Democrat-Gazette Raids Morning News Staff Again

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette continues to send signals that its owners have plans for a more elaborate publication in Northwest Arkansas.

Recently, the paper added a fourth person to its advertising staff with the hiring of Doug Wallace, an account executive for nearly 14 years at The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas. With sales approaching $1 million annually, Wallace was consistently the paper’s top producer.

Wallace reportedly gave two weeks’ notice on May 8 but, in accordance with The Morning News policy for its ad staff members who depart for new jobs at the Democrat-Gazette, he was terminated immediately. However, Wallace says the parting was amicable.

Coincidentally, Wallace began his newspaper career as a kid, throwing papers for what was then the afternoon Arkansas Democrat. A year and a half ago, the Democrat-Gazette beefed up its Northwest Arkansas staff by hiring four reporters and an ad salesman from the Morning News.

Gwen’s rule ends at Times,

takes job with Mangan Holcomb

Gwen Rule, who has been business editor at the Northwest Arkansas Times since January 1996, will leave in late May for a job as an account executive in Fayetteville for Mangan Holcomb & Partners, an advertising and public relations agency based in Little Rock.

“My co-workers at the Times have been like family to me,” says Rule, 25, originally of Stuttgart. “I care about everyone there. I really enjoyed reporting on the business community.”

While at the Times, Rule received the Society of Professional Journalists New Journalist of the Year award in 1996 and was named Media Advocate of the Year in 1997 by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Rule will continue to write a weekly column that runs on Mondays in the Stuttgart Daily Leader.

Rule will replace Sharon Tallach, who left the Fayetteville office to work for Mangan Holcomb in Little Rock.