Larry Werner named Director of Community Publications at the Star Tribune

Minneapolis/St. Paul - (June 12, 2006) - Larry Werner has been named Director of Community Publications at the Star Tribune, a job he has been doing on an interim basis for the past six months.

In this role, Werner will be responsible for both the editorial and business-side functions for the Star Tribune’s community weeklies: North, South and West. He will work directly with the editors of the sections and the sales managers to ensure the success of this rapidly growing new group of products.

“Larry brings exceptional skill, passion and knowledge to our community publications,” said Mike LaBonia, senior vice president, Sales and Strategic Development. “He has an intense interest in suburban coverage and has lived in all three of the areas our weeklies currently serve. He is a recognized leader in the South area, where he currently lives.”

Werner joined the Star Tribune in November 1983 as Business Editor. In 1995, he was named Reader Involvement Editor, which involved directing newsroom listening programs and the Minnesota Citizens Forum, a public-journalism initiative in partnership with Twin Cities Public Television. Werner returned to the Business section in 2001 to cover suburban development issues before starting two columns – a small-business column and a Q&A called “Coffee with . . . .” In December 2005, he was named interim Director of Community Publications when Julie Wright was named Managing Editor of the Anchorage Daily News.

Before joining the Star Tribune, Werner was a reporter and editor with several newspapers, including the Dallas Times-Herald, the Buffalo Courier-Express, the Detroit Free Press and the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.

Werner and his family live in Lakeville.

About the Star Tribune

The Star Tribune Company, a news and information company serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, is owned by The McClatchy Company of Sacramento, Calif. (NYSE:MNI). The Star Tribune newspaper is one of the top 20 largest newspapers in the nation, with an average daily circulation of 379,713 and an average Sunday circulation of 666,683 (per Audit Bureau of Circulations audit for 52-weeks ending 03/27/05). The company’s website, www.StarTribune.com, is the most frequently used local news and information service for the Twin Cities market. The Star Tribune Foundation has been supporting Twin Cities’ communities since 1945 and currently distributes about $3 million annually. On the Net: The Star Tribune Company: www.startribunecompany.com/company/, and The McClatchy Company: www.mcclatchy.com.

Contact Ben Taylor
Phone: (612) 673-7457
Email: btaylor@startribune.com