Stephens Media Names New CEO

— Sherman Frederick, longtime publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, who also was chief executive offcer of Stephens Media LLC, stepped down from both positions Friday.

Michael Ferguson, the company’s chief operating off icer, was named CEO. Stephens Media is a 50 percent owner of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers.

Frederick will remain with Stephens Media in a consultant role and write a weekly column.

Stephens Media owner Warren Stephens announced Frederick’s new role and the other changes Friday.

“I am pleased that Sherm will remain with the company,” Stephens said Friday. “Sherm has had a long and distinguished journalism career. I am glad we willbe able to retain his writing talents for the newspaper.”

“It’s been a hard summer for me,” said Frederick, who underwent back-to-back prostate and heart-bypass surgeries. “I’m looking forward to a more measured pace for a while, as well as my new duties with the company.”

Ferguson said Friday he was honored to accept the new assignment.

“I look forward to continuing the Stephens Media tradition of producing quality newspapers that are essential to their readers and the communities they serve,” Ferguson said.

Stephens Media is a nationwide newspaper publisher with operations from Hawaii to North Carolina.

Bob Brown, the Review-Journal advertising director since 2001, was named the newspaper’s publisher, eft ective immediately.

Business, Pages 11 on 11/14/2010

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