LAKEPORT — Richard “Rick” Kennedy, a 16-year veteran in community newspapers, has been named as Managing Editor of the Lake County Record-Bee.
Kennedy, 42, comes to Lakeport and returns to community journalism from McKinleyville, where he was an accountant for two years. In 2005, Kennedy was publisher of the Blackfoot Morning News in Idaho, and in 2003, he was publisher of the twice-weekly Hermiston Herald.
While working as the city beat reporter at the Bastrop Daily Enterprise, Kennedy won the Louisiana Press Association”s first-place award for Best News Story in 1997 for coverage of a lumber mill explosion. In Idaho, he was named a finalist for the 2004 Business Person of the Year by the State Journal in recognition of his editorials and commentaries about economic development in Southeastern Idaho.
“It is my privilege to join the management team and staff of the Record-Bee, and I look forward to leading the editorial department, engaging the readers, and enhancing community journalism in Lake County. Otherwise, I”ve long believed that smaller communities like Lake County are great places to live and work,” Kennedy said.
“We”re extremely fortunate to have someone with Rick”s depth and breadth of experience in community newspapers join our team,” Record-Bee Publisher Gregg McConnell, said in announcing Kennedy”s appointment. “He understands the role of community journalism and will be an asset to the community as well as the newspaper.”
Prior to working in Oregon, Kennedy was editor and publisher of the Yazoo Herald in Yazoo City, Mississippi for three years, and he served in several capacities in four years at the Bastrop Daily Enterprise in Louisiana.
“I feel we have an excellent opportunity to strengthen an already improving newspaper. There is an interesting mix of talented and experienced folks as well as promising newcomers, which is a great nucleus for us to move forward in providing value to the reader,” Kennedy said.
“I share Gregg”s vision and enthusiasm for strong local news coverage in the greater Lake County region. People want to see hometown faces, relevant stories and progressive commentary in the local newspaper, and we will seek to increase reader participation and interaction with the both the print and online editions,” he said.
“We”re excited about some of the ideas that he is bringing to the Record-Bee,” said McConnell.
During his tenure in Hermiston, the Herald”s staff was awarded a pair of first-place citations from the Oregon Newspaper Publisher”s Association (ONPA), including Best Special Section. Kennedy expanded the 98-year old weekly Herald into a twice-weekly newspaper in 2002.
Kennedy”s path in community journalism started in 1989 as sports editor of West Monroe”s Ouachita Citizen, then the largest circulation weekly newspaper in Louisiana, and in 1992, he won the Louisiana Press Association”s first-place honors for Best Sports Coverage and Best Sports Photography among numerous awards.
He graduated in 1988 from the University of Louisiana, where he was editor of the student newspaper, and he also studied in California and Mississippi. In addition to his background in journalism, Kennedy also worked as a consultant, lobbyist, and held two stints in radio broadcasting.
Kennedy is married to the former Heather Johnson of Yazoo City, Mississippi. They will reside in Lakeport with four daughters, Peyton Johnson, 12, Shelby Johnson, 11, Lauren Johnson, 7, Ashley Kennedy, 3, and a son, John Kennedy, 8 months.
