Mark Russell named executive editor of The Commercial Appeal

Tom Charlier | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Mark Russell named executive editor of The Commercial Appeal Mark Russell, who has been serving as interim executive editor, was named the new Executive editor of The Commercial Appeal.

Major Garrett recalls how he and Mark Russell - college roommates embarking on careers in journalism - interviewed on the same day, almost back-to-back, for a coveted position with the Wall Street Journal.

Returning to their room after the on-campus interview at the University of Missouri, Garrett was confident of his chances while Russell was anything but. “I totally bombed that interview,” he told Garrett.

But when two letters arrived from the prestigious newspaper, it was Russell who landed the job while Garrett opened another of the 67 rejection notices he would collect. Instead of being content with his own success, however, “Mark never stopped being my advocate, never stopped cheering me on,” recalls Garrett, now 54 and chief White House correspondent for CBS.

On Wednesday, some 33 years later, it was Garrett’s turn to cheer as his good friend and former roommate was named executive editor of The Commercial Appeal.

Russell, also 54, has been serving as interim executive editor and head of opinion/engagement for the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee. He replaces former editor Louis Graham, who left last month to become executive director of content strategies at ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

A historic first

Russell becomes the first African-American to lead The Commercial Appeal – no small footnote for a 176-year-old newspaper that was long known for reflecting Old South attitudes toward race but now serves a city nearly 63 percent black.

A veteran newsroom leader, Russell came to The Commercial Appeal as managing editor in 2013, after serving as managing editor and executive editor of The Orlando (Florida) Sentinel. Under his leadership, the Sentinel was a Pulitzer finalist in 2013 for coverage of the hazing death of a band member of the Florida A&M University Marching 100.

Previously, Russell had held editing positions at The Boston Globe and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. He also had worked as a reporter at the Wall Street Journal and Plain Dealer.

Married for 30 years, Mark and Christina Russell have two grown children: Mark Jr., 27, and Alexandra, 23.

'Top-notch journalist'

“He’s a proven and extraordinary newsroom leader,” said Michael Anastasi, vice-president of news for the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee.

“He’s an editor who literally could work in any city in America, but there’s a reason he chose to be here - because he knows what The Commercial Appeal can be and what Memphis can be.”

The Commercial Appeal became part of the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee with Gannett’s purchase last year of Journal Media Group, the paper’s previous owner.

The Commercial Appeal through the ages A look at The Commercial Appeal through the years.

With his experience and background, Russell is uniquely positioned to guide the newspaper to serve "all of our community," Anastasi said. He noted that Russell, while in Orlando, directed the Sentinel's coverage of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, by a neighborhood watch volunteer who was later acquitted of murder charges. That case was something of a precursor to a spate of highly publicized police shootings of unarmed African-Americans that roiled communities across the nation, including Memphis.

Michael Jung, president of The Commercial Appeal, said he's excited about the promotion of Russell, who he said has demonstrated a strong sense of fairness and professionalism since arriving in Memphis.

"He is a top-notch journalist, highly engaged with the Memphis community and is the perfect person to lead our newsroom," Jung said.

Facing industry change

Russell takes over at a time when The Commercial Appeal and other newspapers face intensifying economic pressures caused by the collapse of print advertising and pressure from digital competitors.

Once among the most profitable major dailies in the nation, with more than 200 journalists working in Memphis as well as bureaus scattered across the Mid-South, the newspaper has seen its editorial staff dwindle to 40 as a result of layoffs and attrition. In April, Gannett moved the printing of the paper to presses in Jackson, Tennessee.

"The disruption facing all of us (in the newspaper industry) is profound...," Anastasi said. "But what we know is, there's a deep desire for news, a deep desire for understanding."

The Commercial Appeal is making significant progress in bolstering its digital product and expanding its online audience, Anastasi said. Since January, the paper's digital platforms have drawn an average of more than 1 million unique visitors, up significantly from the same time last year, and in May, web traffic increased more than 200 percent, year-over-year. The Commercial Appeal also just saw a record month for video, and is one of the company leaders in both desktop and mobile video performance

The challenge for newspapers is to reach audiences on digital platforms while still serving print readers, Anastasi said. "We've got to be a lot of things to a lot of people, at the same time."

Anastasi said Russell "is the right man at the right time."

Reach Tom Charlier at thomas.charlier@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-2572 and on Twitter at @thomasrcharlier.