Gloria Fletcher, president of Sound Publishing Inc., has taken a position as publisher of the Tulsa World and vice-president of the South Newspaper Group of Berkshire Hathaway Media Group.
Her last day with Sound Publishing will be Thursday. She will start work in Tulsa, Okla., on May 7 after she and her husband, Terry, relocate.
“We have loved our time in the Pacific Northwest so it’s not easy to leave, but at the same time, personally and professionally, this feels right,” Fletcher said.
A succession plan will be announced soon, Fletcher said.
Fletcher, a native of Oklahoma, now oversees the largest community news organization in Washington state, which has a group of 49 titles, including daily, weekly and free distribution purchases with a total circulation of 660,000. It is owned by Black Press, based in Victoria.
Sound Publishing is the parent company of Kitsap News Group.
“After a wondrous six years, Terry and I have decided it is time to return home,” Fletcher said.
“When I talked with Rick O’Connor, CEO of Black Press, a few weeks ago, I told him that this tremendous opportunity with BH Media is about the only job that would make me leave Sound.
“I have sincerely appreciated the opportunity to work with each of you. Sound Publishing is a great company, filled with gifted people who work well together caring for and growing our business. Thank you! Keep thinking and keep driving forward.”
Fletcher is a 33-year veteran of the newspaper industry. Her first publishing job was at her hometown newspaper, the Woodward News in Oklahoma.
A few years later, she became the publisher of the Enid News and Eagle. She spent many years with both CNHI and Gatehouse before joining Sound Publishing in 2012.
“We have tried to hire Gloria into our company in the past, but never could quite get that done,” said Terry J. Kroeger, president and chief executive officer of BH Media Group, in a prepared statement.
“The lure of returning to her home state made this an exceptional fit and allowed us to be successful in hiring her this time.”
Fletcher is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She and her husband have two adult sons.
