Current Publishing announces the hiring of Bob Wallack as the company’s new general manager overseeing all aspects of Current Publishing’s eight weekly newspapers.
Wallack, a resident of Mount Vernon, has more than 30 years of experience in the newspaper industry as a publisher, editor and reporter. He will be based in the American Journal’s Westbrook offices.
“I am very happy and excited to have Bob working with us at Current Publishing,” said Publisher Lee Hews Casler. “I have worked with Bob in the past as a co-manager and I know that he is an exceptional newspaper professional. Bob brings experience, talent, and a love of community newspapering to the Current Publishing family. I am eager to work with Bob to grow our papers individually and as a group, and to streamline our operations. “
Wallack graduated from the University of Hartford in 1972 where he majored in English literature with a minor in photojournalism.
He began his career in 1973 as a reporter with the Athol Daily News based in Athol, Mass. Leaving the Athol Daily News in 1979, Wallack joined the staff of the Amesbury News in Amesbury, Mass., as the editor and associate publisher.
In 1989, Wallack moved on to serve as editor of the Derry News, a twice-weekly newspaper covering Derry, N.H. Leaving the Derry News in 1996, Wallack was the executive director of the New England Press Association for two years.
Coming to Maine in 1998, Wallack was the publisher and editor of the York County Coast Star, an award-winning weekly newspaper in Kennebunk. Wallack stayed with the York County Coast Star until 2000, when he left to become the publisher of Kirkland Newspapers, a Farmington-based company that publishes the Franklin Journal, a twice-weekly newspaper in Farmington; the Livermore Falls Advertiser, a weekly covering Livermore Falls, and the Penobscot Times, a weekly based in Old Town.
“I’m proud and excited to join in the mission of Current Publishing, dedicated to serving our communities by providing the best local news coverage for our readers and the best value for our advertisers,” Wallack said. “This is a dynamic, growing company with more than 100,000 weekly readers in the southern Maine region who turn to our newspapers for the news and information they want and need. I look forward to working with our talented staff of editors, reporters, designers and sales representatives to make sure we fulfill that need and live up to our mission.”
Current Publishing publishes eight weekly newspapers in York and Cumberland counties. Beyond the Current, which is based in Scarborough, there is the American Journal, Lakes Region Weekly, Waterboro Reporter, Sacopee Valley Citizen, the Sun Chronicle, the Weekly Observer and the Monument.
All of Current Publishing’s publications appear on the company’s Web site at www.keepmecurrent.com, which offers a wide array of local news and services for online subscribers.
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