Arkansas Business Publishing Group (ABPG) of Little Rock announced Monday that Chris Bahn, the former editor of ArkansasSports360.com, has joined the Arkansas Business staff as Northwest Arkansas Editor. Bahn’s appointment coincides with the weekly newspapers’ expansion of its coverage of the region. His coverage will begin in the Dec. 3 issue of Arkansas Business.
In this role, Bahn will provide regional business news coverage and features for the weekly Arkansas Business newspaper and its daily news website, ArkansasBusiness.com. He will cover the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and sports-related business stories. He will also cover the transportation industry, including the four publicly traded trucking companies in Arkansas, and other important northwest Arkansas companies, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville and Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale.
“We're thrilled to have Chris covering one of the most important areas of the state for Arkansas Business,” Olivia Farrell, ABPG chairman and CEO, said. “As a statewide business newspaper, this was a great opportunity to put an experienced, respected and well-known reporter to work for our readers.”
“I’m looking forward to my new role with Arkansas Business Publishing Group and the chance to cover Northwest Arkansas for Arkansas Business,” Chris Bahn said. “Having lived in this part of the state for the past decade, I know there is no shortage of reporting opportunities and stories to tell. Getting to bring those stories to a statewide audience is an opportunity I am happy to have.”
With more than 8,400 followers on Twitter (@cbahn), Bahn will continue to use social media as a way to disseminate breaking business news and analysis.
"Having a writer based in northwest Arkansas who is dedicated to Arkansas Business has been on my wish list, and I couldn't ask for a better journalist than Chris Bahn," Arkansas Business Editor Gwen Moritz said.
“It also marks another important investment in our flagship publication. At a time when other publications are reducing the size of their editorial staff, Arkansas Business is expanding,” she said.
Bahn, a Jonesboro native and graduate of Arkansas State University with a degree in news editorial journalism, began his reporting career as a college freshman at the Jonesboro Sun in 1996. His professional stops include the Benton Courier, the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and ArkansasSports360.com, ABPG’s daily website covering Arkansas sports, which closed in October.
Bahn and his wife, Toni, live in Farmington.
