Ghidotti, the Little Rock public relations and content marketing agency, announced Wednesday that former Arkansas Business Editor Lance Turner has joined the firm as an account supervisor.
Turner, who spent 24 years with Arkansas Business Publishing Group, was this newspaper’s top editor for two years after serving as its online editor from 2000 to 2021. He announced he was departing for a new career in his final “Editor’s Note” column last month. He told members of the staff that the time was right to try something new.
In a news release, Ghidotti — led by Natalie Ghidotti — said Turner will oversee campaign strategy development and execution for the firm’s clients, and will lead its media relations team.
CEO Ghidotti had worked with Turner when both were ABPG employees. She said that Turner brings “an unparalleled foundation of business experience” to the firm’s clients.
“Lance has been leading coverage of businesses and organizations in Arkansas for 24 years both in print and on broadcast, and we are thrilled he is now bringing that incredible knowledge to our clients and team,” she said in a statement. “Our agency has always had a reputation for some of the best media relations minds in the state, and adding Lance to the team continues that differentiator well into 2024 and beyond.”
Turner graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Arkansas State University in 1999 and joined ABPG of Little Rock in May of that year. He wrote general assignment business news stories and the newspaper’s Outtakes media column, covering Arkansas radio, TV, newspapers and advertising firms.
In 2000, Turner became the first online editor for Arkansas Business Publishing Group, helping launch arkansasbusiness.com, which posts local breaking business news daily and published the market’s first daily e-newsletter, The Daily Report.
After his stint as online editor, overseeing web content for ABPG sites and editing The Daily Report and Morning Roundup e-newsletters, Turner became editor of Arkansas Business in August 2021, succeeding longtime editor Gwen Moritz. Moritz was named interim editor after Turner’s departure. ABPG publisher and owner Mitch Bettis began a search for Turner’s permanent replacement late last year.
During Turner’s time as editor, Arkansas Business was named best newspaper for its size category — medium tabloids — at the Alliance of Area Business Publishers 2023 Editorial and Design Excellence Awards contest.
Turner was also a regular presence on Arkansas television, appearing regularly on KTHV-TV, Channel 11, delivering daily business news reports on the CBS affiliate’s morning show, “Wake Up Central,” and co-anchoring the station’s election night coverage. He was also a frequent panelist and guest host of the Arkansas PBS weekly public affairs program, “Arkansas Week.”
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