Lou Ransom assumes the helm as Chicago Defender executive editor

(March 2, 2007)The Chicago Defender has tapped one of its sister newspapers for its next executive editor. Hiram Jackson, chairman of Real Times Media, said of the hiring of Lou Ransom, "this is a great day for the Chicago Defender. I am excited about Lou becoming part of the Defender family."
 
Jackson said that Ransom was selected after a national search. Jackson said a priority for Ransom will be increasing the amount of local news stories that appear in the Defender.

Ransom describes his newspaper career as "having done just about everything you can do with a newspaper, except sell them, because it was his brother who had the paper route.

"One of the virtues of working with the Black Press is that you are afforded the opportunity to wear a lot of hats," he says. "I have been a business writer, sports writer, photographer, editorial writer, church page editor and community editor - and that was just in my last job."

"The Chicago Defender, along with the Pittsburgh Courier, are the gold standard when it comes to the Black Press," says Ransom. "Their importance to the Black community nationwide cannot be minimized. I look forward to serving the community in Chicago and bringing my own experience to the newspaper.

Ransom most recently served as managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier newspaper, leading it to five first place awards in the most recent National Newspaper Publisher Association competition (tied for most first-place awards with the Philadelphia Tribune). He joined the Courier in 2004 after six years with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper. It was a homecoming for him, because he started his career at the Courier in 1980 as a reporter.

In between, he had stints as a founding editor with the National Leader, an ambitious Black weekly newspaper in Philadelphia; as state capitol correspondent with Booth Newspapers in Lansing, Michigan and managing editor of the St. Louis American newspaper.

Ransom spent six years as an editor with Jet Magazine in Chicago, where he rose to the position of assistant managing editor. He also served as editorial page editor for the North Hills (Pittsburgh) News Record for three years, and left there for a shorts stint as managing editor at Black Enterprise and editorial writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"I've worked for John Sengstacke, John Johnson and Earl Graves during my 27 years in this profession," he says, "a triumvirate few can match."

Ransom is also an award-winning columnist, whose "Ransom Notes" column has been recognized locally and nationally.

A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Point Park College, Ransom is a Vietnam-era U.S. Navy veteran, and found his calling during his 1,448 days in the Navy. He has been married for 28 years to his wife, Gerri, and they have three children, Louis, Jr., 27, Matthew, 24 and Nexus, 14. Louis, Jr. attended Whitney Young High School in Chicago even though he was only 12 years old.


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