AP via pennlive.com, Oct. 12

Journal Register CEO Jelenic, on medical leave, resigns

By DEBORAH YAO
The Associated Press

Newspaper publisher Journal Register Co. said Oct. 12 that its chairman and chief executive, who had been on medical leave since June, has resigned.

Robert M. Jelenic, 57, will step down effective Nov. 1. He will be replaced by James W. Hall, a director who became acting CEO shortly after Jelenic took a medical leave on June 8 for cancer treatment.

"My 32 years in the newspaper industry have been extremely gratifying and tremendously rewarding,"

Jelenic said in a statement. "In terms of my personal situation, I intend to continue to focus all of my energies on reaching a full recovery."

Judy Brenna, a company spokeswoman, said Jelenic is a "good guy. He's inspirational. He really loved this company."

Jelenic, who hails from Canada, had been the CEO of Journal Register since 1990. During his tenure, the Yardley-based publisher went public in 1997 and embarked on a series of acquisitions.

A decade ago, Journal Register owned 18 dailies and 118 nondaily publications. Currently, the company has 22 dailies and 346 non-daily publications in the Philadelphia region, Michigan, Connecticut, New York and Ohio.

Its dailies include the Delaware County Daily Times in Primos, the New Haven Register in New Haven, Conn. and The News-Herald in Southgate, Mich.

Recently the publisher has pared back on its publications. Earlier this year, the company sold two dailies and five non-dailies in Massachusetts as well as three dailies and its weekly newspaper group in Rhode Island.

The sales come amid a continuing downturn in newspaper revenues. Last month, the Journal Register said revenues for the four weeks ended Sept. 2 fell by 7.8 percent to $35.3 million.

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