Nat Lea is named president of paper
Took publication from loss to profit
Nat Lea has been promoted to president of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc., Walter Hussman, publisher of the Democrat-Gazette and president of WEHCO Media, Inc., announced Friday.
Lea, 46, had been vice president and general manager of the DemocratGazette since 2010. He has authority over the company’s Little Rock-based editions, which circulate in 63 counties.
“Nat has done an outstanding job as vice president and general manager,” Hussman said. “Especially over the past year, when he has taken the Democrat-Gazette from a situation where we had an operating loss to where we now have an operating profit. He has managed it very well in a very challenging environment.”
Lea has been running the newspaper for almost four years “and we felt like it was time he had the title to go along with the responsibility that he’s had,” said Paul Smith, president of WEHCO Newspapers.
There have been only three presidents of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. since 1974, Hussman, Smith and now Lea, Hussman said.
“I really appreciate this vote of confidence from both Walter and Paul,” Lea said. “I
think it’s a reflection of the good work that all our employees do.”
Lea began work with WEHCO Video in 2002. After about a year, he became general manager of WEHCO’s Pine Bluff cable operation. Then he was general manager of the El Dorado News-Times for two years. In December 2006, he became general manager of The Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs.
The shift in the DemocratGazette’s business model now places more emphasis on revenue from subscriptions and single-copy sales, Lea said.
That means “we have to give our readers something they can’t find anywhere else,” he said.
“If we can remain focused on that, I’m absolutely confident we can find the revenues to support that mission,” Lea said.