The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) today named Mark Owings as president and publisher of The Bellingham Herald in Washington. His appointment is effective immediately.
A 12-year employee of The Bellingham Herald, Owings has been the newspaper's top finance executive since 2004 and has been instrumental in several initiatives to transform the newspaper’s business operations.
The publisher's job had been vacant since August 2009, when former Bellingham publisher Glen Nardi was named publisher of McClatchy's Sun Herald newspaper in Biloxi, Miss.
"We're delighted to find the next leader of The Bellingham Herald within McClatchy and within the Herald itself," said Gary Pruitt, McClatchy's chairman and chief executive officer. "Mark believes in the paper, its future and its place in the community."
Owings, 39, joined The Bellingham Herald in 1998 as a staff accountant. He was named assistant controller in 1999 and promoted to his current post, finance director, in 2004. He played a key role in restructuring the newspaper's business operations, including the conversion of financial systems when McClatchy acquired the paper in 2006, the sale and leaseback of the newspaper's downtown building and the outsourcing of printing to the nearby Skagit Publishing.
"Thanks to many of Mark's contributions, The Bellingham Herald has positioned itself well by shedding legacy costs while growing its digital business," said Bob Weil, McClatchy vice president, operations. "As someone who has lived most of his life in and around Bellingham, Mark is committed to maintaining a strong, vibrant Bellingham Herald that's able to produce quality journalism and serve the community to the fullest."
Owings was born in Portel, Brazil, moved to Woodland, Maine, at age 2 and then to Bellingham at age 13. He graduated from Bellingham's Western Washington University in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
"My family and I have called Whatcom County home for most of our lives," Owings said. "We love the community. I feel very lucky to live and work in a place where the people are passionate about so many things, including the daily newspaper.
"It's no secret that the last couple of years have not been easy, but our talented employees continue to come to work with a positive approach and an eagerness to create quality products each and every day," he said. "I’m honored to work alongside them."
Owings and his wife, Ireneé, have three children: Malcolm, 18, Alex, 13, and Catlyn, 12.
About McClatchy
The McClatchy Company is the third largest newspaper company in the United States, publishing 30 daily newspapers, 43 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 News & Observer (Raleigh).
McClatchy also owns a portfolio of premium digital assets, including 14.4% of CareerBuilder, the nation's largest online job site, 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 and 33.3% of HomeFinder, LLC which operates the real estate website HomeFinder.com. McClatchy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.
