Hal Tanner III is named to SNPA executive board
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on June 8, 2008 1:11 PM
Hal Tanner III, general manager of the Goldsboro News-Argus, has been appointed to serve as the North Carolina director on the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Board of Directors.
He succeeds Steve Buckley, who resigned from the board following his retirement as publisher of the Times-News in Burlington.
Tanner's term will end at the 2009 convention. He then will be eligible for re-election to a full three-year term.
Tanner has been in the newspaper business for 22 years, the last eight as general manager of the News-Argus.
Prior to his return to Goldsboro, he was president and publisher of the Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home, Ark., for two years and held a variety of positions with the Greenville News-Piedmont in South Carolina.
After graduating from Wake Forest University, he moved to Greenville to join the newspaper’s management training program, which involves a succession of assignments throughout the newspaper’s various departments.
He was named vice president of the newspaper company in 1993. Among his other duties, he served as business manager and circulation director and, finally, assistant to the senior group president, which gave him responsibilities with seven newspapers owned by Gannett Corp.
He was promoted to president and publisher of the Baxter Bulletin in 1997.
In the meantime, he earned a master’s degree in business administration from Clemson University.
Tanner has served on the boards of many civic organizations throughout his career, including the United Way of Wayne County.
He is the son of News-Argus publisher Hal Tanner Jr. and Mrs. Linda Tanner.
He and his wife, Leigh Trevey Tanner of Salisbury, have four children: Georgia, 16; Hill, 14; and twins Margaret and Mary Craw-ford, both 11.
Tanner said he is honored to have been chosen to serve on the board at a time when newspapers all over the country are exploring their possibilities for the future.
“Combining the successful strategies used for our print products with the new Web-based opportunities enables newspapers around the country to continue to improve their positions as the primary source for local news, advertising and information in their communities,” he said. “The SNPA will play an increasingly important role in this transition as we work together to capitalize on these opportunities. I look forward to working with the many talented men and women of SNPA newspapers as we enter a very exciting and rewarding time for our industry."
The SNPA Board of Directors consists of one director from each of the 14 SNPA states and four at-large directors. The terms of the directors are staggered, with one-third of the board being elected every year at the SNPA Annual Convention.