Oklahoma native named publisher of Tulsa World

Gloria Fletcher

Gloria Fletcher, a native Oklahoman who was president of Sound Publishing Inc. in Everett, Wash., has been named president and publisher of the Tulsa World.

Terry Kroeger, chairman and CEO of the Tulsa World's parent company, BH Media Group, said: "We have tried to hire Gloria into our company in the past, but never could quite get that done," Kroeger said. "The lure of returning to her home state made this an exceptional fit and allowed us to be successful in hiring her this time."

Fletcher concurred. "I do have to say, though, the idea of returning to our home state and being closer to our family makes this move, well, ... simply exceptional," she said.

She also was named a vice president of BH Media Group. She will oversee the company's newspapers in Oklahoma, Texas and Alabama.

Fletcher replaces Tulsa World President and Publisher Bill Masterson Jr., who resigned. Masterson was named to the position in 2013, shortly after BH Media Group purchased the Tulsa World from the Robert E. Lorton family.

Fletcher joins the Tulsa World and BH Media after six years at the helm of Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in the state of Washington. She has overseen a group of 49 publications, including daily, weekly and free distribution papers with total circulation of 660,000.

Fletcher is a 33-year veteran of the newspaper industry, with her first publishing job at her hometown newspaper, the Woodward (Okla.) News. A few years later, she became publisher of the Enid News and Eagle. She also spent many years with media companies CNHI and GateHouse before joining Sound Publishing in 2012.

She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She and her husband, Terry Fletcher, have two adult sons. The Fletchers plan to relocate to Tulsa this summer.

Fletcher will be the second woman to hold the title of Tulsa World publisher. Maud Lorton succeeded her husband, Eugene Lorton, as publisher in 1949 and held the position for 10 years. Until his death, Eugene Lorton had held the position since 1917.

Attorney Byron Boone became publisher in 1959 and served until 1988, when Robert E. Lorton was named to the position.

In 2005, Robert E. Lorton named his son, Bobby Lorton, as publisher. Bobby Lorton held the position until the paper was sold to BH Media Group in 2013.

The Tulsa World was started in 1905.