StarNews publisher will also oversee Jacksonville newspaper

WILMINGTON, NC (NEWS RELEASE) — Bob Gruber, publisher of StarNews Media, will now also oversee the Jacksonville Daily News, JDNews.com and other publications produced by Jacksonville. The StarNews and the Daily News are both owned by Halifax Media Group.

The move is part of a continued realignment and expansion to better serve readers and advertisers in Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Columbus and Onslow counties.

Elliott Potter, publisher of the Daily News, will continue in that role and report directly to Gruber. As part of the restructuring, New Bern Publisher Vernon DeBolt will continue to oversee New Bern and Kinston.

The Daily News covers Jacksonville, Camp Lejeune, Onslow County and the surrounding areas and regularly includes content from the Sun Journal (New Bern), the Havelock News and the Free Press (Kinston).

Halifax purchased the StarNews from The New York Times Co. in January 2012; Halifax purchased other Eastern North Carolina newspapers – Jacksonville, New Bern, Kinston and Havelock – from Freedom Communications in June.

“This restructuring will allow us to better utilize the geographic proximity and resources of the two publications in an effort to improve our products and services,” said Gruber, who has been publisher of the StarNews since October 2005. “This should better position us as a group for news, business, military and sports coverage as well as provide more advertising opportunities for businesses throughout this region.”