Michael A. Anastasi, vice president and executive editor of the Los Angeles News Group, announced Monday that he is leaving the company to become vice president of news and executive editor for The Tennessean newspaper and Tennessee Media Network.
He will remain with LANG until Nov. 13. A successor for his position has yet to be named, LANG officials said.
“Mike’s decision to leave the Los Angeles News Group was not easy,” LANG President and Publisher Ron Hasse said. “But his choice made sense personally and professionally as he will be relocated with family in Nashville and will have the opportunity to present his solutions to another community that will benefit from his knowledge, wisdom and experience.”
In his role as executive editor for LANG’s nine daily newspapers and six weeklies, Anastasi has helped shape the organization’s expanding digital presence and social media outreach, which have served to engage readers in new and dynamic ways.
He praised the LANG organization in a memo sent out to employees late Monday.
“What I’ve found myself reflecting upon are the special and dedicated people who make up this organization, and the many and the amazing accomplishments of each of our newsrooms and each of you,” he wrote. “I remain convinced the need and desire for local journalism has never been stronger. Whether that’s local journalism in L.A., or Tennessee, or elsewhere, it’s the backbone of our country and of our democracy. It’s important to readers. It’s important to advertisers. It’s important to communities.”
Anastasi became LANG’s vice president and executive editor in August 2012. The organization’s nine dailies include the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Daily Breeze, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts.
Under his tenure, the Southern California news organization has boosted its digital readership, produced stories that changed the course of local communities, and won many awards and recognitions. The highlight of those efforts was achieved in April when Anastasi’s leadership helped a team of LANG reporters secure a Pulitzer Prize for local journalism.
LANG also won a 2015 National Headliner Award for investigative journalism, the Scripps Howard Award for community journalism and the Associated Press Media Editors First Amendment Award.
Anastasi previously served as managing editor of the Salt Lake City Tribune. Before taking that position in 2004, he was sports editor at the Los Angeles News Group and earlier worked as an editor and reporter in Northern California.
Source: dailynews.com