MERIDIAN, Miss. – Terry Connor, an accomplished newspaper executive, will return as publisher of The Meridian Star effective immediately.
Connor brings a wealth of experience to Meridian having worked in the media industry for more than 35 years including as a group publisher for Alabama and Meridian from 2014 to 2019.
Beverly Joyce, regional executive for The Meridian Star’s parent company, Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., said she was excited to welcome Connor back to the Star.
“Terry Connor has a distinguished career, Joyce said. “A portion of that career was spent in Meridian, so I am so thrilled to have him bring his experience and quality journalism back to the community.”
A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Connor graduated from Auburn with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations-journalism. He began his newspaper career as a Sports Editor at Alabama’s Enterprise Ledger and later joined the Dothan Eagle in Dothan, Alabama, where he served as editor for 10 years.
Connor also spent time as publisher of the Jackson County Floridan in Marianna, Florida, in 1997, Americus Times-Recorder and Cordele Dispatch in Georgia in 1999 and of The Daily Citizen in Dalton, Georgia, in 2003.
In 2007, Connor was named Vice President and Division Manager of the Gulf Coast Group for CNHI, which included newspapers in Mississippi and Texas, and later took over as Vice President and Division Manager for the Great Plains Group in 2010. While with the Great Plains Group, he also served as the publisher of the Norman Transcript in Norman, Oklahoma.
Connor returned to Alabama in 2014 where he served as group publisher of Alabama newspapers The Cullman Times, The News Courier in Athens, North Jefferson News in Gardendale, St. Clair News-Aegis in Pell City and The Meridian Star in Mississippi.
“Because of my previous association with the Meridian Star, I understand its important role in the Meridian community,” Connor said. “We will build on the newspaper’s strong history of reporting and service to Meridian and the surrounding communities while serving today’s customers, both readers and advertisers, at the highest level.”
The winner of numerous local, state and national awards, including 2013 CNHI Newspaper and Website of the Year – CNHI’s highest honor – and the Alabama Press Association’s General Excellence Award in 2020, Connor is returning to Meridian from Dothan, Alabama, where he served as regional editor for papers in Alabama and Florida with Lee Enterprises, a leading community news organization.
“There is no substitute for the importance of a community newspaper in keeping residents informed,” he said. “As we continue to evolve in today’s changing communication and information landscape, producing outstanding publications and a website – meridianstar.com – that reflect the community will be a top priority.”
In addition to overseeing the newsroom, Connor is also an active member of the community having served on several community, civic and professional organizations and boards, including past president and chairman of the Alabama Press Association Board of Directors.
