Community Newspapers, Inc., has promoted Todd Wilson to southeast regional publisher, a position that will oversee all of the company’s Florida newspaper holdings plus the newspaper in St. Marys, Georgia, CNI President Mark W. Major has announced.
The new Southeast Region includes the Lake City Reporter, the News Leader of Fernandina Beach, the Nassau County Record of Callahan and the Tribune & Georgian of St. Marys, Georgia. The four newspapers also produce more than 20 magazine titles.
Wilson, and the Southeast Regional headquarters, will be based in Lake City, Florida.
Wilson also was named the interim publisher of the News Leader in Fernandina Beach while a search is underway to hire a full-time publisher. Foy Maloy, a 50-year newspaperman who served as the regional publisher of the former Coastal Region for the past 30 years, retired on Jan. 10.
“Todd brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in community journalism to his new role as southeast regional publisher,” Major said during the announcement in Lake City. “As editor and regional publisher for the Lake City Reporter, Todd earned the trust and confidence of customers, readers and leaders in the Lake City community. We are excited about Todd’s expanded role and look forward to his continued commitment to journalistic integrity and dedication to our company’s mission that says, ‘strong newspapers build strong communities.’”
A Missouri native who moved to Florida 20 years ago to take a job with Community Newspapers, Wilson first was the editor of the Lake City Reporter for four years. He has served as Lake City regional publisher for the past 16 years.
“God has blessed me that from a young age I always knew what I wanted to do and that was be in the newspaper business,” Wilson said. “Community journalism is the best, most-exciting job in the world. I am honored and thankful to have this opportunity to lead this new region for CNI. We have a team of extremely talented and dedicated associates in place and we will continue to work diligently to improve our products with every issue.”
Currently, Wilson serves on the executive board as secretary/treasurer of the Florida Press Association. He is in his third term serving on that board. He also is one of FPA’s top legislative advocates serving as a voice for the industry among Florida’s state and nationally elected public officials.
A native of the small farming community of East Prairie, Missouri, Wilson started his career by working as a sports stringer covering high school sports for his hometown weekly newspaper when he was 15 years old. Now at age 56, his career has spanned 41 years and counting. He has had a full-time job in the newspaper business since 1989.
Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication-journalism from Southeast Missouri State University.
Besides working in his home state of Missouri, Wilson has held news and advertising sales positions at newspapers in Mississippi and Arkansas before moving to Florida.
