Express-Times Editor Joseph P. Owens leaving newspaper for general manager job at South Jersey Media Group

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

The Express-Times Editor Joseph P. Owens is leaving the Easton-based newspaper after 17 years to become interim general manager of South Jersey Media Group, overseeing three daily newspapers and their affiliated website.

Owens, who was promoted to editor in 2001, begins his new job immediately and will complete transition by the end of next week, Penn Jersey Advance President and The Express-Times Publisher Martin K. Till announced Friday.

Till said he plans to name a successor Monday from internal talent. He declined to speculate on candidates.

Owens said he recommended Managing Editor Jim Deegan, who has worked at the newspaper for most of the last 16 years.

“I’m confident that I’m walking away from a squared-away operation,” Owens said. “Jim Deegan is the best editor in two states (Pennsylvania and New Jersey) as far as I’m concerned.”

In his new role, Owens will oversee the South Jersey media company’s operations at the three daily newspapers in Salem, Bridgeton and Woodbury, plus a weekly in Washington Township, Gloucester County. The online affiliate is nj.com.

The three newspapers — The Gloucester County Times, The News of Cumberland County and Today’s Sunbeam — report combined circulation slightly less than 35,000, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Owens will work out of Woodbury, home of the Gloucester County Times.

The appointment of Owens occurred the same day Frank Gargano announced his retirement as publisher of South Jersey Media Group effective the end of March. Gargano, of Sicklerville, N.J., has worked at the media company for 36 years, the last 11 as publisher.

Till said he expects Owens’ role as interim general manager to evolve into publisher, as it did under Gargano. He described Owens as a natural choice for a job that demands adaptability to a changing media landscape.

martin till head shot.jpgExpress-Times File PhotoMartin K. Till
Till credited Owens with the growth of the newspaper’s website lehighvalleylive.com, which in January surpassed one million unique visitors for the first time.

“He is always questioning how we do things and the way we do things,” Till said. “Right now, in our industry, that’s a perfect match. It’s definitely not business as usual.”

The newspaper industry as a whole has downsized for more than a decade in response to shifting habits in news consumption. Many readers — and advertising dollars — have migrated online.

Growth in online revenue has generally not replaced declines in print revenue, resulting in slimmer staffed newsrooms. The Express-Times has reduced staff through two rounds of voluntary buyouts.

Till said Owens is well learned about business fundamentals, having served on the newspaper’s strategic management committee, a six-member body of department leaders who advise the direction of the company.

“He has been exposed to a lot of different situations,” Till said. “The tools he is going to need in South Jersey he has been developing here the past 10 years.”

Owens began his newspaper career as a copy boy at the now-defunct Bulletin in Philadelphia, his hometown newspaper. He spent 13 years as a reporter and editor at The Times Herald in Norristown, Pa. He joined The Express-Times as managing editor in 1995 and became editor six years later.

Owens said he was proud of the performance of Lehigh Valley Media Group, which oversees The Express-Times and its website lehighvalleylive.com. He cited rapid growth in Internet traffic since the website was unveiled in 2008, while the organization maintained heavy emphasis on local news for online and print editions.

“Pound for pound, Lehigh Valley Media Group has the best news organization anywhere. I know that for certain,” Owens said. “That's not a reflection of me. That's a reflection of the entire team.”

Owens, 49, of Upper Nazareth Township, plans to relocate later this year. He will continue to report to Till in his new post. Penn Jersey Advance is the parent organization of South Jersey Media Group.

“I’m going to miss the Lehigh Valley,” Owens said. “I’ve made a lot of friends and know a lot of people. That's not going to be easy to give up. I’m not taking it lightly."

Deegan, 44, said he is interested in pursuing the job of newspaper editor. Deegan was named managing editor in 2001, when Owens was appointed editor.

“I’d be honored to be the editor and lead the many fine journalists we have in this news organization, which I consider to be the best in the business,” said Deegan, of Palmer Township.

The Express-Times last year reported daily circulation of 41,874 and Sunday circulation of 51,974, covering Northampton, Lehigh, Warren and Hunterdon counties.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2012/02/express-times_editor_jospeh_p.html