The Daily News retail sales manager, Ray King, has been named the paper’s new publisher.
The longstanding resident of Iron Mountain replaces Corky DeRoeck, who retired on Friday.
King joined The Daily News as circulation district manager in 1998. In 2011, he returned as a classified advertising sales representative, having previously worked for two other companies.
In 1998, King became the circulation district manager for The Daily News.
In early 2016, he assumed the role of retail sales manager in the advertising department of The Daily News, succeeding DeRoeck, who was promoted from advertising manager to publisher/advertising director. King began supervising the ADvertiser’s ad sales in 2020.
King will also undertake the responsibilities of advertising director and general manager for Powers Printing, which publishes The Daily News as well as the Daily Press in Escanaba, The Mining Journal in Marquette, and the Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton.
King was well-versed in sales prior to joining The Daily News, he noted.
He stated, “I’ve spent a significant portion of my career in retail management.”
King stated that working under two publishers, DeRoeck and Bob Johnson, provided him with the opportunity to observe various management techniques. According to him, he will likely employ elements of both moving forward.
While he does intend to make some adjustments at The Daily News, they will primarily be “to make the paper more efficient,” according to him.
“I’m excited,” King said of his new position. In the beginning, until I gain experience, there will be a learning curve. A seasoned management team at The Daily News, he added, “will make my job as simple as possible.”
Said King, “My door is open. If individuals wish to call and express an opinion, I will listen.”
King, a native of Calumet in Houghton County, has resided in the Iron Mountain region with his wife Darlene since 1980. They have four adult children, three daughters and a son, as well as sixteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
