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Frank Blethen

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Frank A. Blethen (born April 20, 1945)[1] is an American executive who is the publisher of The Seattle Times and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Seattle Times Company, based in Seattle, Washington, United States. He is a fourth-generation member of the Blethen family, which has owned the newspaper since 1896, and took over as publisher in 1985. He also served as publisher of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, a newspaper owned by the company, in the 1970’s.[2] During his tenure as publisher, the family's control of the newspaper declined, along with the profitability of the newspaper industry in general. The newspaper entered into a joint operating agreement with its rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer that lasted until that newspaper ceased printing in 2009.[3][4][5]

Frank A. Blethen
Born
Francis Alden Blethen Jr.

(1945-04-20) April 20, 1945 (age 79)
Seattle, Washington
NationalityAmerican
Alma materArizona State University
Harvard Business School
OccupationCEO of The Seattle Times Company
Years active1968–present
SpouseCharlene Blethen
ChildrenRyan Blethen
James Blethen

Early life and education

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Francis Alden Blethen Jr. was born in Seattle on April 20, 1945, the second of two children to Francis Alden Blethen and his third wife, Kathleen Mary Ryan.[6]: 43  He is a fourth-generation member of the Blethen family and the great-grandson of Times founder Alden J. Blethen.[4][7] His parents divorced in 1951, and Frank was taken to live in Scottsdale, Arizona,[8] with his mother and elder sister Diane.[6]: 83  Frank was the only member of the Blethen family to have been raised outside of Seattle.[9] He returned to Seattle in the summers and spent time with his aunts, uncles, and cousins, but rarely saw his father.[6]: 83  As a teenager, Blethen worked in the advertising department as a copy boy, but had no intention of working in the newspaper business.[6]: 82 [9] Blethen attended Arizona State University, majoring in business studies,[6]: 82  and later completed his master's degree at Harvard Business School in 1978.[9]

Blethen calls himself the "accidental publisher" because he had no intention of running the business until the 1980s. He has a tattoo of the Seattle eagle on the calf of his leg.[10][11]

Career

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Blethen returned to Seattle after the death of his estranged father in 1967, having completed his senior year at Arizona State University.[6]: 82  Blethen began his career at The Times as the assistant credit manager. When his boss took a leave of absence, Blethen advanced to credit manager. Blethen took a variety of jobs at the Seattle Times, such as building manager, where he negotiated janitorial and security contracts and oversaw the remodeling of the cafeteria, as well as other positions, before eventually leading the company. Blethen also spent four years working at the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin in Walla Walla, Washington, beginning in 1974.[10][9] He returned to the Seattle Times Company in 1980 and held various executive positions in advertising, circulation, marketing ,and labor.[12]

Blethen and his family are also the owners of the Yakima Herald-Republic, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, and several other Seattle-area weeklies, including the Issaquah Press.[13] He has been the publisher of the Times for over 30 years.[10] While the Seattle Times Company is controlled by the Blethens, Frank Blethen's grandfather sold part interest in the company to the Ridder Bros., known today as Knight Ridder.[14][15]

On May 13, 2024, Blethen announced that he would retire from his position as CEO and publisher of the Seattle Times in late 2025.[16]

Activism

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Blethen has donated significant amounts to educational institutions[17] and helped create the two-year Greater Good Campaign, a movement against the state legislature's defunding of higher public education. However, he has been criticized for campaigning against taxes that would fund public education.[18] In the publishing world he has won awards for significant long-term contributions to promoting diversity.[19] He has also been criticized for mixing business interests with content issues, which are traditionally separated at newspapers.[20]

Awards

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  • Edward R.Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievements in Journalism from WSU's School of Communications (1998).[17]
  • Asian American Journalist Associations' Special Recognition Award (2011)
  • Northwest Journalist of Color Diversity Award (2011)
  • AAJA Leadership in Diversity Award (2014)[21] and in 2018 the Seattle Times newsroom won the same award.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Fitzgerald, Mark (May 1, 2015). "Inland newspapers are prized by Pulitzer judges". Inland Press Association. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Who We Are - The Seattle Times".
  3. ^ "Blethen's Choice". www.seattlebusinessmag.com. Seattle Business Magazine. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  4. ^ a b "Business - Blethen Family Makes Visit To Roots, Reaffirms Commitment To Times - Seattle Times Newspaper". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com.
  5. ^ "Frank A. Blethen, Publisher & CEO, The Seattle Times, "The Seattle Times and America's News & Information Crisis — Time for a Local Bellevue Start‑Up?"". 16 August 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Hughes, John C. (2015). Pressing On: Two Family-Owned Newspapers in the 21st Century (PDF). Washington Secretary of State. ISBN 978-1-889320-36-6. OCLC 929028935. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  7. ^ "Frank Blethen - The Seattle Times - Publisher and Chief Executive Officer". Aspen Institute.
  8. ^ "Parents announce daughters' engagements". The Arizona Republic. May 27, 1970. p. 42. Retrieved March 4, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  9. ^ a b c d Hanna, Julia (March 1, 2014). "3-Minute Briefing: Frank Blethen (PMD 35, 1978)". Harvard Business School. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Reynolds, Ross (24 October 2018). "Frank Blethen, The Seattle Times' 'Accidental Publisher'".
  11. ^ Rose, Matthew; Callahan, Patricia (14 February 2001). "Blethen Fights to Keep the Seattle Times Family-Owned, Private and Independent". Wall Street Journal – via www.wsj.com.
  12. ^ "Frank A. Blethen: Executive Profile & Biography". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2018-05-19. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  13. ^ "Frank Blethen". www.familybusinessmagazine.com. Family Business Magazine.
  14. ^ "Business - Seattle Times Centennial -- The Blethen Legacy". The Seattle Times.
  15. ^ "How the Blethen family lost 49.5 percent of the Seattle Times Co". 21 May 2008.
  16. ^ Cornwell, Paige (May 13, 2024). "Seattle Times publisher and CEO Frank Blethen will step down in 2025". The Seattle Times. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "WSU Crimson Donors".
  18. ^ "Seattle Times Launches PR Campaign to Urge that Universities be Funded". Archived from the original on 2013-07-30.
  19. ^ "AAJA Leadership in Diversity Award". Archived from the original on 2018-05-19.
  20. ^ "Frank Blethen was Proposing Newspaper Promo Deal to Port While Paper was Port's Position Against SoDo Arena".
  21. ^ "Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen presented with Leadership in Diversity Award at AAJA Gala -". www.aajaseattle.org.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^ "Seattle Times newsroom wins AAJA Leadership in Diversity Award". Seattle Times.
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