Clausen named Mount Airy group publisher

Clausen named Mount Airy group publisher

Clausen named Mount Airy group publisher

Ron Clausen assumed the duties of group publisher in Mount Airy, effective Monday, Aug. 9, 2016.

In his new position, Clausen will supervise the daily operations of The Mount Airy News, as well as operations of The Elkin Tribune, The Pilot Mountain News, The Stokes News, The Jefferson Post, The Yadkin Ripple, and The Carroll News.

“Ron is a consummate professional with more than 40 years in the media business,” said Joe Pepe, vice president and regional director of the Civitas Media east region. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organization. His primary mission will be to foster great local journalism and help Mount Airy businesses grow.”

Clausen brings more than four decades of diverse newspaper experience to the post, having worked in circulation, advertising, multimedia and management. Most recently, he was the advertising sales manager for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a position he held for more than three years.

Prior to that, he was the publisher of The Public Opinion, a daily newspaper in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, for six years, after having been advertising director at that paper for six years.

“I am both excited and honored to have the opportunity to work with a dedicated team of people at our Mount Airy area properties and to continue providing news and information to the communities they serve,” he said.

“I also look forward to meeting and working with both the business community and our readers throughout northwest North Carolina.”

Clausen replaces Sandra Hurley, who was recently promoted to the position of senior vice president of sales and marketing for Civitas Media. She will be based in Davidson.

Clausen began his newspaper career in 1974 as a circulation district manager at the El Paso Times. He moved over to advertising in 1976 and progressed through the ranks culminating in advertising director positions in Ohio and Pennsylvania for Gannett Inc. He was promoted to publisher at the Chambersburg Public Opinion in 2006 for Media News Group and most recently worked in advertising at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Civitas Media employs more than 1,200 people across 12 states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Civitas publishes more than 100 publications for a combined weekly distribution of more 1.6 million copies.