Philadelphia Media Network, Inc. Announces Several Key Editorial Appointments at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Philadelphia Inquirer Editor Stan Wischnowski named Philadelphia Daily News Editor Michael Days to serve as Managing Editor of The Inquirer effective Monday, January 31. Concurrently, Former Philadelphia Magazine Editor Larry Platt was announced as the new Editor of the Daily News.

"In his nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor in Philadelphia, Michael Days has established himself as one of the most respected journalists in the city and beyond," said Wischnowski. "Having worked closely with Michael on a variety of company-wide projects over the past few years, I've been very impressed with his collaborative management style as well as his aggressive approach to reporting. That combination will serve The Inquirer well going forward. Michael understands the need for our accelerated push into multimedia but also realizes that our future success starts and ends with great content above all else."

In announcing Larry Platt's appointment as Editor of the Daily News, Greg Osberg, Chief Executive Officer and Publisher of Philadelphia Media Network acknowledged Platt's diverse and extensive editorial experience, particularly as editor of Philadelphia Magazine for eight years. "Larry has a stellar track record as an Editor, recognizing the importance of print and digital integration, and being nominated twice for a national magazine award as editor of Philadelphia Magazine. He is extremely well suited to begin the transformation of the Daily News into a loud, irreverent and fun tabloid. I am pleased to have Larry joining our Network and excited about his plans for the Daily News," said Osberg.

Michael Days noted, "Larry's a solid journalist, a trend setter, a maverick, who, no doubt, will put his mark on the Daily News from day one."

Wischnowski announced several other key appointments at The Inquirer. Mike Leary, Inquirer Managing Editor since 2007, will serve in a new masthead position as Investigations Editor, managing the paper's award-winning investigative team. Sandy Clark, Inquirer Arts & Features Editor, will become Deputy Managing Editor for Features and Operations, overseeing nine feature sections, in addition to the news and copy desks. Avery Rome, Inquirer Assistant Managing Editor for Projects the past two years, will become Deputy Managing Editor for Writing and Projects, serving as the staff's writing coach and supervising a handful of news departments and projects.  Remaining on The Inquirer masthead are Tom McNamara, Deputy Managing Editor for Sundays, Business and Sports; and Gabe Escobar, Metropolitan Editor, overseeing the city, suburban, South New Jersey coverage as well as the paper's online breaking news team.

"I'm very much looking forward to working closely with Stan and The Inquirer leadership team," Days said. "Stan and I forged a friendship over the past two years as we have worked on many projects that have benefited both The Inquirer and Daily News. Along the way, we realized we shared a passion for journalistic excellence and the urgency of keeping our craft relevant in the digital age."

"I grew up reading the Daily News and I'm honored to become part of its inspirational tradition, and to be part of the Philadelphia Media Network of iconic brands," said Platt. "We're going to be the voice of all Philadelphians, we're going to take the issues that confront this city seriously, but not take ourselves too seriously, and we're going to speak truth to power. If you miss a day of the Daily News, you're going to feel like you missed out on what everybody's talking about."

"Our mission is to become the most successful regional media company in the United States. Today's editorial announcements put us in a more formidable position to achieve this goal," said Osberg.

Biographical Highlights on Inquirer and Daily News Appointments

Michael Days

• Days is a Philadelphia native, joining the Philadelphia Daily News 25 years ago and named the paper's editor in 2005. Previous to Editor, Days served in a number of supervisory positions, including those of managing editor and deputy managing editor.

• Under Days' leadership, the Daily News has won numerous national, state and local awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2010.

• Days graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a degree in philosophy. He earned a master's degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. He is a McCormick Fellow and a graduate of the Media Management Center's Advanced Executive Program at Northwestern University.

• Days serves on the national board of the Associated Press Managing Editors and is editor of APME's quarterly magazine. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and a former NABJ regional director.

• Days served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes and recently received the Lillian Award for outstanding service to journalism, from the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Larry Platt

• Platt is a Philadelphia native and was most recently Editorial Director of Metrocorp Publishing, a regional media company, where he was charged with implementing and integrating a print and digital strategy, inclusive of their flagship magazine titles, Philadelphia and Boston. Under Platt's leadership, Philadelphia received its first back-to-back nominations for the National Magazine Award in General Excellence.

• Platt is the author of three books, including the definitive and critically-acclaimed Allen Iverson biography, Only The Strong Survive: The Odyssey of Allen Iverson, released in 2002.

• Platt serves a regular panelist on Channel 6's Sunday morning public affairs show, Inside Story, where he engages and provides perspective on local issues. Platt has also appeared on Nightline, ESPN's Outside The Lines and HBO's Real Sports.

• Platt is a freelance magazine writer on sports, politics, business and media for many national publications including the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Men's Journal, and previously was a frequent op-ed contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.

Mike Leary

• In 2010, Leary helped direct several of the paper's most impactful investigative reporting projects, including the paper's Philadelphia criminal courts series, recently awarded the 2010 John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice Journalism. As Managing Editor, Leary helped elevate The Inquirer's quality of news coverage, particularly in the news sections.

Sandy Clark

• Clark began her career at The Inquirer as a copy editor in 1983, recruited from the University of Kansas by former Inquirer Pulitzer Prize winner Acel Moore. During Clark's time as Features Editor, she directed dozens of special sections, helped launch The Inquirer's first daily blog and many inaugural podcasts and videos appearing on Philly.com.

Avery Rome

• Under Rome's leadership, The Inquirer Magazine won over 200 awards for investigations, features, photography and design. Also, stories that Rome has edited at The Inquirer have won 35 awards. Rome served as the projects editor for three award-winning projects, including an eight-part series about the pursuit of cyberspace drug dealers; a four-part series about the struggle facing National Guard troops when they come home from Iraq; and a two-part series about a Philadelphia law firm seeking to pin blame for the damage and costs of 9/11.

About Philadelphia Media Network

Philadelphia Media Network, Inc. (PMN) is the owner of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com. With its multiple brand platforms and integrated print and digital products, PMN is the region's largest media network and the industry's technological leader and innovator.  The Philadelphia Media Network reaches an average weekly audience of 2.2 million adults – more than the combination of the three evening television news shows or the combination of those radio stations ranked in the top ten during drive-time programming.

SOURCE Philadelphia Media Network, Inc.