 |
| Steve Hemphill |
Steve Hemphill is sure there will be big changes during his tenure as sports editor. He just can’t say what those changes might be.
Hemphill, who has been assistant sports editor at the Roanoke (Va.) Times for the past five years, has been promoted to sports editor. He replaces Jeff Gilbert, who accepted a teaching position at Cedarville University in Ohio.
Hemphill says Gilbert did a great job as SE, and he just hopes to keep the ball rolling. But he understands that adjustments will need to be made.
"This business is changing so fast that it will be inevitable," he said. "You have to try and maintain as much of your circulation as you can while figuring out how new media is going to be both profitable to the company and useful to the readers.
"Figuring out how to adjust things to keep up with all that is just part of the job."
The Colorado State grad came to Virginia after working 10 years at the Longmont (Colo.) Daily Call, including the last three as sports editor. He began his career at the Star Herald in Scots Bluff, Neb.
"Working with Jeff and our ME Michael Stowe has been invaluable," Hemphill said. "One thing working with Jeff, he kept me very involved. I felt like it was a good partnership between the two of us. He valued my opinion. We’d have frank discussions about things. Working with him was always a good relationship."
The Roanoke Times has a daily circulation of 90,000. Hemphill’s first day as SE will be July 11.
OTHER MOVES
ATLANTIC COAST
■ Bristol Herald Courier: Assistant sports editor Brian T. Smith is entering the Milligan College Master’s of Education program. He still plans to work part-time at the paper.
SOUTHEAST
■ Orlando Sentinel: Tim Stephens is the new Sports Topic Manager (formerly the job known as AME/Sports), replacing APSE past president Lynn Hoppes, who left to join ESPN.com. George Diaz rejoined the department as a sports columnist after a stint on the newspaper’s editorial board. He replaced David Whitley, who left to join AOL.com.
Some other changes: Assistant sports editor Matt Humphrey has added duties of channel manager for college sports on OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays will manage a new recruiting channel. Reporter Andrea Adelson is the organization’s new college columnist. Reporter Shannon J. Owens also has added a column to her duties.
■ New Orleans Times-Picayune: Bill Bumgarner, a sportswriter with The Times-Picayune for 36 years, retired in May.
■ Miami Herald: Promoted Michael Katz to assistant sports editor/Sunday.
WEST
■ San Jose Mercury News: Bud Geracie, executive sports editor, has been named sports coordinator of the Bay Area News Group. He will oversee and coordinate all BANG sports coverage, working with his colleagues in the East Bay (notably the Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune) as well as in the South Bay. Bud will help fill the void created by Tom Barnidge’s appointment as metro columnist.
