DAVENPORT, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 2015--
Lee Enterprises (NYSE: LEE), a leading provider of news, information and
advertising in 50 markets, has expanded the roles of two of its top
publishers to include companywide responsibilities for sales in key
categories.
Lincoln Journal Star publisher Ava Thomas has been named senior
sales executive for automotive and will provide leadership for driving
automotive advertising across Lee. Ray Farris, publisher of the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, will also serve as senior sales executive for
classified and will oversee classified sales, including employment and
real estate, for all Lee properties.
“These appointments will further sharpen our focus on advertising
revenue and operational excellence,” said Mary Junck, Lee president and
chief executive officer. “Ava and Ray are talented executives with vast
experience and proven success in these areas of classified sales.
Bringing their expertise to the corporate level is a great opportunity
for us as we look to drive results in these categories across all Lee
markets.
“We’re excited to have them in place as we kick off the first quarter of
our fiscal year and expect 2016 to be another year of strong free cash
flow and excellent operating margins for Lee.”
Thomas joined Lee Enterprises in 1995 and has held several leadership
positions at the Lincoln Journal Star, including online sales
manager, classified sales manager, classified advertising manager,
advertising director and general manager before being named publisher in
2014.
“While the car-buying process has changed dramatically in recent years,
the dealers’ need to reach local audiences remains the same, and Lee has
many new tools to help dealers connect with buyers in their markets,”
Thomas said. “I spent many years working directly with auto dealers
across the midwest, and I’m excited by the opportunity to bring my
experience to an already outstanding automotive sales team.”
Farris has been publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch since
2013. He joined the company in 2006 as vice president of classified
advertising. In 2009 he was promoted to vice president of advertising
and was appointed general manager in 2010. Prior to joining Lee, Farris
was vice president of classified advertising for the Detroit News
and Detroit Free Press.
“Our broad platform of print and digital classified products remains a
highly effective tool to help advertisers get their message to the local
community,” Farris said. “I am eager to begin working with the
management at our other properties to best position these products to
produce positive results for our advertisers and, in turn, strengthen
classified for Lee.”
ABOUT LEE
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 1.0 million daily and 1.4 million Sunday,
reaching more than three million readers in print alone. 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 www.lee.net.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151012006034/en/
Source: Lee Enterprises
Lee Enterprises
Charles Arms, 563-383-2100
Director of
Communications
IR@lee.net
