Cache native is named president, CEO of NAC

A Utah native is taking over the reins of the Newspaper Agency Corp., the company that handles production, distribution and advertising for the Deseret Morning News and The Salt Lake Tribune.

Brent J. Low, a vice president at Gannett Co. Inc. and publisher and president of The Spectrum, a daily newspaper in St. George, on Wednesday was named president and chief executive officer of NAC.

Low, who will begin his new assignment May 15, replaces current NAC President Harry Whipple, who has been named president and CEO of the Denver Newspaper Agency, which manages the business and production operations of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post.

Low was born and raised in Smithfield, Cache County, and holds bachelor's and master's of business administration degrees from Utah State University. His past work experience includes senior analyst positions at American Airlines and General Motors Corp.

Low said the biggest challenge ahead for Utah's two largest newspapers is keeping the attention of an aging population while providing exciting content to younger readers in a format they want.

"One of many things that we do in St. George is to develop a portfolio of products to try to get into the minds, through readership, of everyone who lives there," Low said. "Younger people have their interests, and they're willing to submit time reading and learning about those interests through niche products."

Between 1990 and 2004, U.S. newspapers' daily circulation declined 12 percent, or 7.7 million copies, according to a March report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, part of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. During that same period, Sunday circulation fell 8 percent or 4.9 million copies.

The center estimates that overall newspaper circulation in 2005 will decline 3 percent, a sharply steeper decline than in earlier years. Newspaper circulation numbers for the six months ended March 31 are scheduled to be released next week by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

"This whole industry is under a lot of challenge," said Ellis Ivory, chairman of the Deseret Morning News board of directors and vice chairman of the NAC. "We know that we can improve greatly the efficiency and the economics of producing the paper."

While many U.S. newspapers are struggling, the Deseret Morning News and the Salt Lake Tribune are showing slight growth, according to Dean Singleton, chairman of the NAC and CEO of Denver-based MediaNews, which owns the Tribune.

"I would guess that no more than 25 percent of the newspapers in America will show any growth at all and we'll show some growth here," Singleton said. "More and more people are getting us on the Web and not buying us."

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E-mail: danderton@desnews.com