Wischnowski promoted to VP, news operations, at Inquirer parent

H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest, owner of The Inquirer's parent company, continued reshaping the senior leadership Tuesday by appointing Stan Wischnowski to the position of vice president, news operations for The Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com.

Wischnowski had been serving as the executive editor of The Inquirer.

Interstate General Media is the parent company of all three publications. Lenfest became the sole owner of IGM in June after buying the IGM shares held by the family of the late Lewis Katz. On May 27, Lenfest and Katz won an auction for IGM among the previous ownership group.

In an e-mail Tuesday to all IGM employees, Lenfest said Wischnowski "will report directly to me and will lead all three newsrooms in formulating their strategic plans, budgets, and staffing. Stan brings a broad and deep wealth of experience to this important position and is well prepared to serve as the primary liaison among the three newsrooms and their interaction with the publisher's office, in addition to our marketing, advertising, and legal departments."

Lenfest is serving as interim publisher while he looks for a permanent publisher. On June 19, Lenfest appointed Mike Topel as interim editor of Philly.com. A day later, Andy Harrison was promoted to fill the vacant position of chief financial officer.

A graduate of Western Illinois University, Wischnowski, 52, joined The Inquirer in 2000, after working as managing editor at the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Earlier, he worked at the Detroit News. He has served in several management roles at The Inquirer, including overseeing the newsroom's night operations.

The Inquirer has won two Pulitzer Prizes in the last three years under the leadership of Wischnowski and Inquirer Editor William K. Marimow.

"My primary goal is to inject a stronger sense of urgency in everything we do, develop a stronger spirit of innovation and collaboration, and ensure that all three newsrooms maintain their distinctive identities," Wischnowski said. "With 300-plus journalists, we need to make sure our journalism is relentlessly interesting, relevant, and timely."

"Stan is an A-plus journalist," Marimow said. "He understands as well as anyone I've ever worked with what I will call the inextricable linkage between good journalism and having a really viable, profitable business."