Changes at the Top of Two Arkansas Newsrooms

Hot Springs Sentinel-Record (Google Maps)

Beth Reed followed Mark Gregory’s footsteps at the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record in remarkable detail.

Like Gregory, who retired as editor April 7 after 42 years with the paper, Reed was born in Hot Springs and wanted to return after college. And again like Gregory, she took a minor post with the paper shortly after graduation, became a full-fledged staffer within months and held several important positions before taking charge of the newsroom.

Reed was a promising photographer at Lakeside High School when she first met Gregory’s predecessor as editor, Melinda Gassaway. After graduating from Arkansas State University in December 2012, Reed moved back home and Gassaway gave her a temporary job inputting stories for a special edition. “I did that … until I became a full-time reporter in April of 2013,” Reed told Arkansas Business.

Gregory joined the paper part time after graduating from the University of Central Arkansas in 1982. (Disclosure: He was this reporter’s boss as editor of the college paper, The Echo.) By April 1983, Gregory was a full-time reporter at his hometown paper.

“I followed about the same timeline he did,” Reed said. “I think he became full time in April of the year he started as well. It’s kind of funny how that worked out.”

Reed said that Gregory, who led the newsroom for 12 years, was a constant mentor and a close collaborator, particularly after she became digital strategy manager in 2019.

In that role, she guided the Sentinel-Record’s evolution into a largely digital paper, appearing daily on subscribers’ iPads. The devices are provided by the paper’s parent company, Wehco Media of Little Rock, owner of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Texarkana Gazette and 10 other daily newspapers.

As a small-market journalist, Reed feels fortunate to oversee a newsroom staff of about 10, about the same size as the staff she joined in 2013. Hundreds of newspapers have seen deep and devastating job cuts in the past 12 years.

“We’re still able to cover everything that needs to be covered, and we’re still very much a big part of our community,” Reed said.

Reporting on the area’s seven school districts and covering local government, sports and business are pillars of the Sentinel-Record’s news output, Reed said. Looking ahead, the paper will prioritize drawing in younger readers, particularly in the 25-to-40 age range.

“One of the things I’m passionate about is reaching readers that may never have picked up a paper to read, and creating content and ways to reach them with stories that matter to them.”

Another New Chief

TV news veteran Michael Snuffer is the new news director at KATV, Channel 7, in Little Rock,

And he’s hiring.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as News Director at KATV-TV-Sinclair Broadcast Group!” Snuffer declared last month on LinkedIn, calling the station an “incredible digital powerhouse and ABC affiliate.” The station is expanding, he said, with openings for multimedia journalists and a photojournalist.

“As part of our team, you’ll work in a recently renovated content center alongside a talented group of professionals committed to delivering timely and relevant news to viewers across Arkansas.” He touted competitive salaries and excellent benefits.

Snuffer, who started his broadcast career in Texas in 1988, replaced former KATV News Director Amy Sullivan. Sullivan, an Air Force veteran and member of the National Association of Black Journalists, is in her fourth month as news director of KOKI of Tulsa, better known as Fox 23.

Snuffer has led TV newsrooms in Texas, Illinois, Nebraska and Missouri.