PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- (Business Wire)

The Providence Journal has its first female publisher in 185 years. Janet Hasson has been named President and Publisher of the The Providence Journal. Hasson has been serving as the President and Publisher of the Gannett-owned Journal News Media Group, located in White Plains NY, since June 2011.

“We’re excited to have Janet come aboard to lead The Providence Journal toward a bright, sustainable future,” said Bernie Szachara, Interim Publisher of The Providence Journal and Sr. Vice-President for Gatehouse Media. “She knows how to transform the business to meet changing customer needs and she recognizes the special role we play in the city of Providence and across the state of Rhode Island. I look forward to working with her and plan to stay connected to the newspaper and the community as GateHouse Media continues to build upon the great foundation we have established here.”

Ms. Hasson succeeds Mr. Szachara who guided the newspaper through the interim transition period tied to the recent acquisition by GateHouse Media and the retirement of Howard Sutton, who successfully led The Providence Journal as publisher from April 1999 until September 2014.

“We spoke with many fine candidates about this distinguished role, but Janet truly exemplified the experience, ability to accelerate our expansion, passion for community involvement and leadership that was irresistible,” said Kirk Davis, CEO of GateHouse Media. “We have a strong leader joining us, but so too does the Providence community, at large.”

As publisher for the Journal News Media Group, Hasson refreshed the company’s brand, grew online audiences, and developed a strong digital advertising business to complement their print advertising franchise in a highly competitive market. Previously she was the Sr. Vice President of Audience Development at the Detroit Media Partnership, publisher of the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.

Hasson started her newspaper career in 1984 working in various sales and marketing roles for her hometown newspaper, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). She is a graduate of Eastern Washington University and a four-time winner of the Gannett Company’s prestigious President’s Ring Award.

Janet is a former board member of United Way of Westchester and Putnam County, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Westchester County Association and ArtsWestchester.

Ms. Hasson said, “I am thrilled to join GateHouse Media and particularly honored to lead The Providence Journal. It will be my privilege to work with such an accomplished team to build on the rich heritage of this institution. I look forward to being a strong advocate for community journalism and serving local businesses with new and innovative marketing tools."

Ms. Hasson begins her duties March 16.

About Gatehouse Media LLC: GateHouse Media, a wholly-owned subsidiary of New Media Investment Group Inc. (NYSE:NEWM), operates a high quality, diversified portfolio of local media assets, and focuses on growing existing advertising and digital marketing businesses. GateHouse Media is one of the largest publishers of locally based print and online media in the United States as measured by the number of daily publications. GateHouse Media operates in over 415 markets across 31 states, and its portfolio of products, which include over 490 community publications, over 415 related websites, and six yellow page directories, serve more than 175,000 business advertising accounts and reach over 19 million people on a weekly basis.

Contacts:

Media Inquiries:
GateHouse Media
Bernie Szachara
Sr. Vice President
585-598-0030
or
Investor Inquiries:
New Media Investment Group
Investor Relations, 212-479-3160
ir@newmediainv.com

Source: The Providence Journal