From AP, July 19-25

Champion, Cope named co-presidents of Liberty Group Publishing

Scott Champion and Randy Cope have been named co-presidents and co-chief operating officers of Liberty Group Publishing, a Northbrook, Ill.-based company that owns more than 300 publications and newspapers in 15 states.

They will replace Ken Serota, Liberty's chief executive officer since 1998. Serota, who stepped down after an investment firm bought the company, will remain with Liberty as a consultant for a year.

Cope and Champion were executive vice presidents of Liberty. Champion also was executive vice president of the Daily Review Atlas in Monmouth, Ill., while Cope was publisher at the Neosho (Mo.) Daily News.

Gene Hall, publisher of the Charles City (Iowa) Press, and Kelly Luvison, publisher of The Evening Tribune of Hornell, N.Y., have been named executive vice presidents of Liberty, Cope said.

The changes went into effect June 6, the same day New York-based Fortress Investment Group LLC announced its acquisition of Liberty. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Liberty specializes in publications with daily circulation of less than 20,000. The company owns more than 325 publications, including 66 dailies, across the country.

Fortress Investment Group, a global investment and asset management firm founded in 1998, has approximately $15 billion in equity capital under management.

On the Net:

http://www.liberty-group.com/

http://www.fortressinv.com/