Released: 03/05/2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) today named Susan D. Leath as president and publisher of the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa.

Leath has been the top advertising and marketing executive at the Centre Daily Times since joining the newspaper in July 2005 and has held a variety of advertising executive roles over her 20-year media career. She replaces Adrian Pratt, who is resigning to pursue other interests. The change is effective immediately.

"I want to thank Adrian for his very capable leadership and wish him all the best in his next endeavors," said Gary Pruitt, McClatchy's chairman and chief executive officer. "While we're sorry to see Adrian go, we're pleased to promote Susan to this important post. She's an energetic leader, a proven performer and a wonderful fit to guide the Centre Daily Times to a bright future."

Leath, 44, joined the Centre Daily Times from The Tuscaloosa News in Alabama, where she spent two years as advertising director. From 1997 to 2003, Leath was a sales manager at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida where she managed a variety of advertising categories, including automotive, travel, finance and insurance. In 1998, she was named the newspaper's National Sales Person of the Year and was among the paper's top sales performers from 1998 to 2002.

Leath previously held advertising positions at The Gainesville Sun in Florida and WCJB TV-20, the ABC affiliate in Gainesville. She began her sales career at the Ocala Star-Banner, also in Florida.

"State College is a young, vibrant, growing community, and Susan really has been at the forefront of developing new niche and digital products to serve the changing needs of advertisers," said Bob Weil, McClatchy vice president, operations. "Susan is passionate about the Centre Daily Times and understands the important role it plays in serving both readers and advertisers."

Leath was born in Conway, S.C., and raised in Oklahoma and Alabama. She holds a bachelor's degree in advertising from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She is married to Randall Leath and the couple have three children -- two daughters, Randi, 14, and Taylor, 12, and a son, Randall Jr., 9. Leath, who will continue to oversee the newspaper's advertising operations in her new role, said she was excited by the opportunities ahead.

"Despite economic challenges nationally, the Centre County region remains strong," she said. "We are home to Penn State University, have the lowest unemployment rate in the state, home values continue to grow, automotive sales are outpacing national trends and our local banks are solid.

"As for the future, it will be up to what we all do with this moment in history," she said. "As a change agent, I truly believe this is a great moment to lead. The Centre Daily Times has a talented group of dedicated professionals committed to proving quality news and information. We are innovators who are constantly seeking new ideas to better serve the community."

Pratt, 43, resigns after serving as publisher since January 2005. "The decision to leave was mine entirely," he said. "While I have a lot of irons in the fire, I want to take the next couple of months to take a deep breath and reconnect with the world around me."

Pratt said he and his family will relocate to the South. Pratt, a native of Scotland, attended the University of Georgia and began his journalism career as a reporter with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He worked several years for newspapers in Georgia and Florida.

"I have to say that the Centre Daily Times is one of the best newspapers of its size in the country," he said. "It has truly been a joy to work alongside so much talent and passion. I will miss the camaraderie and the professionalism. The community itself is remarkable and has been great for our family."

About McClatchy

The McClatchy Company is the third largest newspaper company in the United States, with 30 daily newspapers, approximately 50 non-dailies, and direct marketing and direct mail operations. McClatchy also operates leading local websites in each of its markets which extend its audience reach. The websites offer users comprehensive news and information, advertising, e-commerce and other services. Together with its newspapers and direct marketing products, these interactive operations make McClatchy the leading local media company in each of its premium high growth markets. McClatchy-owned newspapers include The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Kansas City Star, the Charlotte Observer, and The (Raleigh) News & Observer.

McClatchy also owns a portfolio of premium digital assets, including 14.4% of CareerBuilder, the nation's largest online job site, and 25.6% of Classified Ventures, a newspaper industry partnership that offers two of the nation's premier classified websites: the auto website, cars.com, and the rental site, apartments.com. McClatchy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.

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