James Briggs promoted to Star Beacon general manager

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James Briggs has been promoted to general manager of the Star Beacon in Ashtabula, New York.

Briggs will retain his position as the newspaper’s advertising director, and was also named the advertising director of the Meadville Tribune, another paper owned by Star Beacon parent company CNHI.

Briggs started work as the Star Beacon’s advertising director in August 2019. He started in the industry as an advertising sales representative in Columbus, Ohio, in 1998.

“Since joining the Star Beacon team, James has shared his leadership and marketing prowess helping companies across our footprint grow their business,” Star Beacon Publisher Sharon Sorg said. “His new role will give him the opportunity to insure the Star Beacon is delivering what our readers and subscribers are looking for as well.”

Briggs has served as general manager for publications located in Columbus and Circleville.

A focus on relevant content and special sections has helped the newspaper reach its goals, Briggs said.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a wild card that newspapers across the country have been forced to deal with since 2020.

“The reality is the big anchors throughout the industry have been dramatically affected over the years, which has impacted the way the Star Beacon markets our business partners,” Briggs said.

Changes have also came in how the news is delivered.

“We still have the same audience, it’s just how that audience is divvied up now. It used to be all print. Now it’s a combination of digital, print and social media.”

Between 8,000 and 10,000 people visit the Star Beacon’s website every day, and that number grows to 15,000 on busy days, Briggs said.

The Star Beacon is a CNHI newspaper. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, CNHI is a leading provider of local news and information, offering a wide array of print and digital products in 22 states. For more information about CNHI, please visit www.cnhi.com.