People and Papers

Jay Wilson has been named controller for Landmark Community Newspaper Inc. effective Oct. 1.

Wilson assumed the day-to-day responsibilities for the Central Office Accounting Department. He is a CPA, having worked for PriceWaterhouseCooper for five years following his graduation from the University of Kentucky.

The Murray Ledger & Times has hired two in its editorial department and named a new sports editor.

Michael Dann, who has worked as a sports writer since 2003, was promoted recently to sports editor. Dann will cover Murray State University athletics and oversee the Ledger sports department.

Tommy Dillard was also recently hired as a sports writer. A KPA intern for the 2007 summer, Dillard is a senior at Murray State University and plans to graduate in May 2008. He will cover local high school athletics.

Holly Wise was hired as a staff writer. She is a graduate of Murray State who is currently pursuing her master's degree at MSU. She will cover local government, crime and Murray State.

Lori Yankey has been named marketing manager for The Advocate Messenger in Danville.

Yankey's responsibilities include developing and managing strategies for all Advocate publications.

Yankey has held several positions with The Advocate in her 22 years of service with the majority of her time being devoted to circulation.

Jan Witherspoon has been named general manager of the LaRue County Herald News in Hodgenville.

Witherspoon, a graduate of Western Kentucky University, has 20 years experience and was most recently the editor at the Portland (Tenn.) Leader.

She has also worked at papers in Bardstown and Florida.

Warren Wheat, editor of The News-Enterprise in Elizabethtown, along with Dan Modlin, news director of Western Kentucky University, explored the relationship between the media and the public in news, advertising and entertainment is part of a seven-part lecture series being held at Elizabethtown Community College focusing on "Media and Their Influence."

Wheat and Modlin were joined by ECTC instructors Joy Syring and Scott Woodman.

The final session will take place Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. on campus and will focus on gender issues and the media.

Paducah native Tina Forrest has joined the staff of Kentucky Publishing Inc. as a reporter.

A 2000 graduate of Paducah Tilghman, Forrest graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan University and was active in the university newspaper, the Panogram.

After graduation, Forrest worked for the Messenger-Inquirer in Owensboro as a freelance writer.

Joey Holt has been hired as the new circulation manager at Kentucky Publishing Inc.

Holt will take over two major routes for KPI, delivering the Advance Yeoman, The Fulton-Hickman Free Press and the Union City Volunteer.

He will oversee circulation for all of KPI's 14 newspapers.

The Daily News in Bowling Green has announced the hiring of two new editors.

Wes Swietek has been named news editor of the Daily News and Daniel Pike will assume the duties of sports editor.

Swietek, a Chicago native, previously served as editor at papers in Illinios, Georgia and Tennessee. For the past two years, he served as managing editor of the Herald-Citizen in Cookeville, Tenn.

Pike, a native of Glasgow, is a former sports editor for the Glasgow Daily Times and worked recently at the State Journal-Register in Springfield, Ill.

John Roark has been named sports editor of The Messenger in Madisonville.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Roark has worked in journalism for over 20 years.

A highlight in Roark's career was conducting a post-game interview with former San Diego Padres player Tony Gwynn after a game in St. Louis.

Courier-Journal editorial director David Hawpe recently discussed the future of the media during a speech at Lindsey Wilson College.

Hawpe presented “The state of the media” and spoke about the changing state of media and how newspapers such as The Courier-Journal continue to contribute to their communities.

Hawpe has been editorial director of the Courier-Journal for more than a decade.

Matt Francis has been promoted from city editor to executive editor at the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.

Francis, who came to the paper in 1998, had served as city editor sine 2005. He also served as editorial page editor from May 2001 to January 2005.

He succeeds Dan Heckel, who left in July.

Judy Wright is settling in as publisher of the Butler County Banner and Green River Republican.

Wright has been in her new position since May.

She became part of the Jobe Publishing Inc. team when the company purchased a competing paper in 2004.

She was then promoted to publisher of the eastern newspapers of the company including The Edmonton Herald News, The Metcalfe County Light and the Monroe County Citizen.

The Advocate-Messenger of Danville recently announced the promotion of Jerry Dunn to the position of advertising manager for both The Advocate and its sister paper, The Interior Journal of Stanford.

Dunn is an advertising sales veteran of more than 40 years at the Advocate and will be in charge of the everyday administration of the department.

Kristy Rainwater is the newest member of the Jessamine Journal's news staff.

Rainwater previously worked at Observer-Reporter Green in Pennsylvania, Hoof Print in New York and the Anderson News in Lawrenceburg.

Rainwater joined the Jessamine Journal staff on Aug. 28.

Brandon Cross has joined the sports department of the Commonwealth Journal in Somerset as staff writer.

Cross, a 2004 Pulaski County High School graduate, is currently the Maroons’ all-time leading basketball scorer with 1,938 points during his four-year varsity career.

As a Maroon, Cross lettered in basketball all four years and was an all-state selection his junior and senior years.

The Trimble Banner has launched a market and readership survey to measure shopping patterns and media habits of its community.

The survey will be conducted by Pulse Research.

Upon completing the survey, respondents will automatically be entered into a drawing for a grand prize or $3,000.

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