Tolley to head The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette

Brian Tolley, executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., has been selected for the same position at The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, the newspapers announced Tuesday.

He will begin Sept. 29 and replace Fitz McAden, who retired Aug. 1 after a 42-year journalism career that included 19 years as leader of the Packet's newsroom.

Tolley, 52, brings 28 years of experience in publishing, including seven as an executive editor, according to his resume. He also has strong South Carolina ties. He was an assistant managing editor at The (Columbia) State newspaper from 1996 to 2004, and his wife, Pam, is a Columbia native.

"I think you've got a great team there," Tolley said in a phone interview Tuesday. "The papers play bigger than their (circulation) size. It has a strong journalistic background. ...

"And, of course, it's home. For a lot of reasons, it was a great fit for me and my family."

"We are fortunate to have Brian join us in the Lowcountry," said Sara Johnson Borton, president and publisher of the Packet, Gazette and State newspapers, which are owned by The McClatchy Co. "Among many other things, Brian brings to us a wealth of experience in watchdog journalism, community leadership and digital development initiatives. I believe he will be a good fit."

In an article Tuesday on The Clarion-Ledger's website announcing Tolley's departure, Mississippi Press Association executive director Layne Bruce credited him with helping rebuild the paper, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983 but had slumping revenue and circulation before his arrival in March 2012.

The newspaper is now fourth among the Gannett Co.'s 80 markets in digital-only subscribers and among the company's highest performers in mobile readership, according to Tolley.

In his first year at The Clarion-Ledger, Tolley's staff dominated Mississippi's press association awards with 19 first-place finishes.

"I think when you go to a new place, you want to observe a lot in the beginning," Tolley said.

However, he added that several ingredients for success are the same in any market: commitment to developing digital products, investigative and watchdog journalism, and forging strong community bonds.

"Do those three things, and we can build from there," Tolley said.

Before arriving in Jackson to become The Clarion-Ledger's executive editor and director of readership, he spent two years as executive editor of The Daily Advertiser and its sister paper, The Daily World, of Lafayette, La.

Tolley was executive editor of The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer from 2005 to 2008. He also made stops at the Palm Beach Post in West Palm Beach, Fla., and The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal.

Tolley has four adult children -- one of whom is a student at the Medical University of South Carolina -- and a daughter in high school.

This story was originally published September 2, 2014 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Tolley to head The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette."