Ledger-Enquirer’s advertising executive to oversee Macon as well

Ross McDuffie, vice president of advertising at the Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, will now have double the duties with a promotion that includes oversight of advertising at the Telegraph in Macon.

The move was announced Tuesday by Rodney Mahone, Georgia regional president and publisher, who also announced that Travis Knight, vice president and general manager of the Telegraph, had resigned effective Tuesday to pursue other opportunities.

Knight, who had been with the Telegraph for four years, was Macon’s advertising vice president before taking on the additional general manager role in early May following the departure of Don Bailey, the Telegraph’s president and publisher. At that time, Mahone, president and publisher of the Ledger-Enquirer, was promoted to his Georgia regional position, giving him oversight of both the Columbus and Macon operations.

The organizational changes come with the Georgia media companies, which are owned by Sacramento, Calif.-based McClatchy, continuing to transition from their one-time heavy focus on the print newspaper to around-the-clock news gathering. Digital and online advertising revenue is rising as print revenue declines, with readers and video audiences demanding content via their computers, tablets and smartphones. The latter format is growing rapidly.

Mahone, in a statement, praised McDuffie for his work during the transition, which includes ramping up a digital marketing and sales operation that includes a focus on the Atlanta market and Georgia as a whole. He noted the ad executive has grown digital-only ad revenue sharply, while also leading several company-wide sales initiatives that have benefited all McClatchy markets.

“Ross brings an impressive level of passion and expertise to driving digital marketing solutions to support our advertisers,” Mahone said. “He is a proven leader with a phenomenal list of accomplishments, and has been key in our efforts to accelerate the pace of our digital transition.”

A native of Columbus, McDuffie started as an advertising account executive at the Ledger-Enquirer in 2010, was promoted into a leadership role in 2012, then was named vice president of advertising in 2015. The Berry College graduate has been involved with Leadership Columbus, the Columbus Rotary, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra board, the Open Door Community House board, and the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals program.

McDuffie, in a statement, said he was “thrilled” with the opportunity he has been given to work with digital marketing professionals across Georgia “to accelerate the cadence” of McClatchy’s overall digital growth in the Southeast region.

“Our suite of digital marketing solutions, combined with our talented team and (return-on-investment) ROI-focused approach to campaigns, makes for a unique and powerful combination,” he said. “Our local presence in Columbus, Macon and Atlanta makes us one of the largest and most advanced digital marketing providers in the state, and with those teams now united under a shared vision, we're positioned well for further growth.”

This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Ledger-Enquirer’s advertising executive to oversee Macon as well."