Business News

Gannett names Howard Griffin vice president of national sales for U.S. Community Publishing

Wednesday 24. July 2013 - Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) announced Howard Griffin, president and publisher of The News Journal in Wilmington, DE, has been named vice president/national sales for U.S. Community Publishing (USCP). He will be part of the national sales leadership team and report directly to Mary Murcko, Gannett's president of sales. Ellen Leifeld, a 37-year veteran of Gannett and the publishing industry, will be the interim publisher of The News Journal while the search for a new executive is conducted.

“Howard has a proven track record of local and national sales success, having developed high-impact, multi-media opportunities for advertisers across the country,” said Murcko. “Howard’s day-to-day experience as a publisher, coupled with his demonstrated ability to grow sales through strategic and integrated customer solutions, will be invaluable in helping national sales showcase the unique selling opportunities across the USCP portfolio.”
Griffin was appointed president and publisher of The News Journal in 2010, where he has been responsible for building sales and competitive market share for the media organization. Prior to joining Gannett, Griffin was the vice president of national advertising for Philadelphia Media Network, Inc., the parent company of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com. Griffin has also held executive advertising and marketing positions with such media organizations as the Journal Register Company in Trenton, NJ; Hawaii Newspaper Agency (JOA); Chicago Sun-Times; and The Orange County (CA) Register.
Griffin has served as a member of dozens of professional, community service and industry organizations. He attended Wichita State University in Kansas and Victor Valley College in Victorville, CA. He received a MBA from Pepperdine University in California. Griffin will be based in New York City.