George B. Irish is president of Hearst Newspapers and a senior vice president of Hearst Corporation. Irish was appointed to his current position, as senior executive of one of America's leading newspaper groups, in January 1998. Hearst Newspapers, with 6,000 employees across the nation, publishes 12 dailies and 14 weeklies in cities including Houston, San Francisco, Seattle, San Antonio and Albany.
Irish's previous position was as vice president and group executive for Hearst Newspapers, a post he held since 1993. Irish joined Hearst in 1979 with the acquisition of the Midland (Mich.) Daily News, and since has held several executive positions with Hearst Newspapers. He has served as publisher of the Midland Daily News (1980-1982); the Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram (1982-1984); the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise (1984-1988); and the San Antonio (Texas) Light (1988-1993).
Irish, a director of Hearst Corporation, is a graduate of Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. He is past chairman of the board of trustees of that university, was named Millikin's Young Alumnus of the Year in 1976 and received an honorary doctorate in 2000. He is a past president of the Texas Daily Newspaper Association, and received the 1992 Texas Newspaper Leader of the Year Award, known as the Pat Taggart Memorial Award, the highest honor given by Texas newspapers. He currently serves on the boards of the American Press Institute, the Associated Press, the Newspaper Association of America, the United Way of New York City, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Board of Visitors. |