360 West, whose sale was announced earlier this week to an Arkansas-based media group, has a new publisher: Gloria Fletcher, formerly president and publisher of the Tulsa World newspaper in Oklahoma.
Mitch Bettis, CEO and sole member in Five Legged Stool, LLC, which earlier this week announced it purchased the assets of 360 West owner Scott Publishing, confirmed Fletcher’s hiring, in responses to questions from Fort Worth Inc. Fletcher was president and publisher of the World for two years, and left the company in May. She previously was president of Sound Publishing, a community newspaper group based in Everett, Wash., and an executive at the Gatehouse Media group.
“She has a long and accomplished career in media, marketing and publishing, and we worked together previously so I know her values align well with Fort Worth and how our company treats employees, readers and advertisers,” said Bettis, also a former Gatehouse executive.
On Scott Publishing founder and CEO Jerry Scott:
“Jerry has made it clear he will be an ongoing resource for us and we look forward to working together on projects in the future. For the next six months, he'll be actively involved helping ensure a quality transition but we're looking at opportunities beyond that as well.”
On Editorial Director Meda Kessler, who has said in Facebook posts she expects to stay on for a year: “It's my desire that Meda is here for a long, long time. She's a unique and gifted soul, and I'm thrilled to be working with her.”
Why the interest in Fort Worth?
"We've been looking at Fort Worth as an opportunity for a long time. It's a dynamic, growing market, and 360 West and its premium magazine audience aligns very well with the audiences we serve in Arkansas.”
On whether he expects to broaden the focus of 360West and related products beyond their current lifestyle niche:
“Yes. We see a number of opportunities for growth.”