2-8-12 —     A fourth generation newspaperman has been named publisher of the Commonwealth Journal.

    Rob McCullough, 50, who started working in a newspaper mailroom when he was 15, has officially assumed his duties. He succeeds Jack McNeely who has accepted a position with the Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper, Alabama.

    McCullough is a native of eastern Kentucky and moves here from the publisher position at the Corbin Times-Tribune.

    "It's always exciting when you can promote people from within the organization," said Eddie Blakeley, senior vice president and division manager for Community News-paper Holdings Inc., the corporation that owns both the Commonwealth Journal and the Times- Tribune.

    "Rob brings a great deal of experience to this role and I am confident he and the excellent staff we have in place will continue to do good things not only for the Commonwealth Journal, but for the communities it serves."

    McCullough will also serve as group publisher overseeing both of the Commonwealth Journal's sister publications, the Wayne County Outlook and the McCreary County Record.

    Blakeley announced McCullough's appointment as the new publisher and introduced him to department heads in late January.

    "I am confident the community will find Rob to be a strong advocate for the market and will continue to improve on our commitment to bring the best in local news and information content that affects the wants and needs of the communities we serve," Blakeley said.

    "Rob is very fortunate to be surrounded by a staff of professional, hardworking employees who have a passion and a commitment to the communities we serve."

    McCullough said he plans to relocate to Pulaski County in the next couple of weeks.

    "I am looking forward to moving to Pulaski County and becoming active in the community," Rob McCullough, an active Rotarian, said.

    Prior to his promotion as publisher of the Times-Tribune. McCullough served as  publisher of the Morehead News Group for about five years.

    The Morehead News Group, also owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., publishes the twice-weekly Morehead News as well as The Olive Hill Times and Grayson Journal Enquirer, both weeklies. And before joining the Morehead News Group, McCullough worked in management at the Daily Independent based in Ashland, Ky.

    The Daily Independent is close to McCullough's heart—it was founded by his great-grandfather in the late 1800s. The Daily Independent's leadership was passed along to both McCullough's grandfather and father. McCullough entered management at that newspaper after graduating from Transylvania University with a bachelor's degree in business.

    Although McCullough said he considered entering another field while a university student, he ultimately opted for the newspaper industry.

    "It's my family's thing," McCullough said.

    The Daily Independent remained under family ownership until it was sold in 1979. Like all the newspapers where McCullough has worked, it is currently owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc.

    McCullough is the farther of three children.

    "Jack [McNeely] built a solid foundation and I am confident Rob will continue to build upon Jack's success," Blakeley said. "Part of building upon that success will be expanding how the Commonwealth Journal utilizes multimedia technology to help deliver news to readers."

    "Since 1895, the Commonwealth Journal and its predecessors, the Commonwealth and the Somerset Journal, have provided readers and advertisers with a product that meets their wants and needs. Under Rob's leadership, we intend to continue and improve upon that tradition for many years to come."