Rick Thomason named Times-News publisher; Justin Wilcox NETmg president

Rick Thomason

Justin Wilcox

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Keith Wilson, long serving publisher of the Kingsport Times-News and president of SNG's Northeast Tennessee Marketing Group (NETmg), will be retiring at the end of this year. Rick Thomason will succeed Wilson and also serve as senior vice president/content for the five Tri Cities area SNG newspapers. He will begin transition work full time on Dec. 12 in Kingsport.

After more than 30 years with the newspaper, 23 of those as publisher, Wilson will remain engaged in the community and company as publisher emeritus of the Times-News. 

Justin Wilcox, publisher of the Johnson City Press, has accepted the position of NETmg group president, succeeding Wilson in this role.  In addition to the two daily newspapers, NETmg includes the Herald & Tribune in Jonesborough, The Tomahawk in Mountain City, The Erwin Record and also NET360, the company's digitally-focused ad agency.  Wilcox's leadership as senior vice president/sales has been instrumental in the company's ongoing success at growing locally-controlled revenues in all of the newspapers. He will continue to provide that same management in his expanded role.

Thomason joins the company from Lumberton, N.C., where he recently had to restore his operations and production facility after the devastating flooding tied to Hurricane Matthew.  An accomplished publisher, his background is strong in news development including running his own consulting business to help train newsroom talent. In addition to his professional experience, he has done advanced studies at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.