Jeannette Close has been named the associate publisher at New SV Media and will head up all advertising and circulation at the Morgan Hill Times, the Gilroy Dispatch and the Hollister Free Lance. She is based out of the Gilroy Dispatch office in downtown Gilroy.
“The next five years are going to be explosive. There is a lot going on in South Valley and San Benito County and I am excited to join the SV Media family as we are about to expand and grow alongside the communities we call home,” said Close.
Close began her career in community journalism in San Diego more than 20 years ago and then travelled north, where she joined Silicon Valley Community Newspapers as advertising manager, later becoming its associate publisher after it was sold. Most recently, Close headed up the advertising operations at the Press Banner in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley.
“I love the direct contact you get with the community at local newspapers,” said Close, who used to collect newspapers from around the world when she was a 13-year-old kid in her hometown of Peoria, Illinois. “It’s great when people come into the office to talk about stories we’ve written and to learn how our reporting has made a difference to them.”
Close looks forward to getting out in the community to meet with local businesses, leaders and newspaper readers.
“We are not a big corporation,” said Close. “We are locally owned and each of the papers—Morgan Hill Times, Gilroy Dispatch, Hollister Free Lance—has an important legacy in the communities they serve. We want to provide good journalism and, for our advertisers, an opportunity to reach and tell their story to new and returning customers. We aim to give local businesses an avenue to promote themselves that is within reach financially and takes advantage of all the business development tools we have to offer.”
Drop Jeannette Close a line at jc****@ne********.com.
