PERSONS

NewsInc, March 31, 2003

Executive suite: At the Associated Press in New York City, Tom Curley has been named president and chief executive officer. A longtime Gannett executive, Curley joined the company in 1972 on the city desk of upstate New York's Rochester Times-Union. He was one of the first employees assigned to a project that ultimately became USA Today and worked in every department of the national paper. In 1986 he was named USA Today's president and in 1991 he was named publisher. In addition to his USA Today duties, Curley has most recently served as senior vice president for administration of Gannett. Curley will replace Louis Boccardi, who has been with the AP for 36 years, running the worldwide news service for the last 18. Boccardi plans to retire May 30. ...

Publishers: At Nevada's Elko Daily Free Press, Jerry Pye has been named publisher. Most recently, Pye was publisher at Louisiana's Bastrop Daily Enterprise (both papers are owned by Liberty Group Publishing Inc. of Northbrook, Ill.). ...

Top executives: In Dubuque, Iowa, Mike Fortman has been named retail advertising manager of the Telegraph Herald. Previously he was associate executive director of Camp Courageous of Iowa, a non-profit in Monticello, Iowa. ... In New York City, the Wall Street Journal has named Scott Schulman senior vice president for sales and marketing. Most recently the president of Dow Jones Consumer Electronic Publishing Division, Schulman joined DJ in 1999, coming from the consulting firm Booz Allen. Schulman replaces Paul Atkinson, who is leaving to pursue the ever-familiar "other interests." Atkinson re-joined DJ last July after a three-year stint at AOL Time Warner; he had joined DJ originally in 1976. ... Replacing Schulman at the electronic publishing division is Todd Larson, who had been the division's vice president and general manager. In one of those eerie twists of fate, Larson also joined DJ in 1999 and also came from Booz Allen. ... At the Dallas Morning News, Harold Gaar and Jason Kays have been named advertising vice presidents. Gaar has been named vice president for retail display advertising and has a long history with the News -- including a stint as vice president of marketing -- and its affiliated Texas Cable News Channel, where he was head of sales. Kays has been named vice president of advertising marketing and most recently was a management consultant with McKinsey & Co. ...

Managing editors: At Iowa's Iowa City Press-Citizen, Jim Lewers has been named managing editor; previously Lewers was business editor for Kansas' Wichita Eagle and has worked at newspapers in South Carolina, Missouri, New Mexico and Indiana. ...In Columbia, S.C., Tonnya Kennedy has been named managing editor of The State. Previously Kennedy was deputy managing editor of The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. Earlier in her career Kennedy was an assistant managing editor at Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader and she held a variety of editorial positions at Tennessee's Nashville Banner, including managing editor. ... In Texas, Tom Embrey has been named managing editor of the McKinney Courier-Gazette; previously Embrey had been news editor of the Palestine Herald-Press. ...# >ET