin D. Mowbray, vice president of publishing and publisher of the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, has been promoted to vice president and
chief operating officer of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE: LEE).
Kevin D. Mowbray, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lee Enterprises, Incorporated www.lee.net 05/02/2013 (Photo: Lee Enterprises)
Mary Junck, Lee chairman and chief executive officer, said Mowbray will
return to company headquarters in Davenport, where he will oversee all
of the company’s newspapers and digital operations in 22 states.
“This new position strengthens our leadership team as we continue to
drive revenue, build digital audiences and transform our business,”
Junck said. “Kevin brings ideal leadership skills and a tremendous
record of accomplishment. He has led significant improvements in St.
Louis while helping shape successful strategies across all 50 Lee
markets. He also brings an intimate knowledge of virtually all of the
communities we serve, having worked locally as a sales executive and
publisher, or closely with local leaders in his previous executive
roles.”
Junck also announced that Ray Farris, general manager of the Post-Dispatch
and vice president of sales for Lee St. Louis, will succeed Mowbray in
St. Louis as publisher. In addition to the Post-Dispatch,
operations include STLtoday.com, Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis
and STL Distribution LLC.
She said both appointments are effective immediately. Mowbray will
operate from St. Louis during a transition period.
Mowbray, 51, has been president and publisher of the Post-Dispatch
since 2006. As a Lee vice president of publishing, he has had recent
additional responsibility for 13 other markets in Arizona, California,
Illinois, New York, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Utah.
He began his career with Lee in 1986 as an advertising sales
representative in his hometown of Kewanee, Ill. He advanced to sales
positions in Helena, Butte and Billings, Montana, before moving to
Chicago as Lee’s national sales manager for corporate sales and
marketing. In 1995, he joined the Lincoln
Journal Star as advertising manager, where he served three years
before becoming general manager at the Missoulian
in Missoula, Montana, in 1998. In 2000, he advanced to publisher of The
Bismarck Tribune in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he guided the
newspaper to the 2001 Lee President's Award for Enterprise of the Year.
In 2002, he was appointed vice president for sales and marketing, and in
2004 he became a vice president for publishing, with responsibility for
markets in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and
South Carolina, while also serving as publisher of The
Times of Northwest Indiana. In 2005, Suburban Newspapers of
America honored The
Times as national Newspaper of the Year. In 2012, the Post-Dispatch
received Lee’s highest honor, Enterprise of the Year, for strong
financial performance and leadership in developing companywide sales and
audience initiatives.
Mowbray has been active in many civic and industry organizations. His
charitable and civic involvement includes serving on the board of
directors of Ladue Education Foundation, Regional Business Council, St.
Louis Regional Chamber, St. Louis Sports Commission, St. Louis Variety,
and Old Newsboys Day Children’s Charity. Among industry activities, he
serves on the Newspaper Association of America board of directors. He is
a journalism graduate of Western Illinois University. He and his wife,
Linda, have four children.
“St. Louis is an amazing place, and it’s going to be very hard to
leave,” Mowbray said. “I will treasure the many friendships I have
gained from working with so many wonderful people here at the Post-Dispatch
and throughout the Greater St. Louis community.”
He added: “I am fortunate to be succeeded by such a capable leader in
Ray Farris. Here in St. Louis and throughout his career, Ray has built a
reputation as an inspirational mentor while developing new products and
sales strategies at a rapid pace. His teams are known for their
initiative, innovation, teamwork and success.”
Farris, 57, joined the Post-Dispatch in 2006 as vice president of
classified advertising. He was promoted in 2009 to vice president of
advertising, and in 2010 to general manager and vice president of sales
for Lee St. Louis, responsible for all advertising sales and operations,
online sales and operations, niche publishing and the Suburban Journals
community newspaper publications.
Before joining Lee, he was vice president of classified advertising for
the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press. He began his
career as a proof reader at a small community newspaper in Southern
California before moving to the Los Angeles Times as an
automotive account executive in 1985, advancing to management positions
including classified advertising manager before leaving Los Angeles in
2000. He and his wife, Pam, reside in Kirkwood, Missouri. They have two
adult sons.
“I am honored by the opportunity to be a part of the rich heritage of
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,” he said. “It is a true privilege to
work with such a committed and outstanding team toward what I am certain
will be a bright future for our company and for our industry.”
Lee Enterprises is a leading provider of local news and information, and
a major platform for advertising, in its markets, with 46 daily
newspapers and a joint interest in four others, rapidly growing digital
products and nearly 300 specialty publications in 22 states. Lee's
newspapers have circulation of 1.2 million daily and 1.4 million Sunday,
reaching nearly four million readers in print alone. Lee's websites and
mobile and tablet products attracted 23.2 million unique visitors in
March 2013. Lee's markets include St. Louis, MO; Lincoln, NE; Madison,
WI; Davenport, IA; Billings, MT; Bloomington, IL; and Tucson, AZ. Lee
Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit lee.net.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130502006265/en/
Source: Lee Enterprises, Incorporated
Lee Enterprises
Dan Hayes, 563-383-2100
dan.hayes@lee.net
