Thursday March 21, 2013

NEW YORK CITY -- Digital First Media announced today the hiring of Kevin Corrado as president and publisher of New England Newspapers Inc. and the appointment of Edward Woods as regional vice president of sales for NENI.

Corrado will lead all NENI operations including The Berkshire Eagle in Berkshire County, Mass.; The North Adams Transcript in North Adams, Mass.; The Bennington Banner in Bennington, Vt.; The Brattleboro Reformer in Brattleboro, Vt.; The Manchester Journal in Manchester, Vt.; and The Advocate in Williamstown, Mass.

Woods will lead all sales efforts on all platforms for the group.

"Kevin brings a wealth of experience and innovative thinking to the organization. He will be

leading our digital transformation across the New England group and he has a strong and able team in place to help make this happen," said Tom Wiley, executive vice president for Digital First Media. "The promotion of Ed gives Kevin a key partner in implementing our audience-based selling strategies across the region. Together they will drive the performance of the NENI group."

Corrado joins NENI after most recently serving as president and publisher for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter and Bay Publications -- a position he has held since 2007 with Gannett Co. Inc. Corrado's career with Gannett began in 1985 as a computer operator for Gannett/USA Today in Chandler, Ariz. He moved up within the company before becoming IT director for the Green Bay Press-Gazette and then IT director for Gannett's Wisconsin Group in 2000 and then vice president of IT in 2003. In 2005 Mr. Corrado was named Vice President of Operations for the Wisconsin Group prior to being named president and publisher.

"I am thrilled to join the Digital First Media team and to lead the New England operation. I share the commitment of delivering quality news and information to our readers, our advertisers and our communities and I look forward to getting to know these communities more and learning how we can continue to meet the needs and expectations of those we serve," said Corrado.

During Corrado's time in Green Bay he has served on three boards; as executive board member of the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce, an executive member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and a member of the United Way board.

Corrado and his wife Angela have two adult children. Their sonAlex is a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and their daughter Kasey is graduating from St. Norbert College in May.

Corrado replaces Andy Mick who announced his retirement in January.

Woods currently serves as publisher of the Vermont group including The Bennington Banner, The Brattleboro Reformer and The Manchester Journal. He will retain those responsibilities in addition to his role as regional vice president of sales for NENI.

"Our ability to reach audiences on a local level across our marketshas always been key to our growth. I am confident that with Kevin's hiring, and through the direction of the Digital First Media leadership team, we will continue to see significant growth," said Woods. "I am excited at the opportunity to expand my role in the digital transformation at New England Newspapers while continuing my work as publisher here in Southern Vermont."

Woods joined MediaNews Group in 2005 as publisher of The Bennington Banner and The Manchester Journal. The expansion of that role came in 2008 when The Brattleboro Reformer and affiliated publications were also placed under him.

Prior to joining MediaNews Group, Woods held various advertising leadership positions with Gannett and Journal Register Company. He studied Business and Marketing at Western Connecticut State University and completed Assessment of Prior Learning at the Community College of Vermont.

Woods serves on the board of directors for the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bennington Economic Development Task Force. Woods and his wife Elizabeth live in Bennington, Vt. where they are raising their two children.

Digital First Media is headquartered in New York City, and jointly manages MediaNews Group and Journal Register Company. Digital First Media reaches 61.5 million Americans each month through more than 800 multi-platform products across 18 states.