William Dean Singleton, publisher of The Denver Post and chief executive of Denver-based ap Inc., was named Thursday by The Associated Press board of directors as AP’s next chairman.
He will succeed Burl Osborne, publisher emeritus of The Dallas Morning News, at AP’s annual meeting next May.
“I’m honored,” said Singleton, who has been an elected member of the AP board since 1999 and is now its vice chairman.
Privately held MediaNews owns The Denver Post and dozens of other daily newspapers nationwide.
AP is a not-for-profit cooperative of U.S. newspapers and broadcasters, serving 15,000 news outlets in more than 120 nations. Singleton, 54, said AP faces the same challenge the entire newspaper industry does: generating online revenue.
“The migration from print to online is having a major impact on the news industry, and it’s having the same effect on the AP,” Singleton said. “Both the industry and the AP are – and should be – pursuing strategies, including partnerships, that cement our position as the premier news providers.”
The announcement of Singleton’s appointment came following AP’s board meeting at its New York headquarters.
“The Associated Press is fortunate to have in Dean another independent leader passionate about the historic role of AP and its journalism as well as the opportunities for the media in the digital era,” Thomas Curley, AP president and chief executive, said in a statement.
The AP also voted not to increase the general assessment on basic services for AP newspaper and broadcast members for 2007. That marked the first year since 1971 the AP did not impose a rate increase for basic services.
