Bill Church named senior vice president news for GateHouse Media

Bill Church

GateHouse Media LLC has announced that Bill Church, a nationally-regarded newsroom executive, has been named senior vice president for news.

Most recently, Church served as executive editor of the award-winning Sarasota Herald-Tribune where he has elevated the quality of both print and digital editions of the newspaper. In recognition of his talent and contributions, Church was given the additional responsibility of Southeast regional editor for GateHouse Media in June 2015.

"Bill has thoughtfully balanced the preservation of our traditional mission and values while fostering a culture of entrepreneurial journalism at newspapers large and small," said Kirk Davis, CEO of GateHouse Media. "Digital storytelling, creative content partnerships and community engagement are all found in his toolbox."

Church will guide the company's news strategy and lead its Austin, Texas-based Center for News and Design, which provides editing and design services for more than 216 GateHouse newspapers. In addition, the Center is headquarters for the company's digital products team and More Content Now, its niche content creation service.  In his new role, Church will ensure that the work and creativity at the Center serve as a companion to the company's local market journalism. 

"I'm humbled by the opportunity to serve as an advocate for GateHouse Media's news employees," Church said.  "I look forward to partnering with our news leaders as we evolve our journalism and our news organization."

Church joined the Herald-Tribune in January 2013, after spending almost 23 years in editorial positions at Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, New York and Oregon. This included six-plus years as executive editor of the Statesman Journal in Salem, Ore., prior to coming to Sarasota. Both the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Salem Statesman Journal won numerous national awards during his tenure.  This year, a collaboration between the Herald-Tribune and Tampa Bay Times earned a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. In 2015, the Herald-Tribune was named to Editor and Publisher's list of 10 Newspapers That Do It Right.

Church is the current president of Associated Press Media Editors, a 2016 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard and a two-time Pulitzer jurist.  He has been a longtime member of the Asian American Journalists Association and received the national Robert G. McGruder Diversity Leadership award in 2010. Church was named a McCormick Fellow in 2006.