Publisher Leaving Ventura County Star

Ventura County Star President and Publisher John P. Wilcox is leaving the newspaper for a job as executive vice president and general manager of the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn.

Star Editor Timothy J. Gallagher, 43, will succeed Wilcox as president of the Star and will continue to work as the paper’s editor.

Both the Star and the Commercial Appeal are owned by E.W. Scripps Co., which runs 19 daily newspapers, nine television stations and other media enterprises.

The changes will officially take place Saturday.

Gallagher said one person working as both editor and president is rare in the newspaper business, but not unusual for Scripps, which has had staff members pulling the double duty since the early 1900s.

Before becoming the Star’s editor in January 1995, Gallagher worked as editor of the Albuquerque Tribune and managing editor of the El Paso Herald Post.

Wilcox, 50, has worked at Scripps for 19 years.