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, Ga., CNI President Mark W. Major announced Monday.
The 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, Ga. The four newspapers also publish more than 20 magazine titles.
Wilson, and the Southeast Regional headquarters, will be based in Lake City.
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 a Regional Publisher for CNI for the past 30 years, retires in January.
“Todd brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in community journalism to his new role as Southeast Regional Publisher,” Major said during the announcement Monday 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.’ ”
Maloy, who dedicated his career life to many civic and non-profit groups in Fernandina Beach, Nassau County and the Coastal Region, also served as past president of the Florida Press Association. He said he and Wilson share the same beliefs about local newspapers leading in their communities. He said his Coastal Newspapers were in solid hands with Wilson at the helm.
"I am excited and proud to have Todd Wilson assume the role of Regional Publisher of the News-Leader, the Nassau County Record and the Tribune & Georgian,” Maloy said. “Todd is an extremely talented community journalist and community newspaper publisher with all of the skills necessary to continue the positive growth at all three newspapers."
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. “I love community journalism and the passion our readers have for their hometowns. 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.”
With CNI, he has led the Lake City Reporter to four President’s Awards, being honored for exceptional news and editorial coverage. Statewide under Wilson’s leadership, the Reporter also has been the recipient of the Florida Springs Champion Award, the Florida Special Olympics Media Organization of the Year and the Florida Department of Education’s Media Promotion of the Year Award winner.
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, Mo., 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.
Wilson led his Arkansas papers to four consecutive General Excellence Awards as the best paper in its division in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
During the course of his career, Wilson has earned 128 total Associated Press, Missouri Press Association and Arkansas Press Association writing, content and page-design awards.
At the age of 20, while a full-time college student and working full-time as a reporter, Wilson was the youngest person in Missouri history at that time to be named an Associated Press state champion in both deadline news reporting and deadline sports reporting in the same year among small daily newspapers while working at the Sikeston (Mo.) Standard-Democrat.
Wilson is a Baptist, a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, an Elks Lodge No. 893 member, past president of the Lake City-Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and has served on numerous community non-profit and community service boards.
“Community journalism is the best, most-exciting job in the world,” Wilson said. “The most interesting, most approachable people with the most unique stories always live in smaller communities. Our region is a vibrant and fascinating place and we have the privilege to tell the individual stories of the people and the obligation to assist our small business partners in a way no other industry can. We can help our business partners grow so our community, in turn, can move forward.
“Strong newspapers help build strong communities and we go to work every day believing this because it is true. We love our communities and being involved in them.”