Par Ridder Named Star Tribune PublisherMinneapolis/St. Paul - (March 5, 2007) - Par Ridder today was named publisher and CEO of the Star Tribune by Chris Harte, chairman of The Star Tribune Company.
Ridder, 38, replaces J. Keith Moyer, who recently resigned after almost six years as Star Tribune publisher. Ridder has served as publisher and president of the St. Paul Pioneer Press for the past three years.
The announcement of Ridder’s appointment, which is effective immediately, came on the day that Avista Capital Partners officially took ownership of the Star Tribune from The McClatchy Company.
“Par is one of the most dynamic and talented publishers in the country,” Harte said. “He knows the Twin Cities market thoroughly and has a positive and enlightened perspective on our business and its potential. We are delighted he will be leading the Star Tribune.”
Ridder said: “The Star Tribune is among the largest and best newspapers in the country, and I look forward to this new professional challenge. I love the Twin Cities and its exciting media landscape. This is a highly sophisticated market where the community holds all media to the highest standards. There is no better place to be in the information business.”
Before coming to the Pioneer Press in 2004, Ridder was publisher of The Tribune in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where he won numerous awards for outstanding journalism and business performance. He started his career at The Washington Post in advertising sales and later moved to advertising and circulation roles at the Contra Costa Times and the Akron Beacon Journal.
He earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Washington and an MBA in general management from the University of Michigan.
Ridder is a member of the boards of directors of the Minnesota Business Partnership, the Capital City Partnership, the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. He also is chair of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s St. Paul Community Advisory Committee.
He and his wife, Sara, have three children, two daughters and a son.
About the Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is a news and information company serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. The Star Tribune newspaper is one of the top 20 largest newspapers in the nation, with an average daily circulation of 371,258 and an average Sunday circulation of 621,841 (per Audit Bureau of Circulations audit for 52-weeks ending 03/26/06). 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 is owned by Avista Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm with offices in New York and Houston.
Contact Ben Taylor
Phone: (612) 673-7457
Email: btaylor@startribune.com
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