Dennis Richardson, president and publisher of Magic Valley Publishing Co., Inc in Camden, was elected as director for Region 2. He previously served the board as an “at large” member.
Michael Fishman, publisher of the Citizen Tribune in Morristown, former Region 2 director, moved up to Treasurer.
Richardson got his feet wet in newspaper writing in sports for an award-winning newspaper, the Jay Journal, a publication of Joelton High School in Joelton.He then became sports editor of The Volette at the University of Tennessee at Martin. After graduation he became sports editor of the Paris Post-Intelligencer, a daily in Paris.
“I was about to get married in a month and the typesetting company I worked for in Nashville just closed its doors,” Richardson said. “Panicking, I went door-to-door to newspapers across west Tennessee looking for work. Bill Williams, then editor of the P-I called me at home and offered me the sports position. I accepted.”
From there Richardson moved on to the Carroll County News in Huntingdon as editor then to the editor’s position at the Weakley County Press in Martin. In 1980 he accepted a position with the Leaf-Chronicle in Clarksville. He and his wife Lisa, along with her parents Elton and Joan Hatley, bought the Carroll County News in Jan., 1983. Since then they have added newspapers in Camden, Alamo, Tiptonville, Waverly and Linden plus acquiring Family Classifieds, a 4-state regional shopper.
In 2008 the Richardsons added two radio stations in Camden: WRJB-FM 95.9 and WFWL-AM 1220 and FM 99.7.
He is a past president of the Camden Rotary Club and serves as president of the board of directors for Carey Counseling Centers with offices across northwest Tennessee.
The Richardsons have three sons: Mark, Matthew and Daniel and 1 daughter, Gerilyn. Matthew and Daniel are both integral in their work in the family newspaper operation as regional manager and publisher.
“We believe in the future of family-owned newspaper operations,” Richardson said.
Region 2 of the NNA includes Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and D.C..
He also serves as a director on the Tennessee Press Association Foundation and as a deacon with the church of Christ in Camden.
