Arkansas Publisher Weekly: August 8, 2019

Page 1

4 5

Brand takes helm of Delta Crossroads magazine

Guest Column: The stock market for ad ideas By John Foust

ARKANSAS

Ar k ansas

PRESS

Publisher Weekly

ASSOCIATION

Vol. 14 | No. 32 | Thursday, August 8, 2019

Serving Press and State Since 1873

Benner takes passion for newspapers, ad sales to Fort Smith as new publisher RJ Benner has gone from selling things in black-andwhite to selling things in black and white and that’s made all the difference.

Benner, the new publisher at the Times Record in Fort Smith, switched from the figurative to the literal black and white when he made the move from tech product seller to newspaper ad salesman in 2013. The move ignited his passion for newspapers, one that he’s carried from his native Oregon to Arkansas, where he oversees the Times Record as well as five GateHouse-owned weeklies and a monthly lifestyle magazine.

“There’s a rigid structure of sales outside the newspaper industry, everything you sell is black and white. You know, a couch is a couch, right?” Benner said in a telephone interview earlier this week. “With this, it’s like the ultimate sandbox. You can build packages with social media or digital. You are responsible for the ad copy or a slogan, and the joy of when that ad is printed and you get positive feedback from your client. There’s nothing more rewarding than that.”

Benner has been on the job in Fort Smith for about six Continued on Page 3

RJ Benner converses with Ashley Yeary, special projects coordinator at the Times Record

The De Queen Bee celebrates 48-year employee The De Queen Bee hosted a retirement reception last week for longtime employee Linda Russell, who is leaving after 48 years working at the newspaper. She was hired at The De Queen Bee at age 17 by then-publisher Ray Kimball right after she left high school in 1972. According to the newspaper, Russell’s first job was as a teletype operator. She’s also worked as a darkroom and photography technician, classified advertising salesperson, paginator and inserter. Most recently The Bee’s office manager, she also compiled the newspaper’s “News of Yesteryear”.

According to her staff profile on dequeenbee.com, she considers her time spent at the paper as both rewarding and meaningful, having made numerous friendships throughout the years. The newspaper’s leadership noted that “Linda has been a great asset to the company and will be greatly missed. “…(Linda) supported generations of news men and women who will forever appreciate your thoughtfulness, your competence, your dependability and your friendship. Linda Russell


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.