Barnes retiring as chairman of St. Petersburg Time

[BULLO12]

Tash named successor

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 31  Andrew Barnes, chairman and chief executive of the St. Petersburg Times for 15 years, will retire in May and turn his duties over to Paul Tash, the newspaper's editor and president, the paper reported Wednesday.

      Barnes officially steps down May 15 when he turns 65, the mandatory retirement age for Times Publishing Co. board members.  

      Tash will be the third Times chairman since the 1978 death of newspaper owner Nelson Poynter.

      ''I've never felt so secure as I do that Paul will be an excellent successor and meet whatever the new challenges are wonderfully,'' Barnes said.

      The Times won four Pulitzer Prizes under Barnes, who joined the newspaper in 1973. He became Times editor and president in 1984, then chairman and chief executive in 1988. He also worked at the Providence (R.I.) Journal and The Washington Post.

      Under Barnes' leadership, the newspaper rebuffed a takeover attempt led by Texas billionaire Robert Bass. The Times is owned by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a nonprofit school for journalists based in St. Petersburg, and newspaper profits support the school.

      Tash, 49, joined the Times in 1978 as a reporter and has been city editor, metropolitan editor, Washington bureau chief and executive editor of the Times, as well as editor and publisher of Florida Trend, a business magazine owned by the Times.

      He has been editor and president for the past four years, responsible for news and business operations.

      ''We've seen this time coming for several years, and now I can feel the responsibilities Andy has carried so well shifting to my shoulders,'' Tash said. ''The St. Pete Times is a special newspaper, and I am both honored and humbled by the confidence that I will be a good steward.''

      Barnes will continue as chairman of the Poynter Institute, which offers a variety of seminars on writing, ethics, broadcasting, photojournalism and leadership for journalists as well as programs for students and teachers.

Anyone know the new chairman Tash?

[Guest Dave Glaser]

I interviewed with Paul Tash when I was hired by the Times in 1994. I don't remember much about it, but I think he's a big fan of a college/alma mater, I'm sure - North Carolina? Kentucky? I don't know why, but I for some reason I'm thinking blue.

[smazza]

are we happy barnes is gone or sad?

glaser,did you get job?what happened at the interview?

what kind of reporter are you?

the board wants to know if you were hired.

[bulls96go]

maybe its greeen and gooold

so can we expect better usf coverage?