Times Names Three to New Posts as General Managers

The Los Angeles Times has named three new general managers responsible for the business operations of several of its news sections, including the Business section. Their responsibilities will include maximizing readership and the financial performance of their sections.

Kelly Ann Sole, who has been The Times’ national sales manager for financial advertising, will be general manager for the Business section. Maria Kretschmer, The Times’ group marketing manager, will be general manager for the weekly Food, Travel, Health, TV Times and Book Review sections. Mark Sande, a Times marketing manager, will be general manager for the Sports section.

“These new positions are part of our new organizational structure that will enable us to dramatically improve the way we market our paper, both to advertisers and readers,” said Mark H. Willes, Times publisher and chairman, president and chief executive officer of Times Mirror Co., parent of The Times.

The general managers will also help bring new editorial features and sections to the market more rapidly, said Jeffrey S. Klein, senior vice president and general manager for news.

Willes emphasized that the general managers will not have any editorial responsibilities or authority and that no editorial staff will report to anyone on the business side. “Editorial content is the sole responsibility of our editors, not our business executives,” he said.

All appointments are effective immediately. The Times said it will soon name general managers for certain other sections.