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Pictured from left to right, Ken Jackson, editor; Rochelle Stidham, publisher; and Toni Rowan, associate publisher. PHOTO BY JODY GILLESPIE
Please join us in welcoming two new additions to our staff at the Osceola News-Gazette.
Editor Ken Jackson this week replaces longtime editor Brian McBride, who filled an editor position in his hometown of Winter Haven in late May.
Associate Publisher Toni Rowan came on board last month and will work alongside Publisher Rochelle Stidham.
Ken Jackson
It’s Jackson’s third stint with the News-Gazette. He first joined the paper in 2000 as a sports reporter and worked for more than a decade covering high school, college and professional sports throughout Osceola County.
“The News-Gazette is in great hands with new Editor Ken Jackson. I know as editor, he will elevate this newspaper to an even better product. He has such a passion for this business and I’m so pleased to pass the torch to Ken. Please give him your support,” McBride said.
After a short absence, Ken returned to the staff in 2012 as a news and general assignment reporter before being named sports editor in 2017, where he served until 2019.
Jackson’s byline has appeared in nearly every section of the paper and he’s become a fixture in the community over the past 20 years in the county. “The News-Gazette and Osceola County have meant a lot to me over the years. This is where my full-time reporting career began, and I’ve worked with a handful of section editors who taught me how to succeed here, like Brian, Rick Pedone, Pete Covino and Tom Germond. I will be working alongside a handful of good and respected freelance contributors and a cast of experienced and hard-working staffers behind the scenes to deliver a News-Gazette people would want to read,” Jackson said.
“I want to thank (Publisher and General Manager) Rochelle and Juder Stidham for their faith in me in guiding this organization to its next editorial successes.”
A veteran journalist, Jackson said he is committed to providing engaging content for the paper’s loyal followers and new readers methods, and I hope to mentor journalism’s next generation to prepare for that. That plan is still coming together, and while the way we deliver news is changing, the news-gathering process doesn’t: stick to the facts and have the guts to go find them and the integrity to get them right — all of the time. That’s all our readers he and his wife Carrie have two school-aged children.
“I’m very excited to welcome Ken to our team. His experience and vast knowledge of Osceola County will make him an asset to our news organization and community engagement ambitions,” Stidham said.
Toni Rowan
Rowan comes to the News-Gazette from Mount Pleasant, TX where she served as publisher of three Northeast Texas Community Papers, which include the Mount Pleasant Tribune, the Pittsburg Gazette and Dangerfield Steel Country Bee.
She started her newspaper career in 2005 at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, where she served as the multimedia advertising sales manager. Rowan went on to become the publisher of two community papers; The Collierville Herald and the Chester County Independent.
“I believe community newspapers represent everything our communities stand for,” Rowan said.
“I look forward to getting to know everyone in Osceola County and with the staff’s help and input from the community we serve, I will strive to continue the work of keeping the Osceola News-Gazette the No. 1 news source in the county,” she said.
Originally from Charlotte, NC, Rowan has a son, 22, and daughter, 17. She is expecting her first grandchild later this year.
“We are excited to have Toni join our team as Associate Publisher. Her role will be primarily focused on the ONG advertising department and she will assist with ongoing strategies to bring our customers the best in multi-media marketing. Juder and I are confident that she will serve not only advertising customers but our readers and community in Osceola County as a whole,” Stidham said.
