Ross McDuffie, a veteran digital media and publishing executive, has been named president of Madison Media Partners, the digital media and full-service marketing company that produces the Wisconsin State Journal, madison.com and The Capital Times.
McDuffie previously served as the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, which put him at the helm of business development and revenue growth. In his new role, McDuffie will serve as Madison Media Partners’ senior operational leader and chief revenue executive.
The primary face of community engagement for the company, McDuffie said a chief concern will be making sure that continued innovation and investment remain the priorities of operational strategy, keeping the company’s vast audience of readers and advertising clients front and center in those decisions.
“I really want to make sure that our mission is to remain and to always be essential,” McDuffie said of his new position. “We do that through continuing the legacy of quality local journalism … telling the stories of south-central Wisconsin and making sure our platforms and product suite remain the best in the region.”
He will report to Chris White, president of the Western Media Group for Madison Media Partners’ parent company, Lee Enterprises, and publisher of the State Journal.
McDuffie, a native of Columbus, Georgia, moved to the Madison area in September 2020 with his wife and two children after a decade working for California-based publishing firm McClatchy. He rose through the ranks there, starting as a multimedia marketing consultant for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in 2010 and more recently serving as the senior director of leadership development for McClatchy’s corporate office and general manager of their Georgia markets.
A 2007 graduate of Berry College, McDuffie started his career as a journalist and multimedia producer for a privately owned media company in northwest Georgia, earning two Emmy Award nominations for video storytelling, before embarking on his career as a media business executive.
“(McDuffie) has exhibited exceptional leadership,” White said, adding he looks for “humble people who are driven to be the best at what they are” when making hiring decisions.
Originally posted on Madison.com on Jan. 8, 2022, by Emilie Heidemann.
