John Owens Named Editor-In-Chief Of Anton News

Friday, 04 January 2013 00:00

Angela Susan Anton, publisher and CEO of Anton Community Newspapers, has named John Owens editor-in-chief of the 17-newspaper chain. Owens is an award-winning journalist and long-time publishing executive known for building strong editorial teams and producing targeted, must-read publications.

“John is a proven editorial leader with fresh ideas, energy and vision,” said Ms. Anton. “Our organization has long been the source for community news, and now, with John spearheading the effort, our editorial success can soar to the next level.”

Owens will direct the news-gathering operations of the editors and writers covering 70 communities in Nassau County.

“I have worked with John over the years, and it is a pleasure to bring him aboard,” said Michael Castonguay, president and chief operating officer. “John’s wide-ranging talents and deep editorial experience will be an asset to Anton News, as well as to our readers, advertisers and the overall communities we serve.”

A two-decade resident of Manhasset—and reader of Anton’s Manhasset Press—Owens’ résumé includes serving as senior vice president and editorial director at international publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media, where he had creative responsibility for nearly a dozen consumer magazines, including Car and Driver, Road & Track, Popular Photography, Boating, and Travel Holiday. He was also the editorial director at Yachting magazine. 

During the 2010-11 school year, Mr. Owens taught writing to eighth and ninth graders at a public school in South Bronx. He experienced bureaucrats and “school reformers” who blame teachers for all of our educational system’s woes while depriving America’s most needy children of a decent education. The result is the book, Confessions of a Bad Teacher, which will be published by SourceBooks in Spring 2013. Owens is represented by Dupree Miller and Associates. 

Owens has made more than 100 appearances on national television and radio, including Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, CNN, Fox News, and NPR’s All Things Considered. He also was the regular travel expert on CNBC. 

He began his career in daily newspapers at The Record in Troy, New York, and most recently edited AAA New York’s Car & Travel magazine.

“I am delighted to join Anton News and help its dedicated journalists tell the stories of our communities,” said Owens. “And, needless to say, it is an honor to work with Angela, who, in addition to her publisher’s role, is an acclaimed leader in the Long Island charitable and philanthropic community, and Mike, an incredibly talented president who is proving there is excitement and enormous opportunity in the business of community news.”

The Anton Community Newspapers publishes 17 community newspapers in Nassau County. The newspapers serve communities from the South Shore to the Gold Coast of the North Shore, and have a weekly circulation of approximately 75,000 and a weekly readership of about 150,000.