Veteran media sales executive Ken DePaola has joined The Signal as chief revenue officer, and will be a partner in the paper’s parent company.
DePaola most recently was senior vice president of sales at Tronc, the name adopted in 2016 by Tribune Publishing, owner of The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and other newspapers.
“I’m delighted to have Ken on board because he’s one of the most competitive people I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the last 40 years,” said Chuck Champion, president and publisher of The Signal.
DePaola spent more than 20 years with the Chicago Sun-Times, rising through the ranks to general manager, before being hired away by the Chicago Tribune. He has also held senior sales positions with Newsday on Long Island and The Wall Street Journal.
He and Champion worked together for four years at the Sun-Times. “At the age of 27, he was national sales manager of what was at the time the 12th-largest newspaper in the country,” Champion said.
DePaola said he’s excited at the prospect of leveraging The Signal brand as the paper approaches its 100th anniversary in 2019. “The timing was right, and it’s a privilege to have the chance to work with Chuck again. I know the business and I love the business,” he said. “As I told our sales reps, I just want to help The Signal make more money, and I know we provide the great local content to our readers that will make that possible.”
The Signal has been the Santa Clarita Valley’s leading news source since its founding in 1919 as The Newhall Signal. It returned to local ownership nearly two years ago, when Paladin Multi-Media Group bought it from Georgia-based Morris Multimedia.
DePaola, a graduate of Ball State University in Indiana, joins Paladin as a partner with Champion, chief operating officer, and Chief Financial Officer Gary Sproule, along with Russ Briley, executive vice president of community relations and audience development.
