Editor Marty Kaiser to Leave Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2015 after Leading for Two Decades

George Stanley named next editor, will continue legacy of journalistic excellence

MILWAUKEE--()--Journal Communications, the parent company of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, today announced that Editor and Senior Vice President Marty Kaiser will leave the newspaper in February 2015.

Longtime Managing Editor and Vice President George Stanley will take over Kaiser’s responsibilities as the paper’s Editor and Senior Vice President.

Kaiser began his career working as a reporter and an editor for Florida newspapers in Sarasota and Clearwater. He moved on to editing positions at the Chicago Sun-Times and Baltimore Sun before he joined Journal Communications in 1994 as Managing Editor of the Milwaukee Journal prior its merger with the Milwaukee Sentinel. He was named Journal Sentinel Editor and Senior Vice President in 1997 and Vice President of Journal Communications in 2010.

For nearly two decades, Kaiser has worked to build the Journal Sentinel newsroom into one of the most respected in the United States, and has led the paper through its ongoing transformation into digital media. Under his leadership, the Journal Sentinel has won numerous awards – including three Pulitzer Prizes – and became known for its excellent in-depth investigative journalism, local news reporting and digital innovation.

Editor & Publisher magazine named Kaiser its Editor of the Year in 2009 – recognizing his ability to increase investigative and enterprise reporting while developing one of the most respected newsroom cultures in the nation. In 2011, the Milwaukee Press Club honored him with its Headliner Award for leadership in Wisconsin, only the second time a journalist has been selected in the 55-year history of the award.

“Marty has helped this newspaper move forward during the biggest changes in its history, from the merger of The Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel almost 20 years ago to the transition to digital newsgathering and electronic storytelling,” said Elizabeth Brenner, President and Publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “In the time since, the newspaper has been celebrated time and again for journalistic excellence and our newsroom team has grown further into the best in the business, serving our community with distinction and dedication.”

Having worked in leadership with Kaiser for nearly two decades, Stanley will continue to build on the newspaper’s legacy of journalistic achievement.

“George is the perfect fit to step in and continue the legacy of excellence we have established at the Journal Sentinel,” said Brenner. “He and Marty have been partnered together, leading our newsroom for 17 years. We expect even greater achievements in the years to come under George’s stewardship.”

Stanley became managing editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 1997 after serving as business editor of the Journal Sentinel, business editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel and a reporter for the Sentinel.

Stanley serves on the board of the American Society of News Editors and is a past board member of the Associated Press Managing Editors, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council.

Kaiser will remain in his current role to assist the Journal Sentinel through the proposed transaction between Journal Communications and The E.W. Scripps Company. As part of that transaction, the Journal Sentinel will merge with Scripps’ newspapers to form a new public company, headquartered in Milwaukee, called Journal Media Group. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2015.

“Marty will help this newspaper move ahead with yet another historic merger and become the lead publication in a new, national newspaper group headquartered here in Milwaukee,” said Steven J. Smith, Chairman and CEO of Journal Communications. “He will be leaving a newspaper that has not only won the highest national awards for journalistic excellence, but that has circulation boasting the best market penetration in the nation. The strength of this newspaper was built on the best local reporting, and we thank Marty for his leadership and commitment to outstanding journalism and service to the community. We expect that same style of leadership under George Stanley to move us forward in new and different ways.”

“All of us thank Marty for his dedication to our newspaper,” Brenner said. “The talent and caliber of our reporters and editors is a direct reflection of his high expectations and the example he sets for them to serve our readers and viewers better every day.”

“We expect the newsroom to feel Marty’s leadership for many years to come as George carries the strong legacies of journalism excellence, expert beat coverage, digital platforms and community impact forward.”

About Journal Communications

Journal Communications, Inc. (NYSE: JRN), headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a diversified media company with operations in television and radio broadcasting, publishing and digital media. Journal owns and operates or provides services to 14 television stations and 35 radio stations in 11 states. In addition, Journal publishes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which serves as the only major daily newspaper for the metro-Milwaukee area, and several community newspapers in Wisconsin. In support of its strong local broadcasting and publishing brands, Journal operates a growing portfolio of digital media assets, from websites to apps to mobile products, that allow viewers, listeners and readers to access Journal’s original content anytime and from any device. Learn more at www.journalcommunications.com.

Contacts

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Elizabeth Brenner
President and Publisher
414-224-2954
bbrenner@jrn.com

Contacts

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Elizabeth Brenner
President and Publisher
414-224-2954
bbrenner@jrn.com