New publisher comes to the Daily Bee

The Hagadone Corporation announced this week that veteran newspaper publisher Jim McKiernan would take the helm of the Bonner County Daily Bee, Bonner Ferry Herald and the Priest River Times.

McKiernan replaces publisher David Keyes who has left the company to pursue other opportunities.

McKiernan brings with him nearly 18 years of newspaper experience having owned his own publications as well as served as publisher and advertising director of several other publications. He and his wife Karen will be relocating to the area from Moses Lake, Wash. They have one daughter, Lynnae and one grandchild.

Brad Hagadone, president of Hagadone Com-munica-tions is excited about the experience that Jim brings to the three newspapers.

“Hav-ing worked with Jim in the past, we felt that he would be the perfect fit for this position. He is passionate about being involved in the communities he has lived in and comes with a great understanding of the newspaper’s role in the areas they serve. Jim is a great leader and comes with a strong marketing background. Having owned and operated his own newspapers in the past he understands what it takes to produce the complete multimedia newspaper product. We are looking forward to having Jim elevate this group of newspapers to the next level.”

In addition to his extensive experience in marketing, McKiernan is an award-winning photographer, having won the top honor among members of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association as well as numerous awards for his sports photography. He is also an avid boater, hunter and fisherman.

McKiernan’s publications were some of the first to create an online presence and he understands the need to provide multiple levels of marketing to capture the attention of busy readers.

“A newspaper is no longer just a newspaper, we have to become a media and marketing franchise. School and sports news, community information, visitor information and breaking news need to be constant, unbiased and complete,” added McKiernan.

“I absolutely love the Bonner County area. We spent many summers at Priest Lake when our daughter was younger and fell in love with the scenery and the people. It truly is one of the most beautiful places in the Northwest,” said McKiernan, adding, “I really want to help local businesses grow their market share and be the place people turn for news and community information.”

“I’m really looking forward to getting involved in the community and getting to know Bonner County residents.”