Veteran newspaper executive Scott Koon is the new publisher of the Monticello Herald Journal.
Koon has a 41-year career in newspapers that includes lengthy publishing roles in Illinois, Iowa and Ohio.
“Scott is a professional in every sense of the word,” said Larry J. Perrotto, president and chief executive officer of Community Media Group, which owns the Herald Journal.
In addition to his role as Herald Journal publisher, Koon will also serve as group publisher of Kankakee Valley Publishing, which includes the Watseka Times Republic, Newton County Enterprise, and a number of other newspapers, free distribution weeklies, and TMC products in central Indiana and central Illinois. Koon will report to Perrotto.
“Our goal is to publish newspapers that local readers find essential to staying informed and that local advertisers find essential to meet their sales and marketing objectives,” Koon said.
Koon most recently served as publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in Ohio. Prior to that Koon was publisher of the Daily American and Southern Illinois Trader in West Frankfort, Ill., and regional manager for 18 southern Illinois properties owned by GateHouse Media.
For 18 years, Koon served as publisher of the Daily Ledger in Canton, Ill., and publisher of the Iowa Daily Freeman Journal in Webster City. During nine of those 18 years, Koon worked closely with Perrotto, who was at that time president and CEO of American Publishing Co.
Koon is a second-generation publisher. His father served as publisher of newspapers owned by Nutting Enterprises in West Virginia.
