Register Hires President of Northeast Newspaper Group

John Schueler, president of a firm that publishes three newspapers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, has been named the new vice president of circulation at the Orange County Register. He will assume his new job Oct. 7, Register officials said.

Schueler, 42, is president of New England Newspapers, publishers of the Woonsocket Call and the Pawtucket Evening Times, both in Rhode Island, and the Herald News in Fall River, Mass. He also holds the position of publisher of the Herald News. The New England Newspapers have a combined circulation of about 100,000.

Before heading New England Newspapers, Schueler held management positions with major newspapers in Miami, Atlanta and Detroit. He is a former vice president of circulation at the Miami Herald, and he served as the director of sales and marketing in circulation at the Atlanta Constitution. His positions at the Detroit Free Press included service as assistant to the circulation director and as transportation manager.

Schueler is a graduate of Western Michigan University, where he earned a degree in marketing. He succeeds Patrick Elster, who left the paper last month at a time when the Register was undergoing an independent audit of its circulation figures by the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Ronna Kelly, the Register’s director of community relations, on Wednesday said the newspaper looks forward to Schueler’s joining the executive staff. “He brings a wealth of experience, and we look forward to having him join our dynamic team,” she said.