Sound Publishing Co.’s Kitsap newspapers have restructured to improve how the newspapers work together to better serve their communities.
Regional publisher Lori Maxim said the newspapers formerly worked independently, sometimes duplicating efforts and not readily identifying reporting and marketing opportunities of interest to multiple communities. She made these regional appointments to build teamwork within the group:
Donna Etchey has been promoted to regional advertising director. She was formerly the publisher of the Bainbridge Island Review and North Kitsap Herald. This new role for Etchey will utilize her skills in building business-development teams and advertising services throughout the county.
“Donna is a strong leader who is respected in the community and by her staff,” Maxim said. “She has a wealth of experience in helping advertisers grow their business by developing marketing plans and expanding their presence online and in print.”
Etchey joined Sound Publishing in 1996 at the North Kitsap Herald. She serves on the boards of the Poulsbo and Kingston Chambers of Commerce, the Downtown Bainbridge Island Association and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association. She is a member of the North Kitsap Rotary Club. She lives in Kingston with her husband, Jeff, and has three grown children.
Richard Walker, editor of the North Kitsap Herald, takes on the additional role of regional managing editor. He will oversee the development of the editorial team and content in all publications.
Walker worked as a reporter and editor for dailies and non-dailies in California, Utah, Alabama and Washington. He transferred to the Herald in 2011 from The Journal of the San Juan Islands, a Sound Publishing newspaper in Friday Harbor.
Previously, he was editor of a group of newspapers in Placer County, California. He is a U.S. Navy veteran. He and his wife, Molly, live in Poulsbo and enjoy exploring the Kitsap Peninsula.
Brian Judge is the new regional circulation manager. Judge joined Sound Publishing in 2010 as circulation manager of the Redmond Reporter, and he subsequently managed circulation for the Marysville Globe, Arlington Times, and most recently the Bellevue Reporter and Scene Magazine.
Judge grew up in the Seattle area and has a bachelor’s degree in media studies from The Evergreen State College. He earned an associate of arts degree from Cascadia College, where he worked as a photographer on the campus newspaper. He is a talented photographer who continues to take professional photos in his spare time.
Bryon Kempf, formerly a creative artist at the Central Kitsap Reporter, is now regional composing manager. He is a graduate of Northwest College of Art and has worked at Sound Publishing as a creative artist for 18 years.
Prior to that, he was a graphic designer with ADM publications for four years, ran his own freelance design business for seven years, and was a retail department manager for the Art Institute of Seattle. He lives in Poulsbo and enjoys spending his time with his wife and 5-year old daughter.
Jodi Blackmore, formerly office manager of the North Kitsap Herald, is now regional administrative manager. She joined Sound Publishing in 2004 as administrative assistant at the Central Kitsap Reporter.
She was promoted to office manager of the North Kitsap Herald and Kingston Community News in 2006. Prior to working for Sound, she was an office assistant at a dentist’s office and a retail manager, buyer and merchandiser at a clothing store.
Sound Publishing publishes newspapers, magazines and online news sites throughout Washington state. In Kitsap County, it publishes the Bainbridge Island Review, Bremerton Patriot, Central Kitsap Reporter, Kingston Community News, North Kitsap Herald, Port Orchard Independent and Veterans Life.
