Derek Pyne, Sun Media's publisher of the year for 2005, has retired as publisher of the Sherwood Park-Strathcona County News in Alberta.
Pyne was with the News on and off since 1992, starting in sales. He was publisher of the Edson Leader from 1994 to 2007, when he returned to the News as publisher.
A lengthy News story says Pyne was at the helm when the weekly papers Strathcona County This Week and Sherwood Park News merged into a twice-weekly paper.
Pyne was a Nipawin, Saskatchewan, florist and hockey player before getting into the newspaper business and his approach to community news is credited for his success in print media.
"What I'll remember about Derek is the enthusiasm and joy he brought to the job every day," former colleague Tyler Waugh says in the story. "He loves community newspapers and his commitment and passion for the gig just had a way of rubbing off on those around him."
Sun Media says Stacey Proskiw, the News' first female publisher, is stepping in to fill Derek's shoes while retaining her job as the newspaper's sales manager.
Derek was my publisher at the Edson Leader from 2002-04, and I still consider him a friend to this day.
ReplyDeleteHe's a true community newspaper guy - he knows what kind of news is important in small towns and will allow his editorial department the space to properly tell these stories. I can only imagine how the penny-pinching and cutbacks of the past few years has cramped his style.
He taught me that a leader is someone who treats employees like real people (and the Christmas parties in Jasper didn't hurt either!). I was a 22-year-old Ontario kid straight out of college, and Derek showed a lot of balls hiring me to run his newsroom sight unseen, but he immediately made me feel like family, making my transition to the province, the paper and the community so much easier. I'll always appreciate the opportunity he gave me.
We weren't upset when we made a mistake because of what the community would think, we beat ourselves up because we let Derek down, and we held him in such high regard it pained us to disappoint him.
Derek is a great man, and I miss his stories and his social events to this day. Luckily, I bumped into him and Diane in Vegas last spring, so I got a much overdo fix!
Best of luck in retirement, Derek! No doubt you're retiring as the best boss many of us has ever had.
Absolutely agree with Dwight. Good man, great boss.
ReplyDeleteShari
I totally agree with both Dwight and Shari...Quebecor's loss. Nice to see that they promoted the ad manager who now gets to wear two hats..for probably the same money.
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