New executives to head advertising, audience development at Times Free Press

Staff photo by Erin O. Smith / The Chattanooga Times Free Press is photographed Wednesday, September 25, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Staff photo by Erin O. Smith / The Chattanooga Times Free Press is photographed Wednesday, September 25, 2019 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
photo Scott Embry

Two news media veterans have joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press as the newspaper continues to grow and adapt across its digital and print platforms.

Scott Embry, formerly president of the digital marketing agency King & Columbus in Charleston, South Carolina, has been named director of advertising for the Times Free Press. Hampton Rogers, a former regional sales manager for the Gannett/USA Today Network in Texas, is the new director of audience at the Chattanooga newspaper.

Jeff DeLoach, president of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, said the new executives bring decades of diverse experience in the media industry to their new jobs and will be instrumental in continuing the digital transformation of the Times Free Press in serving readers and advertisers in the changing media landscape.

"This is our 150th year and I feel very fortunate to be a part of our organization during such an anniversary celebration and to be adding these key individuals to our executive team," DeLoach said. "Our intention is to make sure we are doing today the things we need to do to ensure another 150 years of serving our community."

Embry joined the Chattanooga newspaper last month after previously serving as advertising director for The Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina and The Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina. In those roles, Embry helped establish and lead two digital advertising agencies - Liberty Point Media in North Carolina and King & Columbus in South Carolina.

A native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Embry said he has always worked to be a valuable consultant to business and help with each client's overall marketing needs. Embry said a newspaper with its online and print presence is a valuable part of that strategy.

photo Hampton Rogers

"We want to provide our clients a solution that works and the truth is that you need a multi-media approach to be successful today," he said. "I've developed thousands of digital marketing campaigns with clients and the majority of those campaigns were improved by having a well executed print strategy."

Rogers, a journalist by training whose office is in the newsroom, will work to grow and serve the audience for the Times Free Press and its websites, newsletters, events and magazines.

"While we are in a time of transformation, I strongly believe that a good newspaper remains an important asset in a city and helps build community," said Rogers, who grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi reading three daily newspapers. "Our whole role as a company is to gather, verify and report news that connects our readers to our community. I see on a daily basis how valuable that is for our readers, advertisers and community."

Rogers joined the Times Free Press in January after working for Gannett in Corpus Christi, Texas. He previously served as director of circulation and marketing for the Victoria Advocate in Texas for eight years and circulation director at Journal Inc. in Tupelo, Mississippi for seven years.

"I do have experience in a number of other markets, but I think the quality of journalism and content that the Times Free Press produces on a daily basis is second to none and is as good as any newspaper," Rogers said. "I believe this is also true for all of our digital news efforts. We are focused on delivering relevant news to our customers where they want it, when they want it."

The Times Free Press reaches the largest audience of any media outlet in the Chattanooga region and serves readers in Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Northeast Alabama.

The paper's daily newspaper appeals to a diverse audience, partly due to its unique editorial structure offering both liberal and conservative editorial pages. The Times Free Press received the top Tennessee Press Association award, General Excellence, five times in the past six years and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize three times since 2013.

In addition to the daily newspaper, the parent Chattanooga Publishing Company publishes ChattanoogaNow, a weekly entertainment tabloid; three community newspapers; and three magazines - Chatter, Edge and GetOut.

The Times Free Press also produces community events that attract various audiences, including high school athletes, foodies, local business owners, young professionals and health care professionals. The company also has its own digital marketing agency, Flypaper, which specializes in online marketing, web design, social engagement, e-commerce and search engine optimization.

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